This week we are reading Malachi’s fifth disputation. God speaks directly to the people without mincing words: “Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me!” (3:8). In other words, they are not tithing adequately. That may seem like a narrow materialistic charge, lacking the heavier moral and ethical challenges of previous prophets. However, embedded in the message of judgement is a message of hope. If they stop their devious practices and return to God, he will return to them, and pour out his blessings.
Malachi’s disputation begins with a theological lesson: “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished” (3:6). The “children of Jacob” is one of the Bible’s epithets for the chosen people. Like “Abraham’s seed,” the label highlights the foundation of their national story in the patriarchs.
The preservation of the people is not due to their national strength or resourcefulness. God spared them from destruction because of his enduring mercy. The problems confronting the restored community are not the fault of God. He remains constant throughout Israel’s history and faithful to the covenant promises.
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