John Calvin Commentary Malachi 3:5

"And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts." — Malachi 3:5 (ASV)

Here the Prophet retorts the complaints which the Jews had previously made. There is then a counter-movement when he says, I will draw near to you; for they provoked God by this slander — that he hid himself from them and looked from a distance on what was taking place in the world, as if the people he had chosen were not the objects of his care.

They expected God to be like a hired soldier to them, ready at hand to help them in any adversity, and to come armed at their nod or pleasure to fight with their enemies. This they expected.

But God declares something of a contrary character — that he would come for judgment. He alludes to that impious slander, when they denied that he was the God of judgment because he did not immediately, or soon enough, resist their enemies: “Oh! God has now divested himself of his own nature! For his judgment does not appear.”

His answer is, “I will not forget my judgment when I come to you, but I shall come in a way contrary to what you expect.” They indeed wished God to put on arms for their advantage, but God declares that he would be an enemy to them, according to what he also says by the mouth of Isaiah.

He further says, I will be a swift witness. He sets swiftness here in opposition to their slander, for they said that God was slow and tardy, because he had not immediately, as they had wished, come forth to exercise vengeance on foreign nations. He, on the other hand, says that he would be sufficiently swift when the time came.

And as there are similar blasphemies prevailing in the world today, this passage may be applied to our circumstances. Let us then know that though God may delay and overlook things for a time, he still knows his own opportunities, so as to appear as the avenger of wickedness as soon as it is necessary.

But let us always fear lest our haste should prove our ruin, for he has no respect of persons, so as to favor our unfaithfulness and be rigid towards those who are hostile to us. Let us take care that, while we look for the presence of God, we present ourselves before his tribunal with a pure and upright conscience.

He then mentions several kinds of evils, in which he includes the sins in which the Jews involved themselves:

1. Diviners or sorcerers. It is indeed true that among various kinds of superstitions this was one. But as the word is found here by itself, the Prophet no doubt meant to include all kinds of diviners, soothsayers, false prophets, and all such deceivers. Thus, there is here again another instance of stating a part for the whole, for he includes all those corruptions which are contrary to the true worship of God.

   We indeed know that God formerly, by his word, restrained the Jews from turning aside to incantations, magical arts, or anything of this kind. But he intimates here that they were then so given up to gross abominations that they abandoned themselves to magic arts, incantations, and the trickeries of the devil.

2. Adulterers; under this term he includes all kinds of lewdness.

3. Frauds and plunderings.

If we rightly consider the subject, we will find that these three things contain whatever violates the whole law.

The Prophet’s intent is by no means ambiguous, for he intended to show how perversely they reasoned earnestly with God. They ought to have been destroyed a hundred times, since they were apostates, were given to obscene lusts, and were cruel, avaricious, and treacherous.

And this reproof ought to be a warning to us today, that we may not call forth God’s judgment on others while we flatter ourselves as being innocent. Whenever, then, we flee to God for help and ask him to help us, let us remember that he is a just judge who has no respect of persons.

Let then everyone who implores God’s judgment be his own judge and anticipate the correction he has reason to fear. Therefore, so that God may not be armed for our destruction, let us carefully examine our own life and follow the rule prescribed here by the Prophet.

Let us begin with the worship of God, then let us consider fornications and adulteries, and whatever is contrary to chaste conduct, and afterwards let us address frauds and plunder. For if we are free from all superstition, if we keep ourselves chaste and pure, and if we also abstain from all plunder and all cruelty, our life is undoubtedly approved by God.

And for this reason the Prophet adds at the end of the verse, They feared not me. For when lusts, plunder, frauds, and the corruptions which vitiate God’s worship prevail, it is evident that there is no fear of God. Instead, men, having shaken off the yoke, as it were, run mad, though they may profess the name of God a thousand times.

By mentioning the orphan, the widow, and the stranger, he amplifies the atrocity of their crimes. For the orphans, widows, and strangers, we know, are under the guardianship and protection of God, since they are exposed to the wrongs of men.

Hence, everyone who plunders orphans, harasses widows, or oppresses strangers seems to carry on open war, as it were, with God himself, who has promised that these should be safe under the shadow of his hand.

With regard to the expressions, it seems not suitable to say that the hire of the widow and of the orphan is suppressed. There may therefore be an inversion of the words — meaning, they oppressed the widows, the orphans, and the strangers.