In this last dispute Malachi returns to an issue that stems from the continued degrading of the Nation of Israel with Yahweh. In this instance they have ceased to function as the people of the covenant. They have drifted from the rule of law and developed a standard of their own. Injustice and lawlessness is the result. Because the law is a direct reflection of His nature and character, a rejection of it is a rejection of God himself. This the core of the dispute: they have taken unto themselves a law that is self-promoting arrogance, a redefinition of right and wrong, and even holding this standard as better than the Mosaic revelation.
But some have remained faithful to God’s laws and covenant. Malachi presents them with the encouragement that they are neither forgotten or abandoned. There will be a day of justice and they will see it. The light of this justice (bright as the sun) will fall upon the deeds of the mockers and there will be a day when this justice will be felt like the heat of a furnace. This sermon is aimed at helping us see that though God’s plans may impact us negatively, justice is delayed to bring about a greater contrast between the saint and the sinner. As we long for justice, let us reflect upon how the Holy Spirit is working in our lives to bring us into a brighter reflectors of God’s goodness in the earth. Take hope, justice will come for the righteous.
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September 11, 2011 | John Bayles | The Sixth Dispute: A Lawless People (Malachi 3:13-4:4)
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