God's Recording Angels Text: Malachi 3:16-18
Introduction: The Great Sorting
The book of Malachi is the last word from God for four hundred years. It is the final prophetic utterance before the heavens go silent, waiting for the cry of a baby in Bethlehem. And like many final words, it is sharp, pointed, and intended to get our attention. The prophet has been dealing with a cynical and jaded people. They have returned from exile, rebuilt the temple, but the glory has not returned in the way they expected. Their worship is half-hearted, their offerings are lame, and their hearts are full of grumbling. They look around and see the wicked prospering, and they have the audacity to ask, "Where is the God of justice?" They say it is vain to serve God. "What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance?"
This is a very modern complaint. We are surrounded by a culture that celebrates arrogance, rewards wickedness, and mocks the faithful. And if we are not careful, the same weariness can settle into our bones. We can begin to think that our quiet faithfulness, our unseen obedience, our prayers behind closed doors, are all for nothing. We can look at the loud, boisterous, and successful pagans and wonder if we have been duped.
Into this atmosphere of faithless complaint, Malachi delivers a stunning course correction. He pulls back the curtain of heaven for a brief moment and shows us that God is paying much closer attention than we think. Not a single act of faithfulness is missed. Not one quiet word of encouragement between believers goes unheard. God is not asleep at the switch. He is not indifferent. He is, in fact, keeping records. And a day is coming when He will open the books and make a final, unanswerable distinction. This passage is a profound encouragement to the righteous remnant in every generation who feel overlooked and forgotten. It tells us that while men may forget, God never does.
The Text
Then those who feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh gave heed and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Yahweh and who think upon His name. "And they will be Mine," says Yahweh of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
(Malachi 3:16-18 LSB)
The Whispers of the Faithful (v. 16)
We begin with the response of the remnant to the widespread apostasy and grumbling.
"Then those who feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh gave heed and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Yahweh and who think upon His name." (Malachi 3:16)
Notice the pivot. The previous verses are filled with the arrogant words of the wicked. But here, another kind of speech arises. While the world was running its mouth against God, a small group was speaking to one another. And what was the content of their speech? It was born out of the "fear of Yahweh." This is not the cowering dread of a slave before a tyrant. This is the reverential awe, the holy respect, of a child before a loving and powerful Father. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and here it is the beginning of faithful fellowship. When you fear God, you stop fearing men. You stop being impressed by the bluster of the wicked. Your conversations change.
They "spoke to one another." In a time of rampant unbelief, the saints must seek each other out. They must gather to encourage one another, to remind each other of God's promises, to build one another up in the faith. This is not idle chit-chat. This is spiritual warfare. Every conversation that strengthens a brother's hand or comforts a sister's heart is an act of defiance against the spirit of the age. And God leans in to listen. The text says He "gave heed and heard it." God is not some distant, deistic landlord. He is an attentive Father. He eavesdrops on the conversations of His children. He delights in the fellowship of those who love Him.
And He does more than listen; He records. "A book of remembrance was written before Him." This is an anthropomorphism, of course, but the point is potent. Think of an ancient king, like Ahasuerus in the book of Esther, who had the chronicles of his kingdom read to him to remember the deeds of his subjects. God has a perfect memory. He needs no book. But this image is for our comfort. He is making a permanent, official record of the faithfulness of His people. And who is in this book? It is for those who "fear Yahweh" and who "think upon His name." To think upon His name means to esteem it, to meditate on His character, His attributes, His works, His law, His gospel. While the world forgets God, the saints treasure His name in their minds and hearts. Every moment you spend pondering His majesty, every time you choose to honor His name instead of taking it in vain, the recording angel makes another entry.
God's Treasured Possession (v. 17)
In verse 17, God declares the ultimate status and destiny of those whose names are in His book.
"And they will be Mine," says Yahweh of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." (Malachi 3:17 LSB)
"They will be Mine." This is the great declaration of covenant ownership. In a world that is passing away, in a culture that is crumbling, God looks at His faithful remnant and says, "That's My property." This is not just ownership, but a declaration of relationship. He is not just our King; we are His people. This belonging is our ultimate security.
He calls them His "treasured possession." The Hebrew word here is segullah. It's the same word used in Exodus 19 when God tells Israel they will be His treasured possession above all peoples. This is a term of endearment, of immense value. We are not talking about sentimental value, like an old photograph. We are God's treasure because He purchased us at an infinite cost, the blood of His own Son. You are not cosmic junk. You are not an accident. If you are in Christ, you are the jewel of God's creation, the centerpiece of His eternal plan. He is preparing a day when He will put His jewels on display for all the universe to see.
And on that day, there will be a great sparing. "I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." The day God is preparing is a day of judgment. It is the day when the furnace will burn, as the next chapter tells us. But for His treasured possession, it is a day of deliverance. The basis for this sparing is not our intrinsic worthiness, but our relationship to the Father through the Son. We are spared because we are in His family. The analogy is beautiful. A man has a son who serves him. The service is not what makes him a son, but it is the evidence that he is a son. He serves out of love, out of his identity. Our obedience, our service to God, does not earn our salvation. Rather, it is the family resemblance. It is the proof of our sonship. God spares us because we are His children, and our faithful service is the joyful evidence of that glorious fact.
The Great Reversal (v. 18)
Finally, verse 18 describes the ultimate, public vindication of God's justice and the clarification of all things.
"So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." (Malachi 3:18 LSB)
Here is the answer to the cynics' complaint. They looked around and saw no difference. The wicked prospered, the righteous suffered, and it all seemed a meaningless jumble. God says, "Just wait." A day is coming when the fog will lift, and the distinction will be as clear as noon-day. "You will return and see." This is not just about us seeing; it is about the universe seeing. The distinction that is now often hidden by providence will be made gloriously and terrifyingly manifest.
What is the distinction? It is "between the righteous and the wicked." This is the fundamental divide in the human race. It is not between rich and poor, black and white, educated and uneducated. The only distinction that will matter in the end is this one. And how is this distinction defined? It is "between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him."
This brings it all down to earth. The righteous are not those who have a flawless record. The righteous are those who, having been declared righteous by faith in Christ, now joyfully serve God. The wicked are those who refuse to serve. They insist on serving themselves, their idols, their lusts. They are rebels who will not have this man rule over them. On that final day, all the gray areas will vanish. All the moral ambiguity will be burned away. There will be two lines, and only two. Every human being will be in one or the other. And no one will dispute the sorting. The justice of God will be seen by all to be perfect, and the complaints of the wicked will be silenced forever.
Conclusion: Whose Book Are You In?
This passage forces a question upon every one of us. Whose side are you on? Whose conversation are you a part of? Are you among those who fear the Lord and speak to one another of His goodness, or are you among those who say it is vain to serve God?
God is keeping records. There is a book of remembrance for the righteous, and as Revelation tells us, there is another book, the book of life. And there are other books, which record the deeds of the wicked, from which they will be judged. The only way to have your name transferred from the books of judgment to the book of life is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
When you, by faith, lay hold of Christ, God imputes the perfect righteousness of His Son to you. He adopts you into His family. You become His son, His treasured possession. And He begins to write your name, and your deeds of faith, in His book of remembrance. Your fear of Him, your love for His name, your encouragement of the saints, your quiet service, it is all seen, it is all heard, and it is all recorded.
Therefore, do not lose heart. Do not look at the temporary triumphs of the wicked and conclude that God is unjust. The books are not yet opened. The final chapter has not yet been read. But the ending has been written. And on that day, when the Lord of hosts makes up His jewels, the great distinction will be made plain for all to see. And to those who feared His name, He will say, "You are Mine."