Week 10 (The Prophets) – Day 5: The Day of Judgment

Day 50 – The Day of Judgment – Malachi 1:1-4:6

A common theme of the prophets is the Day of the Lord.  Upon this day, God will come to earth and bring justice and righteousness.  All wrongs will be made right.  Despite the appearance of the victory of evil, God will win.  This is all picked up by the move through Jesus to the knowledge that it is Jesus Christ who will be the person in whom this occurs.  More on that another day…

Malachi, or my messenger, takes place after the Jews have returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple.  Persia rules over them and the Jews still therefore carry grievances towards God.  Yes they are back home, but has justice truly prevailed?

                                          

Malachi reminds the Jews that they have not been exactly faithful to God, who has kept covenant promises.  We see accusations of regarding false worship.  Worship is done on the cheap, with little real meaning.  Remember, as we read the accusations about temple worship, that we are all in the priesthood of believers.  So this is not just about leaders but about the entire church.  The people are not tithing as well.  How do we fare in our society today? Statistics nationally show that church members give about a tithe of a tithe: 1% .  In addition, how many come to church for a charge up or to be seen or for whatever reason, but may never undergo any transformation, even after decades of attending church?  This is what Malachi is bringing to the attention of the Jews and to us.

Further Malachi notes the personal and societal injustice which the Jews themselves perpetuate.  Note in particular his outrage against society:  against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien… (v 3:5)  God is concerned with more than personal ethics.

The promise is made that all will be made right.  God will return and avenge the wrongs and reward the righteous.  Luckily for us we are righteous through the person we will meet next week in our readings: Jesus.  That is why I argue we should not look to Jesus’ return with fear, but with longing.  We are not leaving, God is returning.  The Day of the Lord will be a day of victory.

In Christ,

Randy