The Book of Remembrance

Malachi 3:16 ~ "Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name."

Comfort yourself, dear Christian, God has never forgotten anything that you did in honor of His name. There is written a book of remembrance that contains all that you did as you walked in the fear of the LORD. You have not been missed in the constant gaze of the LORD upon the earth, for His eye sees all--and especially those who love and serve Him.

Consider the words of 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him." In the context of this verse, Asa the king had relied on Syria, and not on the LORD to deliver the nation of Judah. So God Almighty reminded the king, and us as well, that His eye is always upon those who serve Him that He will strongly support those with a heart that fears Him.

So we learn from our text today that it is first those who "feared the LORD." What is this holy fear? What does it mean to fear the LORD? It is to reverence Him and hold the LORD Jesus above all others. To recognize His sovereignty and majesty and worship Him as Savior and King. Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate." If one is to fear the LORD, then it will lead them to turn aside from evil ways--to seek to do that which is right and good. For their lack of godly fear, the LORD chastised the people through the prophet Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 2:19, "Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the LORD God of hosts."

But, included in their fear of the LORD was a desire to converse about the LORD. They, "spoke to one another." The implication is that their conversations were governed by their fear of God. One of the great realities of the Christian life is that our conversations convey our fear of God. Let me ask this: what do you talk about on the way? What is the conversation taking place in your home? Do you seek out those who fear the LORD and, with open dialogue, embark on conversations filled with your love for and life in Christ? The world is filled with enough inane babble. Let it not be so with the Christian. Paul tell us in Colossians 4:6, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." 

And, what a wonderful promise is made in our text today: "The LORD paid attention and heard." How many times do you speak of the LORD, how often do you study His word in close fellowship with others? Beloved, know this wonderful truth: the LORD God Almighty is there paying attention to all that you have said--and He has heard every word. Your love for Him is not overlooked, for He is listening. There are places in our world where conversations of Christ must be done in whispers--and yet the LORD hears every word as if it was boldly proclaimed in heaven.

Do not dread that you may be forgotten by God Almighty. He has not lost one single word that fell from your lips. They all have been written down in His book of remembrance, and He will take up this book with joy and declare that all who fear the LORD and esteemed His name in their hearts and with their voice, will be His forever. Consider the words of Malachi 3:17, "They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him."  You who fear the LORD and faithfully stand with Christ will be taken up by Him as His treasured possession. He will lose not one.

Dear friends, others may not want to hear your conversations about Jesus. But God does, and so do all who fear the LORD. Christ listens and pays attention to every word. Let us then seek the fellowship of the redeemed and open up with delight in conversation about the LORD.

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael

---