Malachi Chapter Three, God Judges

 

Malachi 3:4 “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, as in former years. [5] And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien—Because they do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts.

 

The chapter begins with a terse rebuttal regarding the Jews’ ignorance concerning God. A wrong view of God distorts every other view of things that humans have. When we lessen or abolish God from our sight, morality crumbles and objective truth vanishes. Neither concept has a pillar to stand upon; there is no basis for these ideologies in a world where God’s holiness is warped by sinful man’s interpretations of Him. Verse 1 speaks of the forerunner and the Lord’s coming. This was partially fulfilled in John the Baptist and Jesus’ first advent. Mark quotes the first portion of Malachi 3:1 (Mark 1:2), deliberately excluding the second part of the verse because historically it did not find completion in Jesus’ first advent.

Leaving that aside, verses 2 and 3 describe His cleansing work when at last he does return in glory, intent on purging the dross out of His chosen people, Zechariah 13:9. The end result will be a refined priesthood capable of once more offering sacrifices in righteousness. In verse 4 the Holy Spirit tells us that when this finally occurs Judah and its citizenry will be pleasing to God as they once were in former times. Under Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, or Josiah, there were godly leaders that led reforms or commanded loyalty from the people, leading by example. While not perfect, their hearts were with the Lord, and their desire was to turn their peoples’ hearts to the same. But humanity cannot do this. I can’t do that. You can’t do that. We may reason, compel, convince, debate, and otherwise demonstrate wonderful sagacity toward the unsaved and uncertain, but we are not God. Reforms affected by men last typically as long as the man does. When Moses and Joshua died Israel did not take long to succumb to disobedience, breeding sin, Judges 1:21, 27, etc.

 

True reform requires spiritual strength. The inward parts of men must be changed so obedience is from the heart, out of love and not obligation, fear or hope of reward. To this end we need God. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts,” Zechariah 4:6.

 

One of the worst mistakes Israel made throughout its history was to demand a human representative for Yahweh. When Moses departed Israel immediately fell into the sin of idolatry, Exodus 32:1. Samuel, when pressed to give Israel a king like the surrounding nations, rebuked his kinsmen. “It is the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers,” 1 Samuel 12:6, 7. Upon realizing the sin of mistaking human leadership for divine superintendence the Jews repented for their sin of asking for a king, when God already was. Samuel took that opportunity to encourage them, saying, “do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing,” 1 Samuel 12:20, 21.

 

Thus prepared and cleansed, God will draw near for judgment. Recall that we are still considering the Lord coming to His temple, the Angel of the covenant in which Israel delights. He has arrived. He has purged Levi, restoring the spirit of sacrifice. Now as Judge and King He draws near as a swift witness. The Hebrew word for “witness” is “ed,” and has a somewhat involved meaning. “The word has to do with the judicial sphere first in the area of civil affairs, meaning someone present at a legal transaction that can confirm it if necessary. The word seems to have evolved to also take on a notary’s job of those being capable and willing to affirm the truth of a transaction by affixing their signature.”

 

God sits in judgment against the practice of sorcery. Isaiah mentions mediums and wizards that whisper and mutter, intimating that they are communing with the dead by doing so, Isaiah 8:19. This is confirmed in 1 Samuel 28:11 when Saul asks a medium in Endor to contact Samuel, who had recently died. Leviticus twice links mediums with familiar spirits, Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 7. Doubtless this woman attempted to hoodwink Saul by trying to conjure a demon to impersonate Samuel. God instead permitted Samuel to actually appear, terrifying the woman, 1 Samuel 28:12. Clearly she did not expect an actual departed soul to come to her summons. Circling back to Isaiah 8:19, the prophet finishes his thought by asking Israel why they would seek the dead on behalf of the living? Why seek familiar spirits when there is God? Either way, the Law commanded the death of those who practiced sorcery, Exodus 22:18 (sorceress NKJV, witch KJV). In the OT definition of this word, anyone who practices magic falls under this category. We know from NT doctrine that once dead, men await the judgment, Hebrews 9:27. Ghosts, as we popularly define them today, are not real. The familiar spirits of yore have become the spooks of the now. Seeking contact with them through medium activity such as Ouija boards would be condemned because they derive their power from a source apart from God.

 

The New Testament word for sorcerer has two different meanings, and both apply as well. “Magos” is the Greek word, and can be defined as, “scientist, magician: a pretender at magic powers, professor at the arts of witchcraft.” Simon Magus and Elymas from the book of Acts both qualify here, Acts 8:9, 10, 13:6, 8. The second term found in Revelation, “sorcery” is the Greek “pharmakeia,” where we derive the English word pharmacy, Revelation 9:21, 18:23, 21:8, 22:15. It signifies, “the use of medicine, drugs, spells, then poisoning and witchcraft.” Drug use for various effects seemed to be the norm.

 

Considering this, pay careful attention. The Bible would not condemn something impossible to do. Banning contact with familiar spirits or practicing magic would be wastefully pointless if it was all chicanery. But Scripture is replete with details about the kingdom of darkness, and its open antagonism toward Christianity, the church, and the God that empowers it. Satan and his angels have power, as manifold texts inform us, and they can grant that power to those who seek it, but at what cost? Turning the devil and demons into myths, allegories or superstitions of long ago does a grave disservice to the Bible. Both Old and New Testaments speak to the presence of evil angelic powers arrayed against God’s people and purpose. Jesus exorcised many demons and spoke directly to Satan when the latter appeared in an effort to tempt Him. God is the originator of the supernatural, as we name it. But like life here on earth, not every angelic majesty heeded what was true and obeyed. Led by pride, and tempted by Satan into rebellion, many angels fell into sin. They can now only await the judgment of the last day, and are desperate to cause as much damage to frustrate the plans of God as they can before they are cast into the Lake of Fire, a place of darkness and torment specially and specifically created for them, Matthew 25:41. Those who seek such tainted supernatural sources become like them, because it’s where they derive their sustenance.