VI. Taking God’s Justice Seriously (Malachi 2:17–3:6)
Share
VI. Taking God’s Justice Seriously (2:17–3:6)
2:17 The Lord continues, telling the people they have wearied him. How? They complained that he was unfair: Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and he is pleased with them. In their eyes, God was blessing the sinners and afflicting the saints. Thus, they asked, Where is the God of justice? Because unbelievers prospered while God’s people struggled, they protested: God is unjust.
If we are honest, most of us have thought something similar from time to time. In this particular case, God turns the tables on his accusers. As the entire book of Malachi shows, the people were participating in religious exercises while neglecting a genuine relationship with the Lord. They wanted the covering of the covenant—the blessings—without being properly “aligned” under God. How fair is that?
3:1 God declares, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple. This text is quoted in Mark 1:2 and applied to John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus and called people to repent. A clear path must be made by cutting down the mountains of human pride to make a humble plain for God’s glory to land on.
3:2-5 But who can endure the day of his coming? Indeed, when he comes, Malachi says, it will be like a refiner’s fire (3:2). That is, the Lord first has to bring judgment in order to bring blessing. Just as the refiner puts gold and silver in the flame to burn off the dross (3:3), God has to refine and purify his people. He must remove what doesn’t belong so they can receive his covenantal benefits. Similarly, the author of Hebrews insists that God disciplines his children for their good (see Heb 12:3-11). The Lord will come in judgment against those who demonstrate in a variety of ways that they think they can go to church on Sunday and treat others with injustice and contempt the rest of the week (3:5).
3:6 Though they thought God was being unfair, he reminded them of one of the greatest truths: the Lord has not changed. Therefore they had not been destroyed. In theology, this unchangeableness of God’s essential nature and character is called the immutability of God. People change, but God is consistent and faithful. He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth” (Exod 34:6). Therefore, his people receive grace rather than what they deserve.