Near to You to Judgment Malachi 3:5

Because the priests and people of the nation of Israel were worshiping “the LORD of hosts” with contempt, dealing with their wives treacherously, and wearying Him with their words, the Lord would not receive nor regard their sacrifices and offerings. Though the Lord engaged them on each of these problems, the people wondered “where is the God of judgment?” since there seemed to be no penalty for their actions. “The LORD of hosts” promised through the prophet Malachi a forerunner to the Messiah and the Messiah Himself who would refine, purify and purge them so their offerings would “be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years”. In chapter three and verse five, Malachi wrote more specifically how the Lord would come to judge them where we read:

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.

The verse begins, “And I will come near to you to judgment;” The Lord promised He would “come near” which means “draw near, approach, enter into, and be brought” close to the people “to judgment” or “justice, right, or rectitude”. Like a defendant before a judge the people of Israel would be sentenced for their pernicious and lax actions.

The verse continues, “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.” After telling them they would be judged for their actions, “the LORD of hosts” names eight specific areas He will address in a “swift” or “hastened, hurried and impetuous” manner.

• The first is “against the sorcerers” which are “those who practice witchcraft or sorcery”. These use “enchantments and magic to pray or offer worship”.

• The second group addressed is “the adulterers” which are “those who commit both physical and spiritual adultery”. Physical adultery refers to fornication with a married person to whom one is not married, and spiritual adultery is when someone worships an idol.

• The third group addressed are the “false swearers” which are “those who use deceit, fraud, lies and deception in their oaths and adjures”.

• The fourth group has three subgroups which are “those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless” which are people who “violate, defraud, do violence against, get deceitfully, wrong, extort and exploit” others who “work for” them by taking advantage of them in their wages; “the widow” who are those who were once married but lost their husbands to death and now live alone; and “the fatherless” who are “orphans or children without parents”. This group takes advantage of workers, widows, and orphans,and they exploit them by using them maliciously for their services.

• The fifth group addressed are those who “turn aside the stranger from his right” which refers to someone who “stretches out, extends, spreads out, pitches, turns, perverts, inclines, bends, and bows” from “the way he should go”. Rather than leading the stranger in the proper path, these people “turn” or “lead” them astray.

• The final group addressed by “the Lord of hosts” is those who “fear not me” which means those who do not “revere, be afraid, stand in awe and honor” the Lord. Rather than having a great respect and awe for the Lord, they come to Him without regard to Who He really is.

As we consider these six areas addressed by the Lord to the nation of Israel, perhaps there are some of them which have convicted us. If so, we must repent before the Lord and ask Him to help us to align with His ways rather than our own. This is the wonderful part about the Bible. The fact that the Lord shares these areas with the nation of Israel and we get to read them shows His concern for our being redirected as well as theirs. The Lord desired true fellowship and a relationship with Israel, and He desires the same with us. If He has shown us areas in our lives which need to be addressed, let Him do His work in us, so we may have fellowship with Him in spirit and in truth. Let it be so dear Lord we pray, amen.

Next time we see how the Lord does not change, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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