Di Book of Remembrance

Few friends sit down together for one compound when night don fall, dey talk quietly about God. Nobody wey important dey listen. Nobody dey write anything down. Na so dem think.

We dey for Judah, for di days of di prophet Malachi, di last of di Old Testament prophets. Di people don build di temple again, but life hard and faith don thin. For di book of Malachi, God talk, and di people keep dey answer back with questions. Some na honest questions. Some na complaint wey dem dress like question. For dis part of di book, God talk: una words don strong against me. Dem harsh. Dem hard. And di people answer, as dem dey always do: Wetin we don talk against you?

God tell dem exactly wetin dem don dey talk. Una don talk say: E no get any use to serve God: and wetin we gain say we keep im command, and say we waka with sorrow for di front of Di Lord of hosts? Wetin be di point? We don do di correct things. We don say sorry. We don keep di rules. And wetin we get? Then dem look around see di proud people, di people wey dey do anything wey dem like. And now we dey call di proud people happy; yes, di people wey dey do wickedness dey rise up; yes, di people wey dey test God, dem dey even escape. Di cheats dey win. Di bullies dey enjoy. Why person go bother to be good?

But no be everybody dey talk like dat. Malachi tell us about another group. Then di people wey fear Di Lord dey talk to one another often. People wey love and honour God find each other. Dem meet. Dem talk. Maybe dem dey remind each other about wetin God don do. Maybe dem dey share dem worry with honesty, and dey pray. And see di part wey sweet pass. And Di Lord listen, and e hear am, and dem write book of remembrance for im front, for di people wey fear Di Lord, and wey dey think about im name. God dey listen. To ordinary conversation between friends. And e make sure say nobody go ever forget dem.

Then God make one promise about dose people. And dem go be my own, na so Di Lord of hosts talk, for dat day when I go gather my jewels. Im treasure wey e value. Im own special jewels. And I go spare dem, as man dey spare im own son wey dey serve am. Like papa wey get love, with child wey stand by am. And for dat day, God talk, una go see di difference finally. Una go fit know di righteous from di wicked, di person wey dey serve God from di person wey no dey serve am. To dey faithful no ever be waste. God don dey write everything down.

Di people of Judah live inside di Persian Empire, and Persian kings popular for how dem dey keep written records. Di book of Esther tell how dem write one plan against King Ahasuerus, wey Mordecai expose, inside di book of di chronicles for di king front. Later, for one night wey sleep no catch am, di king make dem read dose records give am, e discover say dem never reward Mordecai, and e honour am. Di people wey dey listen to Malachi go understand: wetin dem write for di king book, nobody go forget am. Sooner or later, dem go read am, and dem go honour di faithful.

Di book of remembrance. You go find am for di book of Malachi, chapter three, verse thirteen reach eighteen. Some people talk say faith na waste of time. Others keep dey talk together about God, and God bend down come close and listen. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Who be di friends wey you dey talk with about God, and how you fit encourage one of dem dis week?