Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple
- Chad Werkhoven
- Mar 10
- 4 min read
Benefit from deep theology by viewing it through God's simple truths.
Malachi 3:6-7
CONTEXT: God speaks through the prophet Malachi to confront Israel's spiritual apathy and corrupt worship. Our short passage today comes between two of these accusations.
6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your fathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
Articles 1-10
Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People
Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship
Deuteronomy 28:15-20 - Not A Tame Lion
Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation
Psalm 143 - Aggressive Prayer Pattern
Article 2: The Manifestation of God’s Love
Zephaniah 3:14-17 - The Mighty Warrior Who Saves
Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel
1 Timothy 2:1-7 - God Our Savior
Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching
1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness
Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos
Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel
John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology
John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology
Article 5: The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith
James 1:13-18 - The Devil (didn't) Make You Do It
Ecclesiastes 7:25-29 - Many Schemes
Ephesians 2:8 - The Gift of God
Psalm 95 - The LORD is OUR God
Article 6: God’s Eternal Decree
Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality
Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth
Article 7: Election
Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation
Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart
John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission
Psalm 115 - God Does What He Pleases
Article 8: A Single Decree of Election
Romans 4:1-8 - One and the Same
Romans 4:9-17 - Chicken or Egg?
Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts
Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept
Psalm 33 - God's Control, Authority & Presence
Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith
2 Timothy 1:7-10 - Passive & Powered
Deuteronomy 9:4-6 - You're Not That Awesome
Psalm 91 - The Shelter of the Most High
Article 10: Election Based on God’s Good Pleasure
Luke 2:13-14 - Christmas in March
Galatians 4:1-7 - From Slave to Son
Article 11: Election Is Unchangeable
Just as God is most wise, unchangeable, all-knowing, and almighty,
so the election made by him can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled;
neither can God’s chosen ones be cast off, nor their number reduced.
Summary
So far this year, we've been working hard to wrap our minds around this difficult concept that God unconditionally elected those He would save. We've already been reminded that when theology gets complicated, it's a good practice to simplify it by going back to its foundational roots: the attributes of God that the Bible tells us so much about.
In this short little passage in Malachi, we're reminded of three key characteristics of God:
1) God is immutable. That's probably not a word that you've used yet this week, so it might be better to just simply quote God's own words that open today's passage: I the LORD do not change.
We're going to spend the rest of this week being comforted by this awesome attribute, because through it you come to understand that, as the Canons put it, God's election of you can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled, so therefore you can be certain that you will never be cast off.
2) God is just. Remember that you are in a covenantal relationship with God in which He has committed Himself to be your God, and you therefore belong to Him, and are expected to keep His decrees. These decrees - also referred to in the Bible as His laws, commands, precepts, etc - are not burdensome or overbearing. In fact, they define how to live a happy life fulfilling your purpose to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!
3) God is faithful. God's people - Israel then, and the Church now - have consistently turned away from God's decrees and have not kept them. So we completely deserve to be destroyed! But God remains faithful to His covenant even though we do not! The NET Bible captures this idea well, translating the opening line as Since, I, the LORD, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.
God continues to plead with people even today the way He did thousands of years ago through the prophet Malachi: Return to me, and I will return to you!
Dig Deeper
So often the reason people struggle with these doctrines of grace (also known as TULIP or Calvinism) is because they clash with our deeply rooted sense of fairness and justice. We expect people to earn the good things they receive, and that God ought to change His plan based on human responses. It's so much easier to dwell on seemingly flexible passages in the Bible that can be molded to fit our expectations while avoiding the more rigid passages that don't conform to our presuppositions.
However, as you begin to understand the deep and sometimes complicated theology associated with God's sovereignty and predestination through the lens of the simple theology found in passages like today's, the more you will begin to appreciate how beneficial and comforting the doctrines taught in the Canons of Dordt really are.
Find peace in knowing that God's unchanging grace is stronger than you are!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who does not change;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will keep God's decrees;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Hebrews 5
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