5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:5, ESV)
Many people today only recognize God during ceremonies—weddings, church services, and funerals. Religion is becoming irrelevant in our world. We are getting to the point where we do not even consider God’s impact on our future. Nor do we give any thought to where we will spend eternity when we die.
In God’s word spoken to the prophet Malachi, God is very clear whom he will judge. The Good News Translation translates the verse this way:
5 The Lord Almighty says, “I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners—against all who do not respect me. (Malachi 3:5, GNT)
As you look across our country, do you see these happening? Do we not see these happening in the open? Sin was once hidden out of shame, but is now in the open and done with pride.
God said that he will bring judgement. Is he beginning to bring us judgement today?
We have a country becoming more and more alarmed by Global Warming. But, we should be even more alarmed by the sin that will bring much judgement on our country.
—–
Photo from StockSnap.io
This post is a fresh rewrite from a post title “Widows and Orphans” posted in December 2007.