Book of Remembrance

Biblical Text

The book of remembrance appears only once, in Malachi 3:16. The King James Version renders the verse: "Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name."

Malachi 3:13–15 depicts some among the people complaining, "It is vain to serve God." By contrast, those who feared God spoke with one another, and God recorded them in the book of remembrance. The following verses, 3:17–18, declare that on the day God has appointed, these people will become His special possession, and the righteous will be distinguished from the wicked.

Background

The Hebrew expression sefer zikkaron means "book of remembrance" or "book of record." In Exodus 17:14, God commands Moses to "write this for a memorial in a book" concerning the battle with Amalek; a word from the same root is used there as well.

Malachi is commonly dated to the Persian period, after the return from exile and the rebuilding of the Temple. Esther 6:1–3 recounts how King Ahasuerus, while having the court records (KJV "the book of records of the chronicles") read to him, learned of the service rendered by Mordecai. The scene reflects the custom of the time by which a king kept a record of his subjects' meritorious deeds. Many interpreters understand Malachi's book of remembrance as an image drawn from such royal records.

Significance in the Wider Scriptures

The Old Testament speaks several times of God recording people or their deeds in a "book." Examples include Exodus 32:32–33; Psalms 56:8, 69:28, and 139:16; and Daniel 12:1. The term "book of remembrance" does not recur in the New Testament. Nevertheless, the same idea continues in the statement that "your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20), in the assurance that God will not forget service rendered to the saints (Hebrews 6:10), and in the judgment according to works recorded in the books (Revelation 20:12).

Interpretations and Issues

• Relationship to the Book of Life: Some interpreters identify the book of remembrance with the Book of Life. Others distinguish the two, viewing the Book of Life as a register of the names of those who will be saved and the book of remembrance as a record of the lives and deeds of those who fear God.
• Literal book or figure of speech: Most interpreters do not read the passage to mean that God needs a ledger to aid His memory. Rather, they regard it as an expression, in human language, of the certainty that God remembers the faithful.
• Reward and works: Many sermons read this verse in connection with future rewards. Other interpreters emphasize that the focus of the text lies not on the merit of works but on the character of the people described as "them that feared the LORD." The notion that specific acts such as giving or church attendance are individually recorded does not appear directly in the text; it is an application added in preaching.

In the Korean Church

Malachi 3:16 is frequently used as a text for sermons that comfort discouraged believers and for sermons on the theme that God remembers hidden service and faithfulness. It is also cited alongside Book of Life passages in sermons on the Last Judgment or the Day of the LORD.