10/09/26

. Malachi 1:6a NASB95 “ ‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you.

Scripture tells us that children are a father's honor. Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

God blessed mankind with children; fathers and mothers alike are blessed with the opportunity to be the parents of a child. Yet so often, when it is not done in the way that the Lord designs, they do not realize the blessing.

However, many do, and they are full of thankfulness for this blessing. Then, as the child grows, the parents will reveal the beautiful life that they have been blessed with. They can't help but smile when they introduce their son or daughter. They realize the awesome responsibility that goes with it and take the child's raising extremely seriously. They attempt to bring the child up in righteousness.

They have attempted to handle their blessing with righteousness. Then the child becomes a teen and becomes rebellious. He or she is no longer willing to accept guidance from the parent and is determined to go in a way that dishonors the parent. Yet the parents' love does not diminish, and they still attempt to guide the child in the correct way.

This is a description of how being a parent goes for most.

Parents would love for the child to remain a trusting follower, righteously accepting their loving guidance forever, but for most this is not the case. They desire their children to grow into righteous adults. Showing the world what an honor it was being a parent to them

This is also a description of how many believers and followers of Jesus treat their heavenly Father. This is why God says in Malachi, "if I am a father, where is My honor?"

Scripture tells us that we are to come to the Lord as a child. That is to trust and obey, and to be an honor of His. Matthew 18:3-4 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Yet when we rebel against our Father, we are no longer His honor.

God continues and uses the example of a Master in the exact same way. When you have someone that you are over, you should treat them with dignity, honor, and respect. In return, they should treat you the same way. However, there are certain workers who refuse to show their boss the same respect they have been given.

In each of these cases, what we see next should be scary to all who have not done these to our parents or our bosses/masters. The Father says Where is my honor and the Master says Where is my respect. Then the two of them, Father and Master, introduce Themselves as one. He is the "LORD of hosts to you."

An earthly father is not a master, and an earthly master is not a father. Yet both have authority to punish those who do not honor or respect them.

Even more so does the one who is both Father and Master. The Lord not only is both, but He is the Lord of hosts. The Hebrew word translated as, host, is a military term meaning soldiers or army. He is the one who is ruler over heaven's armies.

A father spanks, grounds, and removes a child's liberties.

A master docks pay, suspends, and fires.

The commander of an army wages war until the opponent surrenders or is destroyed.

The Lord of hosts asks Israel through Malachi, " Where is My honor, where is My respect?

The Lord of hosts, through His written word to us, asks, " Where is my honor, where is my respect?

If we truly are children of God and a bond slave to Him, then let's strive to show Him honor and respect. After all, not only is He Abba and Adonai, but He is also Jehovah Sabbaoth.

My prayer today is that everyone who reads this strives to be His honor and respect, so they won't be His enemy.

Love Brother Scott