Scripture Reference: Malachi 1:2-5
It is remarkable, in view of Israel’s sin, that God’s first message to them in this book is that He loves them. His love is a historical love that goes back to their ancestor Jacob, who received his father’s and God’s blessing rather than his older brother Esau.
They may have felt unloved because of the suffering of the captivity, the shape of Jerusalem when they returned, the drought and economic instability, but God reminds them that they will recover. If He was against them, they wouldn’t be able to bounce back. Edom may rebuild, God said, but He will destroy what they rebuild. His activity will cause all who see to say, “Great is the Lord!”
Israel’s situation is far different from Edom’s, for Israel will bounce back. They will rebuild. God didn’t stop bad things from happening to them, but He did give them the opportunity to improve their lives.
The objection of Israel in this text causes us to ask a universal question: How can a loving God allow bad things to happen? Since He is all powerful, can’t He stop evil’s reign?
The following is a story I once read and kept:
Hospital Chaplain Norris Burkes went on full alert when he heard that a family of stab victims would arrive at the emergency room in a few minutes. Chaplains deal with tragedy and death on a daily basis, but it never becomes routine. They are a special breed of minister who prefer to spend their time immersed in the suffering of others, and representing God and His people to hurting traumatized people. They extend grace & hope in hopeless situations every day of their life-this was one of those occasions.
The family was entertaining a friend in their home who had a dark secret-he was a crack addict. The tranquil visit turned into a nightmare when he ran out of crack and lost his sanity. He demanded money from his hosts, and when they wouldn’t comply with his request, he began stabbing them.
It was horrible. Blood was everywhere.
The father died. The baby was critical. Mom was stable.
Big sister was in the best shape physically, but emotionally she’d entered the twilight zone. As the doctors worked with those needing medical attention, Chaplain Burkes took the ten year old girl into the chapel to pray.
Her prayers began very innocent, like you’d expect to hear from a little girl. She asked God to help her family recover and that everything would be OK. Then her prayers lost their innocence, as she had that night, and became brutally honest. “She demanded to know why God let her father die,” Chaplain Burkes said, and “she had a few choice words for her houseguest as well.”
Rage got the best of her, she swept the candles off of the altar and began overturning chairs in the chapel. The Chaplain called for Jeannie, the nurse supervisor, who held the child in her arms and took her back into the ER to give her a sedative.
Where was God’s love for this little girl?
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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