One of the complaints of the people of the prophet Malachi's time was that they felt it was useless to serve God. They did not see blessings on their lives. They saw evil doers prospering and wondered what good did it do them to be obedient to God (Malachi 3:14-15). Preachers of the so called "prosperity gospel" claim if we are Christians, we will be wealthy. They claim everything good will come our way. But what if it doesn't? Does that mean that God has forgotten us? No! It means that God's blessings are ultimately fulfilled in living with Him eternally in Heaven. There is no instant gratification in the Christian life.
Forgotten by God?
The Jewish people had a history of feeling as though God had abandoned them. In Psalm 94:7 they accuse God of not seeing or perceiving their problems. In Ezekiel 8:12 they accused God of abandoning them. Today we may feel that God has forgotten us in our sorrow and trouble.
The Psalmist knew God remembered him. In Psalm 139:16 David says this,
"Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them."
God has never abandoned His faithful. God knows everything about our lives from beginning to end. He sees the good things we do; He sees the bad. He knows where our heart lies - either with Him or against Him. He knows if we truly love.
A Book of Remembrance
In Malachi 3:16 the prophet tells the people that God has written a "book of remembrance" for those who fear Him and meditate on His name. The people of Malachi's day would have been familiar with the concept of a book of remembrance. Kings kept such books to remember service that had been rendered to them by various people so they would not be forgotten and would be rewarded.
God tells Malachi in the next verse that "On the day that I act" He will spare those who fear and meditate on Him and that is when the distinction will be made between those who served Him and those who did not. God remembers His faithful ones. In Psalm 105:45 we are told that even after the Israelites had rebelled and forgotten God that "He remembered his covenant" that He had made with them. They are His people as are we who love Him.
The King Remembers Mordecai
We can read about a king and his "book of remembrance" in Esther 6: 1-3. The King was unable to sleep and called for his "records of the chronicles" to be brought to him. In this was recorded that Mordecai had revealed a plot against the king's life and yet he had not been rewarded. The king declared that great honors be bestowed on him.
Heaven is Our Reward
In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus is recorded as saying our reward is in Heaven. In Luke 10:20 Jesus tells the disciples that their joy should be found in the fact that their names were "written in Heaven". Many times when we are faithful to God we will see heartaches, disappointments and sorrow but when we persevere in doing good, we will see our reward (2 Corinthians 5:10).
The Book of Life
Our names are written in Heaven in the book of life if we are a Christian. Throughout the Bible (Exodus, Psalm, Daniel and Revelation) we read about this book of life. In Revelation 20:12 John says that our names were written in it "before the foundation of the world". The Lord sees us and knows us. He does not forget His children. Revelation 3:5 explains that for those who overcome their names will never be removed from the book of life. Jesus in John 16:33 says that it is He that has overcome the world. In Revelation 22:12 the Lord says this,
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done."
God's "book of remembrance" guarantees that when we follow God, even when those around us may not, that our names and our actions are written there. As I Samuel 26:23 tells us God rewards those who are righteous. He rewards the faithful.
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