On Oct. 3rd, students, faculty, and guests of Eastern gathered in the gym to celebrate weekly chapel together.
The university Chaplain, Dr. Joseph Modica introduced the question he wanted us to ponder that morning.
“Does God’s word still matter today?” Dr. Modica kept in tune with this essential question as he introduced the morning’s speaker, professor Dr. Peter Enns.
Dr. Enns spoke on and reflected on the Book of Malachi. In his discussion, he spoke about the ways in which we can relate to this book in the Old Testament. Dr. Enns began with briefing the audience on what the book roughly translates to in modern language. In a simple sense, God’s people did not live up to their covenant with God.
They were struggling with the idea of God’s love amid their own struggles. However, the people did not take responsibility for their turmoil that was caused by their sinful nature. God, through Malachi, points to the people themselves, encouraging them to admit their role in their turmoil.
Dr. Enns continued by relating this to our own lives. God in this book wanted His people to help one another. That’s a part of worshipping God– doing things for the benefit of other people whenever possible.
“Worship and justice are not disconnected” Dr. Enns said. Dr. Enns went on to quote from the Book of Malachi. He called from Malachi 3:5 which in the New International Version states,’”so I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,”’ says the Lord Almighty.”
We are called to read between the lines because this book was not written to us but was written for us in order to learn more about what God wants for us.
This book, often overlooked or only studied in Sunday school, is “worthy of our adult attention,” Dr. Enns said.
Dr. Enns ended with encouraging the audiences to dig deeper and to not look for verses that relate to us but challenge ourselves to understand what is meant by each verse in relation to the book, Old Testament and Bible as a whole.