Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Constancy of God

Malachi 3v6 “I the LORD do not change.”  (NIV)

This does not mean that God always does the same thing, but it does mean His character does not change and His general course of action does not change.

In the context of Malachi (c. 430BC), God’s people, Israel, have given up on God sorting out the issues. They have not seen God’s hand at work either to judge the immoral (2v17), or to eliminate injustice towards the poor or righteous (3v5 & 3v13-15). They therefore say, ‘God is not concerned about evil’, and declare, ‘It is of no benefit to serve Him’. But God robustly answers them by declaring that his concern for justice and righteousness do not change. This calls for faith in who God is, in his character. And that faith enables us to live daily in his ways:

• God will purify those who seek him (3v2-4, 7)
• God will exercise justice on those who continue in immorality and injustice (3v5)
• God will bless those who seek God and his ways (3v8-12)
• God will bring a time when the righteous and wicked will be treated differently (3v13-18)

The coming of Jesus is hinted at in 3v1-4. And we now know that, for those that seek him, God’s justice was exercised in Jesus Christ when he took our sin on his shoulders (prophesied in 3v1-4). As God promised from the beginning, Jesus is The Way.

Therefore, rest assured, whether it is issues of morality or justice in our world, God is concerned. He will ultimately bring about what is right and just.

With love and blessing,

Roland