January 2 | Malachi 3:1-4

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5 days ago
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DAILY READING

REFLECTION

God's Justice

By Terry Gustafson

“It’s not fair!” It seems like that is one of the first sentences that a child learns and continues to use from then on! We all have a natural tendency to want justice. But if I am really honest with myself, I want justice for others, but mercy for me. Are we really prepared for God to exact His justice?

In the verse preceding today’s passage (2:17), the prophet accuses the people of wearying the Lord with their cynical complaints. “Where is the God of justice?” they complained. Such complaints are not uncommon in Scripture. Consider Jeremiah 12:1, Habakkuk 1:2-4, and Psalm 73:1-15. The prophet is pointing out that the people of Israel had forgotten God’s character and His heart for justice.

God responds to the His people’s cynicism by promising them that He will send a messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah (3:1). The first half of this verse is quoted in the New Testament (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27), with reference to John the Baptist. Thus the New Testament settles the identity of the one called “my messenger.” He is the forerunner of Christ. The Lord who then follows is none other than Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The prophet’s choice of the word “Lord” (adoni) rather than LORD (YHWH) points to this. Notice, too, that the “me” establishes a significant identification between the First and Second persons of the Trinity.

The prophet then anticipates the reality of God’s justice: “Who can stand when He appears?” Notice that the Lord's coming is not to destroy but to purify. Like a refiner, the heat of his judgment is not to obliterate but to transform (3:2-4). God patiently refines and restores us, until we reflect the likeness of Jesus in our own lives and communities. When this happens in our lives, it is important to see that such discipline is a true expression of God's steadfast love (Hebrews 12:4-11). The Lord disciplines those he loves. Painful though this might be, Malachi shows us the outcome: righteous lives and acceptable worship.

What is the nature of God's justice? Isaiah provides a vision for the true nature of God’s justice:

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;

he rises to show you compassion.

For the LORD is a God of justice.

Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18)

How should we then live? While we wait for God and His justice, we are told by the prophet Micah how best to live our lives, in spite of all the evil and injustice in the world:

He has showed you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

PRAYER

Repeat the following breath prayer throughout the day:

(Breathe in) Just and holy Lord

(Breathe out) Give me the strength to wait patiently for Your justice

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TERRY GUSTAFSON

My wife, Mary, and I have been attending UALC for about 13 years. We have two grown daughters and one grandchild. I am a retired professor of chemistry at Ohio State, where I served many years as the faculty advisor to the IVCF graduate student chapter and as a member of the Faculty Christian Fellowship. I currently have the privilege of serving on the UALC Council.