Mal 3:7 | KingComments | STEP | The fact that God will fulfill His plans in spite of the unfaithfulness of His people does not release the people from the obligation to repent. God’s plans and man’s responsibility do not exclude each other, but complement each other. Malachi tells the people for how long they have deviated from God’s ordinances and have not lived up to them. All generations before them have been unfaithful, and those who are a new generation follow the same path. The LORD calls them to return to Him. Then He will return to them. He has had to turn away from them because of their sins, but He will turn to them again when they confess their sins and stop doing them. But the people see no reason to return for the simple reason that they feel they have not deviated. They have an answer again. It sounds cheeky again: ‘Returning? How shall we return? Surely we are neat, careful members of your people, aren’t we? What a fuss Your prophets make of repentance and conversion. Why have we fallen into disgrace? The people answer the confrontation with their error by evasive questions. They also insult the prophet or challenge him to be a bit clearer, to mention some more details. This is how people react when they do not intend to face the truth. The call to return stirs their pride and brings them to the question how they should return. It proves how dull they are in their sense of what sin is. The answer comes in the following verses.

‏ Malachi 3:7

Call to Return and the Response

The fact that God will fulfill His plans in spite of the unfaithfulness of His people does not release the people from the obligation to repent. God’s plans and man’s responsibility do not exclude each other, but complement each other. Malachi tells the people for how long they have deviated from God’s ordinances and have not lived up to them.

All generations before them have been unfaithful, and those who are a new generation follow the same path. The LORD calls them to return to Him. Then He will return to them. He has had to turn away from them because of their sins, but He will turn to them again when they confess their sins and stop doing them.

But the people see no reason to return for the simple reason that they feel they have not deviated. They have an answer again. It sounds cheeky again: ‘Returning? How shall we return? Surely we are neat, careful members of your people, aren’t we? What a fuss Your prophets make of repentance and conversion. Why have we fallen into disgrace?

The people answer the confrontation with their error by evasive questions. They also insult the prophet or challenge him to be a bit clearer, to mention some more details. This is how people react when they do not intend to face the truth. The call to return stirs their pride and brings them to the question how they should return. It proves how dull they are in their sense of what sin is. The answer comes in the following verses.