Malachi 4:3 Commentary and Bible Study

Will ‘they that work wickedness be set up’? Will any have reason to say that God does not administer justice, that he does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked? No, the righteous themselves will tread down the wicked. This will be their vindication from the Lord. He will give power to his people so that whom he approves becomes very clear. God could not more clearly show his approval of his people than by making them the instruments of his justice against the wicked. The wicked will be the stubble, and they will be placed in the oven of the Lord’s judgment (4:1) and reduced to ashes, and the righteous will tread them as ashes under their feet. The law of Moses with its statutes and judgments is the unchanging standard for the people of God in all ages. Primarily that is the moral law as inscribed in the Ten Commandments – the ceremonial law is fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. This will be the standard for New Testament saints just as much as it was for Israel; indeed, it is the standard by which the whole world will be judged on the last day.