Mal.3.16 – “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him.
Mal.3.17 – “They will be my people,” says the LORD Almighty. “On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child.
Mal.3.18 – Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” NLT
A JEWEL is defined as “a precious stone or a piece of hard, shining mineral cut into shape and polished for use as an ornament for beautifying the body or the home.” Below are some examples of jewels depicted in the writings of the Holy Bible:
“And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst…” — Revelation 21:19-20 KJV
God’s kingdom is beautified with some of the rarest jewels of inestimable value, as we have seen in the quoted portion of the Scriptures above. But God’s greatest jewels are the redeemed souls of the people who have accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord and personal Saviour, even as we have read in the opening text above. God says of them:
“And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” — Malachi 3:17 KJV
We can understand from the text as a whole that God is making up His jewels from among the people of the world, and His selection process is still ongoing. He will choose from among the peoples of every nation and tribes of the earth, and the process will be free and fair because God is not biased toward anyone. See Romans 2:11; Colossians 3:25. His eyes are constantly roving throughout the earth in search of people who are upright in heart and godly in their character, that He may make them part of His collection of precious jewels, to be redeemed at last from this sinful world and translated into His eternal and glorious heavenly kingdom. As a redeemed soul, you must show yourself capable of good works, through the available grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that you may be among God’s chosen jewels.
“For his eyes (God’s) are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.” — Job 34:21 KJV
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…” — 2 Chronicles 16:9. KJV
Below are three (3) sub-topics for the purpose of expanding the study for a better understanding:
1. GOD CHOOSES HIS JEWELS BASED ON THEIR WORKS.
Malachi 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10
God looks out for those whose works are acceptable to Him and encourages them to keep up with what they do. They stand a chance of becoming His treasured jewels, whose names He would command to be written before Him for an everlasting record in the Book of Life in heaven.
“And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God… I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” — Revelation 2:18-19 KJV
As for those whose works are less than acceptable to Him, God gives them a warning to change their sinful habits and unrighteous works so that they could be among His chosen jewels.
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: … I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot… Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear…” — Revelation 3:14-18 KJV
2. GOD TESTS AND PROVES HIS JEWELS BY TRIALS AND HARDSHIP
Zechariah 13:7-9; 1 Peter 1:3-8; 4:12-16
The jewel that shines the brightest is the one on which the craftsman had spent much time polishing it to perfection. Even so, God looks for an opportunity to work more on our lives in order to bring us to perfection, provided we do not deny Him the opportunity, which, sadly, we often do without realizing it.
“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” — Zechariah 13:9 KJV
Trials and hardship help the righteous to re-evaluate their lives in order to refocus, re-strategize, and re-launch their lives into serving God better than ever before. See Hebrews 12:6-11; Revelation 2:8-10; Philippians 3:3
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10 KJV
Patience and endurance in the face of trials will keep us steadfast in the race to heaven and cause us to shine the brightest as God’s own chosen jewels.
3. GOD WILL REWARD HIS TRUSTED JEWELS WITH ETERNAL LIFE
John 10:27-29; Revelation 21:12-14; John 14:1-3; Hebrews 10:35-39
“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him; but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” — Hebrews 10:37-39 KJV.
It may seem like it’s been a long wait for the return of Jesus Christ to take us to heaven, but no matter how long the wait has been, God’s Word assures us that it will soon be over and the Lord will come to take His chosen jewels with Him to heaven. The most important thing for us now is not the long wait, but what we should be doing while waiting for the Lord’s return. See 1 John 3:1-3
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” — 1 John 3:3 KJV.
Our waiting time should be spent mostly in:
- Pursuing a holy and righteous lifestyle. — Hebrews 12:14
- Praying, studying the Word of God, and preaching the gospel. — Acts 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:1-2, 15; 4:1-5
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” — John 13:17