Tues.’s Devo - The Description of the Bride

Read: Malachi 1:1-2:17; Rev. 21:1-27; Ps. 149:1-9; Pr. 31:10-24 Malachi was written about the same time as Nehemiah which is pre-exile. Malachi starts by telling the people how much God loves them because His mercy endures forever. Then God points out their sin as a people. He starts with the priests and rebukes them for their distain for the Law and their deceptive leadership. They led the people into idolatry and sin which they will be judged for. They offered God sacrifices that were blind and lame instead of the best. Instead of blessings, these priests would receive curses. The office of the priest was suppose to be one of truth and justice, but they had polluted the office and profaned God’s name. In Revelation, John saw the new kingdom coming down which was holy and righteous. The bride was adorned with beauty and her heart was for her husband. God’s presence was with his people. Death and the past was done away with. The overcomer inherited every promise in the Word. The sinners were gone…into the lake of fire. The angel took John and showed him the bride. She was a city of believers who shone with God’s glory. Her foundation was the teachings of the apostles yet her gates were the tribes of Israel. She was perfectly balanced in her doctrine. God was the very center of her existence because his presence was her light. This is a picture of what the church should and will look like. “The heart of her husband will safely trust in her…she will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” Lord, may we be faithful wives who totally trust in You.