Malachi 5

The Right View of JUDGMENT

The people to whom Malachi is writing are living between the Babylonian Captivity and the First Advent of Christ. Undoubtedly many of them were believers in the Lord but had strayed – in a number of ways – from fellowship with God. In these next three sections God is correcting and responding to His people.

“Where is the God of Justice?”

Note .

Mal 2:17

Malachi 2:17 NKJV

You have wearied the Lord with your words; “Yet you say, “In what way have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil Is good in the sight of the Lord, And He delights in them,” Or, “Where is the God of justice?”

The word translated here justice is the Hebrew word מִשְׁפָּט mishpat = judgment. It is also found in

Malachi 3:5 NKJV

And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Mal 3:5

which states:

In other words, the people were complaining that God seemed to be aloof and unconcerned about all of the evil that was going on in their world. He was not concerned with JUDGING the evil that was obviously prevalent. But God responds with a powerful message in .

Malachi 3:1 NKJV

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

This verse is speaking, prophetically, of both John the Baptist[i] and Jesus Christ[ii]. Actually, the phrase “My messenger” is the Hebrew word מַלְאָכִ֔י Malachi – clearly an allusion to the prophet’s name. But “the Messenger of the Covenant” is certainly Jesus Christ Who is the “Mediator of the New Covenant”[iii]. But immediately he speaks also of Jesus’ Second Coming = THE DAY OF THE LORD. See Mal 3:2-4.

Who fulfilled “My messenger” in the New Testament?

Who is “the Messenger of the Covenant”?

What does “the Day of His coming” refer to?

[i] Cf and .

[ii] This is “the Messinger of the Covenant” which is The New Covenant that Jesus inaugurated (, , etc.).

[iii] .

Malachi 3:2–4 NKJV

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness. “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the Lord, As in the days of old, As in former years.

That is, Jesus, the Messiah, will MOST CERTAINLY come in JUDGMENT. Jesus Christ, in The Day of the LORD, will certainly judge Israel[i] and indeed the whole world[ii]. The people of Malachi’s day could never complain that YAHWEH was lax in JUDGMENT for He certainly will judge both Israel and the world for their sin. He will ultimately purify both the Levites [verse 3] and the entire nation [verse 4]. YAHWEH is an UNCHANGABLE GOD.[iii] He will never forget His promises and purposes. Otherwise, Israel would have already been consumed.

[i] Ezek 34:2024, , . Only 1/3 of Israel will be delivered [].

[ii] Cf , ; , , etc.

[iii] .

Application for Us Today

We also are awaiting The Day of the Lord[1] and also The Judgment-Seat of Christ[2] The Lord is not slack in these things.[3] Therefore, we also should be living in the fear of the Lord[4] and not be unaware of His JUDGMENT. He wants, today, to purify our lives and present us blameless at the Bema.[5]

What application does this passage have for us today?

[1] Cf

[2] , .

[3] .

[4] .

[5] , , ,