Main news for 11 October 2023

The question of the meaning of righteousness interested thoughtful people, probably, from the moment when began to go away into history the way of life of the generations and the tribes, in which the system of value and the behavioral models were something in itself understandable and shared by all, such that the question of the meaning of following the moral standards and the corresponding rules to the common leaving did not simply appear. The history moved forward, and since it is about the history of the fallen humanity, it is not surprising that in the spiritual and moral sense, this movement supposed a degradation: because the human sinfulness becomes not less with the development of the civilization, and it manifests itself in the course of the history more considerably.

The consequence of the historic development became, among others, also the depreciation of several spiritual and moral standards, which were formerly considered as something which is obvious and not requiring justification. That was when stood the question about the meaning of what in the biblical books is called righteousness: what is the meaning to be righteous, if righteousness in the fallen world is not only not rewarded, but also cannot change anything in it? The representations of the posthumous reward of the righteous and the posthumous punishment of the sinners formed already in the Antiquity in various cultures became the answer.

We could say that such explanations appeared of hopelessness, that the historic experience was again and again testified: the fallen world is merciless and inequitable, it needs neither the righteousness, nor the righteous. But there is also other thing in these representations: the understanding of the fact that righteousness and morality can exist only according to their own laws, and not according to the laws of the fallen world, and it is necessary to look their foundation in another reality.

And if man is in the state to act morally and be righteous in spite of the laws of the world, in which he lives, thus he the man, also has a relation with this other reality, where are rooted morality and righteousness. But in the doctrine of the posthumous reward was also known incompleteness: because in such case it happened that righteousness has meaning only in a certain perfect world, and the world from here is condemned never to know it and to stay in evil.

That is why, probably, we do not find in the Bible the doctrine of the posthumous reward. On the other hand we find other thing, on which refers the prophet: the doctrine of the transfiguration of the world on the day of judgment and the coming of the Messiah. Transfiguration, after which the world is going to change, and righteousness will occupy in this a suitable place. And the difference between those who serve God, and those who resist him, between the righteous and the sinner will become visible and obvious for everyone.

Mal 3:18

NOTES

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FAQ

The Book of the Prophet Malachi, chapter 3, verses 6-12. Could you please explain these verses?

The third chapter of the Book of the Prophet Malachi begins with a prophecy about the Messiah, the Messenger of the covenant, which concludes with remarkable words about the immutability of God, from which the entire subsequent dialogue develops between God and the prophet on one side, and the people on the other. "For I am the Lord, I do not change," says God. Many different consequences flow from this fact. It is important in itself as a dogmatic assertion; the Church Fathers, in particular St. Basil the Great, contrasted the fluidity and mutability of creation with the immutability of God, seeing in Him the only true foundation of all existence, the "anchor of salvation," as early Christians often called the Lord. The immutability of God is important for understanding the history of mankind, so that we might see and recognize Him in past events. We need to know of God's immutability so that we may place our hope in His goodness and mercy. This is exactly what the prophet emphasizes when he says that the sons of Jacob were not consumed in the vicissitudes of history solely because the God who made a covenant with Abraham does not change.

But in comparison with this divine faithfulness, which flows from the immutability of His unfathomable divine nature, the unfaithfulness of men becomes especially noticeable. And therefore, through Malachi in the 5th century BC, the Lord once again says the same thing He said through the prophets of the 8th, 7th, and 6th centuries: "Return to Me, and I will return to you." God is immutable, and therefore the sole reason for the destruction of our relationship with Him lies within ourselves. But instead of believing and turning to God, Malachi's contemporaries claim that they are guilty of nothing... And so, in response to these notions that had become customary among the people, the prophet proclaims the truth of God. This dialogue between God and fallen man essentially defines the entire genre of the Book of Malachi. A dialogue in which Truth itself becomes one of the participants, in which It reveals itself through the thoughts of men. It must be said that the dialogue became a kind of genre of the era: besides the prophet Malachi, at least two of his great younger contemporaries resort to it: the author of the Book of Job and Socrates.

Two things are striking in the dialogues of Malachi. First, that God condescends to participate in a dialogue; He answers, argues, teaches, and presents arguments. The Almighty Creator of heaven and earth speaks with men! This is an incredible revelation, based on which Malachi calls the coming Messiah the Messenger. And the second thing, which is impossible not to notice, is how much the ideas and positions of the Jews of the mid-5th century BC coincide with the widespread opinions of our contemporaries.

This is what the people say in dialogue with God through Malachi: "How shall we return?" "How do we know what God wants from us?", "What else does He need?", we also say today. What kind of return is this, to which the Messenger of the covenant is calling? "In what way have we robbed You?" ask the Jews. "We do nothing wrong," "What is bad about us?" we say. "What have we spoken against You?" ask the Jews. "Why doesn't God want to make us happy, healthy, and wealthy?" we ask ourselves the same question. "It is vain to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance..." assert the Jews of Malachi's time, saying that God does not reward righteousness and does not punish evil. Therefore, they say, it is better to commit iniquities—they, unlike righteousness, bring profit. We reproduce these arguments almost word for word. Considering that both the 5th-century Jews and we today imply the same thing as a merit: the restoration of the Temple (temples) and worship, the similarity cannot fail to amaze.

Behind all this lies an unwillingness for God to be near. Deep within the human being, it seems, there remains an unconscious knowledge of that consuming flame of Divine love of which Malachi speaks at the beginning of the chapter. And this flame frightens us. We fear that in the proximity of the Almighty, neither our lives nor we ourselves will remain the same. And therefore God calls us to trust, calls us to convince ourselves of His goodness. He says that we rob Him by neglecting the tithe. But the point is not that God needs our offerings. Initially, the tithe and the dedication of the firstborn were meant to be a sign to people that God owns everything, and everything we have, we receive from Him as a gift. The offering was an act of thanksgiving, without which the gift becomes a theft. The Lord, however, does not even reproach them for neglecting Him. Test Me in this, He says, and see that God is faithful. He calls people to gain the experience of trust, and in this experience to find blessedness. Malachi does not speak of blessing here, unlike the other prophets. The time of the New Covenant is already near, and its messenger—Malachi—speaks of blessedness, just as the Lord Jesus Himself will soon speak.

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