Mal 3:5 | KingComments | STEP | From the future days of purifying and blessing Malachi returns to the situation in his days. The judgment will not only affect the wicked in the future, but also now. Evil must be judged by the holy God. He will act as a Quick Judge, sealing His judgment with His testimony. 1. The first to hear His judgment are “the sorcerers” ( ). They reject the truth of God and turn to the father of lies, the devil, for advice. 2. He then passes judgment on other forms of evil, evil directed against one’s neighbor. The “adulterers” commit a great sin. They ignore God’s plan of marriage as He instituted it at the time of creation. Their behavior is an attack on the relationship between God and His earthly people and between Christ and the church. 3. “Those who swear falsely” are those who take perjury. They call upon God when committing injustice and thus bind His Name to sin. Where God is thus set aside or put in a bad light, the consequences are also catastrophic for relations between people. 4. They are people “who oppress the wage earner in his wages”. They have used someone’s services, but refuse to pay him the wages. They are also in a position to commit this evil. 5. They don’t care about “the widow and the orphan” and “turn aside the alien”. They exploit these socially weak groups of people. They do not share in the special care God has for them. All these forms of evil, all these wicked actions occur because there is no fear of God. The mentioned wicked have in common an irreverence for God, they do not fear Him. And God is still “the LORD of hosts”. They have to deal with Him and He will judge them.

‏ Malachi 3:5

The LORD, a Swift Witness

From the future days of purifying and blessing Malachi returns to the situation in his days. The judgment will not only affect the wicked in the future, but also now. Evil must be judged by the holy God. He will act as a Quick Judge, sealing His judgment with His testimony.

1. The first to hear His judgment are “the sorcerers” (Exo 22:18). They reject the truth of God and turn to the father of lies, the devil, for advice.

2. He then passes judgment on other forms of evil, evil directed against one’s neighbor. The “adulterers” commit a great sin. They ignore God’s plan of marriage as He instituted it at the time of creation. Their behavior is an attack on the relationship between God and His earthly people and between Christ and the church.

3. “Those who swear falsely” are those who take perjury. They call upon God when committing injustice and thus bind His Name to sin. Where God is thus set aside or put in a bad light, the consequences are also catastrophic for relations between people.

4. They are people “who oppress the wage earner in his wages”. They have used someone’s services, but refuse to pay him the wages. They are also in a position to commit this evil.

5. They don’t care about “the widow and the orphan” and “turn aside the alien”. They exploit these socially weak groups of people. They do not share in the special care God has for them.

All these forms of evil, all these wicked actions occur because there is no fear of God. The mentioned wicked have in common an irreverence for God, they do not fear Him. And God is still “the LORD of hosts”. They have to deal with Him and He will judge them.