December 11 | Good and Evil
Malachi 2:17-3:6 (NLT)
17 You have wearied the Lord with your words.
“How have we wearied him?” you ask.
You have wearied him by saying that all who do evil are good in the Lord’s sight, and he is pleased with them. You have wearied him by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”
3 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.
5 “At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.
Good and Evil
I chose this date because of my daughter Natalie's birthday. However, this passage is not a “Happy Birthday” story.
Little did I know that this passage speaks of the judgement between good and evil that the birth of Jesus brings. It made me reflect upon how I need to teach these lessons of good and evil to my children, just like Jesus teaches us (daily) through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus came to forgive us of our sins and to save us from Hell. But this passage also talks about his coming judgment. If we don't know what's right and wrong, and what Jesus wants from us, his coming judgment could affect us in a serious way. What we need to do is allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and bring us to repentance.
This Christmas season as you see the Baby in a manger, recognize that he is also the Judge of the world.
—Joe Polisano