Where is the God of Justice?

God is not to be condemned by His creation based on circumstances ()

Explanation: The prophet now turns to another issue from the people that was hindering their corporate worship. The people were guilty of attempting to paint God as being unfair or unaware. They were complaining about God because they were not witnessing swift justice on those who were blatantly and brazenly disobeying His commandments.

Because some of these moral misfits were living the good life in spite of their wicked ways, the others were beginning to think that God had upended His standards. They were accusing God of granting His approval on their wickedness. There actual words were “everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD.” What a blasphemous statement! They accused the covenant God (YHWH) of being the actual opposite of who He had revealed Himself to be!

Those that did not want to go as far as to accuse YHWH of being morally reprehensible simply accused Him of being ignorant of what was taking place. This group could not grant that their Holy God would ever approve of evil, so they simply wondered if He had went missing. Their complaint was “where is the God of Justice?” In essence they were saying, “God, where are You?” Don’t You see what is going on?” “Don’t you care that these evil people are winning?”

Illustrate:

Argument: God is the Transcendent One who is outside of the box. He is the Eternal One who inhabits Eternity () and His ways are higher than our ways (). Even though we are created in the image of God (), we are limited creations who cannot see the End from the Beginning.

Because He is God, He is not obligated to work on our timetable, nor is He required to give us the reasons for His actions OR His inaction. A very important part of corporate worship takes place when we acknowledge Him for who He is. True life-change takes place when we get this right. If we are going to Love God supremely () we MUST see God for who He is and quit trying to judge Him by our limited and broken standards!

We also need to remember that God’s method of viewing time is different than ours. He sees and is in control of the Big Picture, the one we can’t see. It is good for us to remember that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” ().

Application: Remind yourself that you aren’t God. Remember that He is God. Accept your limitations and worship Him as the Supreme Commander of the Universe. You CAN offer true and acceptable worship, but it begins by confessing that He is Worthy!

If you have been guilty of dishonoring Him by attempting to limit Him or if you have misjudged Him based on your personal experience, repent of that sin and freely acknowledge Him as God. It will help believers to remind ourselves that we were at one time under His judgment and wrath. We should be thankful He did not require payment immediately when we were still rejecting Him!

God will bring justice to this world through the agency of the Messiah ()

Explanation: The people were confused and upset by what they viewed as God’s lack of judgment. The prophet informs them that God is not only not unaware of the situation, but that He has plans to fix things. Malachi tells the people that God is in fact SENDING His Messiah to resolve the problem.

The process for Messiah’s arrival was already underway, and God was sending His messenger to prepare the way for Messiah. Following the arrival of the messenger, the Lord Himself would arrive at the Temple. The Lord would in fact be the Messiah, the messenger of the Covenant.

Malachi then gives his audience a warning. Malachi informs them the the Coming of the Messiah is not going to take place in the manner they expect. The people stated that the arrival of the Messiah was in fact what they desired, but Malachi tells them that they will not be able to endure His presence when He arrives! As God’s former prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah) had already prophesied, the Day of the LORD was a day of darkness and judgment (; ; ; ) The Day of the LORD was to be a time of upheaval and judgment, and only AFTER that time would there be lasting peace and prosperity.

Argument: We have the benefit of living on this side of the Cross in history. The audience of Malachi’s day still had to wait another 400 years before the First Advent of the Messiah. They could only look forward in faith and trust that God would indeed make things right.

We have been privileged to see how God’s plan unfolded through the ministry of John the Baptist as the Messiah’s messenger. We can read about how Jesus, the Incarnate God in flesh, carried out God’s judgment against sin on the Cross. We know that God demonstrated His holiness by judging sin, and yet we also know that God extended grace by making the payment for sin fall on Jesus. (cf., )

The NT reveals how God Himself entered His creation by taking on flesh and becoming the God-Man. We know that His arrival was in keeping with prophecies (; ; ), and that according to Galatian 4:4, His coming was in God’s perfect time:

Galatians 4:4–7 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Galatians 4:4-

We also know what the ancients could not conceive: the Messiah’s coming to earth was to be in two distinct phases, not just one. The OT prophets gave a true picture of the Messiah. We know this because Jesus testified to their prophecies concerning Himself ()

Malachi’s audience did not

Application: With greater revelation comes greater judgment. We who have received the witness of the Word, and have the benefit of seeing how Christianity has positively impacted history for the past 2,000 plus years are most definitely without excuse. As God reveals and confirms this truth in your heart, do not harden your heart because the Day of Judgment is coming!

God provides grace through faith in Jesus to those who trust His; all others will receive justice through judgment ()

God provides grace through faith in Jesus to those who trust His; all others will receive justice through judgment ()

Explanation: Malachi informs the people of two-fold aspect of the coming day of the LORD. He tells them that on that Day there will be a reckoning for all people. The reckoning, however, will have different results on the two groups of people - the first group will be refined and purified while the second group will receive condemnation!

Malachi warns them that only the faithful will be able to take joy in the Messiah’s 2nd coming, and even then they will be refined through the fires. The language used is that of purification through intense heat. When a metal is subjected to great heat, it begins to melt and the impurities are separated out. The dross or slag is removed, and what remains is the pure product. This process, while intense and sometimes painful, is controlled and has a definite goal that is positive.

The fires of judgment regarding the second group likewise has a goal, but not positive for those involved. The goal is the Vindication of the Glory of God who will be found to be just through the fires of judgment upon those who reject God.

Verse 5 contains a vice list, but it is not exhaustive. The thought is that the sins listed (sorcery, adultery, lying, oppression of the weak, and no reverence for God) are symptoms of the sin of unbelief. These are qualities and behaviors of those who reject God. For them, there will be no purification or refinement. At that point in time, they will experience the judgment of a Holy God against sin at the Great White Throne and will be cast into the lake of fire ()

Application: Christ is coming again. He promised that He would return (), and He also told us that no one would be able to know when He would return (). The important truth for believers is that He is coming back and that we are called to remain faithful while we wait.

CLOSE: As this service come to a close I want to ask a very important question: How do you view the coming of Christ?

For believers, the idea of Christ returning for His bride is a thought that should bring great joy. According to , the return of Jesus is the “blessed hope” that we are to be anticipating. And as we live in light of His coming, we will continue to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present” ().

For the believer, the reality of the Second Coming is to transform us to be more and more like Jesus while we wait. Living in light of His coming is to purify us of all impurities.

For others, the idea of of being judged is fearful. You have a sense that you are not ready or able to stand before a Holy God and give an account of your life. And that “fearful expectation of judgment” () is a ministry of the Holy Spirit who convicts unbelievers of their sin (). The Holy Spirit is convicting you of your true standing before a Holy God and your need of a Savior. If the Holy Spirit is opening your eyes to see your need, surrender your life to Jesus today!

Is the idea of being judged fearful for you? Do you have a sense that you are not ready or able to stand before a Holy God and give an account of your life?