After all the negativity that’s been going on in the world these past few months… or should I say years, we need to remember the joy that God brings…  DID YOU KNOW??? … 

God Has Not Overlooked Those Who Love Him!

Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that God hears us when we talk about Him?  Not just when we pray, not just when we are gathered together worshipping Him, but when we are simply talking to one another about Him?  Well, there is a passage in Malachi that I find absolutely wonderful, and I think we need to spend some time with it because there is something here that should bring a great deal of joy to those who love YHWH.

Let’s look at Malachi 3:16.

אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי יְהוָה אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ וַיַּקְשֵׁב יְהוָה וַיִּשְׁמָע וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן לְפָנָיו לְיִרְאֵי יְהוָה וּלְחֹשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ׃

’Az nidberu yir’ei YHWH ish el-re’ehu, vayyaqshev YHWH vayishma, vayyikkatev sefer zikaron lefanav, leyir’ei YHWH uleḥoshvei shemo.

Then those who feared YHWH spoke with one another, and YHWH listened attentively and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him concerning those who fear YHWH and those who esteem His Name.

I want to start with the first few words because they tell us something that is easy to overlook.  These people were speaking with one another.  The Hebrew nidberu describes speaking together, and the expression ish el-re’ehu adds the thought of one person speaking to another, each with his companion.  The passage identifies them as people who feared YHWH.  Now, this is important because the previous verses have been describing people who were speaking against God.  In Malachi 3:13-15, some were saying that serving God was useless, that keeping His requirements had brought them no benefit, and that the arrogant seemed to prosper.  They were looking at the wicked and wondering why they should bother serving YHWH.

But not everyone was speaking that way!  There were others who feared Him, and they were speaking with one another.  And what happens next is something I want you to notice.

The Scripture says that YHWH listened attentively and heard.  The Hebrew qashav means to listen attentively, to give heed.  The following word shama means to hear or listen.  The wording gives us the picture of God paying attention to what these people were saying. Their conversations were not passing unnoticed.

Now, think about that!  We can be sitting in our homes, talking with someone about the goodness of God, discussing something we have discovered in His Word, encouraging one another, or simply expressing how much we love Him.  Other people may not even know that conversation took place.  But God does.

And then we get to the words that make this passage so remarkable: sefer zikaron — a Book of Remembrance.

Sefer means a book or written document. Zikaron means remembrance, memorial, or something kept in remembrance.  The Scripture says that this book was written before Him concerning those who fear YHWH and those who esteem His Name.  Notice that it doesn’t say this was a book written by people about God. It says it was written before Him.  The passage is presenting us with a record of remembrance in God’s presence.

And who are these people?  The Hebrew gives us two descriptions: those who fear YHWH and those who esteem His Name.  That second expression is particularly interesting.  The word ḥashav means to think, consider, regard, or esteem. These are people who give thought to His Name, who regard it with reverence and recognize the One Whose Name it is.

I love that distinction because God’s Name is not just a word to be casually tossed around.  His Name identifies Him, His character, His authority, and His identity.  To esteem His Name is to regard Him as worthy of honor.  These people were not ashamed to speak about Him, and they were not joining in with those who questioned whether serving YHWH was worthwhile or treated His Name as something of little importance.

And apparently, God wanted it known that He heard them!

There is something else we need to read, because the thought doesn’t stop with verse 16. In the very next verse, YHWH says:

וְהָיוּ לִי אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת לַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה סְגֻלָּה

Vehayu li, amar YHWH Tseva’ot, layom asher ani oseh segullah.

And they shall be Mine, says YHWH of hosts, on the day when I make them My treasured possession.

That word segullah is worth stopping at.  It refers to a treasured possession, something specially valued by its owner.  God is identifying these people as belonging to Him, as His treasured possession.  He goes on to say that He will have compassion on them as a father has compassion on a son who serves him, Malachi 3:17.

Now, I want you to consider the setting of this passage.  There were people looking at the world around them and thinking that the wicked were getting ahead while those serving God were actually getting nowhere.  Some were even questioning the value of serving Him.  But there were also people who continued to fear Him, esteem His Name, and speak with one another.  They had not joined the complaining crowd, and God had not overlooked them.

Isn’t that just totally awesome?

Sometimes we can wonder whether what we do for God makes any difference.  We may spend hours studying His Word, share something we have learned with another person, encourage someone who is struggling, or simply sit and talk about how good He has been to us.  We don’t necessarily receive recognition for those things, nor should that be why we do them.  But Malachi gives us a glimpse into something that ought to make us smile: God Himself is attentive to those who fear Him and esteem His Name.

And I especially love that their conversations are mentioned.  Think about how often we talk about the things we love.  We talk about our families, our interests, things that excite us, and things that matter to us.  Well, these people were talking with one another about the One they revered.  Their regard for Him was not confined to just a moment or two of worship.  It was part of their lives.

And notice what happens in verse 18.  YHWH says that people will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him, Malachi 3:18.  That is important because it brings us right back to the problem being discussed in verses 13-15.  Those who questioned the value of serving God were looking at the apparent success of the wicked and drawing the wrong conclusion.  But God had not forgotten the people who remained faithful to Him.  The day would come when the distinction would be made clear.

We should also notice that Malachi does not specifically tell us that individual names were written in this book.   It says that a book of remembrance was written concerning those who fear YHWH and esteem His Name.  We don’t need to add anything to that to appreciate what God has revealed.

And there is one more thing I want us to take away from this.  God knows the difference between those who merely speak “religious” words and those who genuinely regard Him with reverence.  He knows our hearts.  He knows whether we treasure His Word, whether we value His Name, and whether our desire is to honor Him.

So the next time you find yourself talking with someone about God, sharing something wonderful you discovered in Scripture, or simply expressing your love for Him, remember Malachi 3:16.

God listens. God hears. And those who fear Him and esteem His Name are remembered before Him in a Book!

What a beautiful thing to know that the One Who created the heavens and the earth has not overlooked those who love and honor Him!

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Prayer:
Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving us, for hearing us, and for paying attention even to the quiet conversations we have about You. What a joy it is to know that those who fear You and esteem Your Name are not forgotten by You.

Father, may our words always reflect the love and reverence we have for You. Keep our hearts close to You, strengthen our faith, and give us opportunities to encourage one another and share the goodness of Your Word.

Thank You for calling us Your treasured possession. Help us never take Your love and mercy for granted. May our lives bring honor to Your Name, and may everything we say and do reflect our love for You.

We give You our thanks, our praise, and our love.

In the precious Name of Yeshua, Amen.

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Don’t take my word for it. Like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so. Open your Bible, study God’s Word for yourself, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. Don’t simply accept my conclusions. If what I’ve written agrees with Scripture, hold fast to it. If it doesn’t, let God’s Word be your final authority.

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© AMKCH 2026

top and bottom images were done by imagefree at my direction.  The Malachi 3:16 image was done by DuckAI.  

If any of these people looks like you or someone you know, that is purely coincidental. They are not.

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