Why Oh, Lord?

“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”
Malachi 3:13–15
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Why Oh, Lord?
Before the Word of the Lord came to Malachi, it came also to another prophet, Jeremiah. And Jeremiah’s complaint, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?”, resounds in Malachi’s day. Many of Jacob’s children think nothing of robbing God by withholding their full tithes because it seems to them that evildoers prosper. It is true that the wicked often prosper in this life. Though God does promise that His people may enjoy worldly blessings, He also warns that they can expect suffering too. The real question we should ask ourselves is not why do the wicked prosper, but why does anyone prosper. We have all turned from God in our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. Yet we still receive His blessings. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we can be certain of His eternal blessings. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” The Lord of heaven and earth, moves our hearts to honor Him with our earthly offerings while at the same time keeping our eyes firmly fixed on His eternal blessings.