“Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him?

 When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?”

- Malachi 2:17

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The pattern of indictment,denial, and rebuttal that we have seen in the book so far, continues…

The Indictment this week is : You have —-wearied the LORD with your —words! The word “wearied” is the word “Yaga” , used in the context of labor, struggle, being tired. Yes, The LORD is saying, I am tired of dealing with you!!!  …. and the denial is … whaat? Where? Surely not.. How?

The answer : With your words that reflect your broken theology and lack of faith.

How can a PRIEST of the most high, one that is supposed to not just keep, but TEACH the law, say that God can be pleased with the actions of evil people, or even worse, actually doubt His existence —- Where IS the God of judgment? 

Easy…. Just look at the situation in our time today….

Being blessed of God is equated with having lots of money, power, prestige and fame, and we fawn on ( call blessed ) those that have these things,  ignoring the means they might have employed to get them. 

In a lot of churches today, it’s the large donors that get the front seats, the plaques on the wall, and whose opinion is courted, and worse……You have priests and theologians that have lost their faith, and no longer think that there -is- a God that will hold them accountable for their acts and words. 

Everybody deserves to go to heaven because we are all basically good. God is not really going to punish people for what they do here on earth, look, the wicked seem to be prospering! How can one explain the abuse of children in CHURCH without acknowledging that the abuser essentially does not believe that God will do anything about their sin, because He doesn’t seem to exist?!!

It’s not a sin to wonder where God is today. The prophet Habbakuk (who we have looked at as part of this series on the minor prophets ) does the —-right thing, by taking his questions and doubts on this issue —-to God , crying out over injustice, and we have seen the answers he received. What is in view here, is a complete overturning of the Law of God, and a complete breaking of the Levitical covenant.

Well, these priests get the answer to the question… where is the God of justice?

“ Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, —-whom ye seek—- , shall —-suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the ——sons of Levi—— [ reinforcing that this book is written -to -them ] , and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress   the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. 

For I am the LORD, I change not; ——therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.—-“ - Malachi 3:1-6

Be careful what you ask for. One is coming that will lay bare the heart of God as expressed in the Law, and will overturn the tables of the religious farces being played out in His Name! He will overturn the theological and political landscape ( “the meek shall inherit the earth”). He will challenge the concept of Messiah, this Messenger of the Covenant, the covenant from which the priests draw their authority and profess to delight in….. who will be able to deal with the fire that He will ignite?

The nugget —- buried in the rebuttal —-  is the prophecy of a coming Messiah who will purge the priests that are evil, and commit the same sins as the wicked, because they have stopped fearing God.

And why do we even get a Messiah at all?

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

It is only the unchanging character of a God who is faithful to HIS covenant that keeps us from being wiped off the face of the earth and blasted to atoms!

The scales of Justice ALWAYS balance. Choices and Actions always bring Consequences into existence as surely as night follows day. We WILL suffer the consequences of our choices on this planet, either in our lifetime, or for a time after it — it is the Grace of God, that promises to resurrect every human, and spare those who trust in the work of His Son —- that enjoins us to walk worthy of His kindness.

Revelation 22:14–15 “ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.  

—- Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. “

Fear God, teach and keep His commandments, remember the poor — a cup of water, a kind word, visitations and prayers for those sick or captive to sin….. these are more esteemed in His sight than silver or gold…. these are our priestly duties!

Hallelujah!!