1:4-5 - Edom may say, 'Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.'
But this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. 5You will see it with your own eyes and say, "Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!"
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'Edom may say, 'Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.' — Here Yahweh paints an imaginative picture of what the Edomites may—despite their setbacks—be saying still. This assertion in the face of disaster (or its variations) has probably been uttered by every people group since the dawn of history; it distils the audacity of all who live ignorant or defiance of the truth that there are things in life that lie beyond their say, that their final destiny is not always theirs, or theirs alone, to decide.
But this is what the Lord Almighty says: — this sentence uses for the first time in the book a name for God that specifically emphasizes His power and control of all things, Yhwh seba'oth, "the Lord Almighty," or "Lord of Hosts." It is up to Him, not the Edomites to decide what happens. The emphasis runs deeper still. Hebrew sentences do not, most of the time, require an independent pronoun to indicate who is acting because that fact is already reflected in the form of the verb. Here, however, the sentence adds the independent first-person singular masculine pronoun to show who is speaking, so that the force of the sentence runs like this: "they may build, but it is I, I who will demolish." Whatever may be different sentiments we harbour regarding the Calvinist formulation of predestination, the fact remains that the ultimate fate of all humanities remain a matter of divine determination and grace. Nor will they, like so many human races and nations, slip quietly into the graveyard of history with no epitaph, good or bad, to mark their passing. Instead they "will be called the Wicked Land," and worse, "a people always under the wrath of the Lord."
"How have you loved us?" God could have called those who harboured this sentiment in their hearts to remember the long history of Israel's past and they would have plenty enough to fathom a reply. Instead God here calls them to witness the history of the present and future in the fate of their relatives, the Edomites, and see for themselves how He treated them and how He would treat the Edomites. "You will see it with your own eyes." And when they do, they will recognize that He is "Great, even beyond the borders of Israel!" Sometimes we just need to be quiet and to reflect on what is happening around us, to those who are of the faith, and see how differently God has and is treating us to appreciate how special we are in His eyes. That was what Malachi's audience needed to do.
[Notes on always: This adjective at this point in Malachi is found only in the NIV; most older translations have "forever," while NET has "permanently." 'ad-'olam is literally, 'until/as far as'-'long duration.' It can, but does not necessarily, mean 'forever.' The basic idea is that it is so long it may as well be counted a permanent, perhaps even endless, state of affair.]
Low Chai Hok, 2022
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