Recently, we saw what happened to Israel in the four hundred years between Malachi and the birth of the Messiah. God had spent hundreds of years sending Priests and Holy people to show the Hebrews what He wanted from we humans.

Most teachers/preachers were rejected, or killed; they were seen as devoid of any Spiritual wisdom. It appears God had enough because He went ahead with the promise of sending His Son. Malachi was One of the last Heaven-sent messengers, now, God has prepared the earth to receive her true King.

From Malachi to Jesus, some things had happened. 1. Leadership had changed from Greek control, to the power of Rome. 2. When the Jews returned from Babylon, God did not restore the Kingship, people were governed by the Sanhedrin. This was a group of elder-type folks numbering seventy people. 3. This leadership was not enough to return their hearts to God. 4. Israel would soon let the world know that God’s Messiah was not their choice.

He was rejected and hung on a cross! The compassionate nature of Jesus was a hard sell to the warrior-minded Jew who wanted an action-type-hero to restore them to national prominence. Because Israel rejected the Son, God allowed you and me to be adopted into His kingdom: We Gentiles accepted that, also the challenge to preach the Word “to the ends of the Earth: tellting others that truth and light was present in this man.”

Israel had stopped-up ears and a nation-ending vision on what God expected of them. Perhaps out of ignorance and arrogance, Israel promised to return and rebuild Jerusalem without God, just by their own power.

God said, go ahead, rebuild without Me and I will just tear it down again; which he did. Seventy years of being captive to an unholy nation, did not teach them much! In the natural order of life, a son will give honor to the father. God asks the Jews, since I am your Spiritual father, “where is My honor from you folks?”

Jesus came to the Jewish nation. Those folks for whom he was created, said no thanks, and the rest is history. As Mike Rowe would say, Jesus is the story behind the story and we have every right to claim Him as our savior. It is our choice!