Between Law and Judgment
Malachi 4:1 (ESV) “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. What does the word "for" refer to? If we turn back the page to Malachi 3:15, where they considered serving the Lord to be of no profit since the wicked evildoers seem to prosper. Malachi 3:15 (ESV) And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’ ” But the prophet is clear in this chapter that though judgment is not yet apparent, it does not mean it will not soon be seen. This is one of the challenges of faith for every generation. How can the wicked continue to prosper if God is just and good? The reason is both simple and hard to hear: no one deserves God's grace; judgment belongs to all of us. Yet in mercy, God spares sinners every moment of every day, givin...