Malachi 3:15
And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Post-exilic Judah was surrounded by nations that didn't serve the LORD yet seemed to prosper—Edom despite its wickedness, Babylon's conquerors Persia, Greek influence spreading westward. Meanwhile covenant-keeping Jews struggled economically and remained politically subordinate. This apparent injustice tested faith. The same temptation appears throughout Scripture: Job's friends assumed suffering indicates sin while prosperity indicates righteousness; Jesus' disciples asked whether a man's blindness resulted from his sin or his parents' sin (John 9:2). The biblical answer consistently rejects simplistic prosperity theology while affirming God's ultimate justice. Hebrews 11 catalogs faithful believers who suffered terribly yet persevered through faith in future resurrection and reward (Hebrews 11:35-40). The cross itself demonstrates that God's justice operates differently than human expectations—Christ, the perfectly righteous one, suffered unjustly to redeem the wicked who deserve judgment. This reversal of expected justice is the gospel's heart.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we maintain faith in God's justice when the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer?
- What does this verse reveal about the danger of judging God's faithfulness based on present circumstances rather than eternal promises?
- How does the cross—where perfect righteousness suffered ultimate injustice—reshape our understanding of how God's justice operates?
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Analysis & Commentary
And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Continuing their complaint (v. 14), Israel points to apparent injustice: the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. We call the proud happy (מְאַשְּׁרִים זֵדִים, me'asherim zedim) means they consider the arrogant blessed or fortunate. The proud (זֵדִים, zedim) are the insolent, presumptuous, those who act with defiant pride against God.
They that work wickedness are set up (גַּם־נִבְנוּ עֹשֵׂי רִשְׁעָה, gam-nivnu osei rish'ah)—they're built up, established, prosper. They that tempt God are even delivered (גַּם בָּחֲנוּ אֱלֹהִים וַיִּמָּלֵטוּ, gam baḥanu elohim vayimmoletu)—those who test or provoke God escape judgment. The complaint echoes Psalm 73, where Asaph observes the wicked's prosperity and questions whether he's kept his heart pure in vain (Psalm 73:3, 13).
This is the age-old problem of theodicy—why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? Israel's complaint reveals flawed theology: they expect immediate temporal justice, assuming that blessing and curse should manifest instantly. They fail to recognize that God's justice operates on an eternal timeline. Asaph found resolution by entering God's sanctuary and understanding the wicked's ultimate end (Psalm 73:17-20). Similarly, God's answer to Israel comes through eschatological promise: a day of judgment approaches when the proud will burn as stubble (Malachi 4:1) while the righteous will leap like calves released from the stall (4:2). Present appearances don't reflect final reality.