The Old Testament ends with a beautiful picture of the saints of God and their actions:

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.” Malachi 3:!6

They feared the Lord. They had that reverence for Jehovah that caused them to depart from evil, and to keep his ordinances. We must also act faithfully in keeping the commandments of God. John would write, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Satan wants us to believe that we cannot faithfully keep the commands of God, that it is too much of a struggle. God says we can, and I trust the Lord! Faithfully keeping the commands of God brings us into a closer relationship with Him. It tells the world there is a better way to live and allows us to let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). 

They spoke often one to another. They kept up the communion of saints. By mutual exhortation they strengthened each other’s hands in the Lord. The local congregation of Christians can be a lot like this. Not everyone is the lead, some people are the rhythm. Notice what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11, 12 about the roles in the church, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” In the first century church there were different roles. Not everyone was an apostle. Not everyone could teach. Each member that makes up the body of Christ is valuable in whatever they are able to do.

They thought on his name. His name was sacred to them; it was a fruitful source of profound and edifying meditation. The name of God is God himself in the plenitude of his power, omniscience, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth. What a source for thinking and contemplation! See how God treats such persons: The Lord hearkened to their conversation, heard the meditations of their hearts; and so approved of the whole that a book of remembrance was written before the Lord – all their names were carefully registered in heaven. Here is an allusion to records kept by kings, “That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king” (Esther 6:1), of such as had performed signal services, and who should be the first to be rewarded.

The Word of God is indeed a powerful, sin freeing, light giving, faith producing, trustworthy study that contains the pure seed to be loved by all. We should respect it as such. When we sing the song “Give Me the Bible” we better know what we are asking for. Not some “great classic” or a book that is uninspired, allowing any change we may make. Jesus taught that we are to live by this book because it WILL stand forever, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Revelation 20:12).

By: Justin Odom