On the surface, when read in isolation, this verse states the promise that Israel is an eternal people. This idea is linked directly to the unchanging nature of God. Just as God does not change, so too, the nation of Israel will always exist. But if we look at the context of this verse and read carefully, we find a more specific point being made relating to Israel’s survival.
Survival amidst the exile
Here is our verse in context:
I will approach you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away a foreigner, and they do not fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts. “For I am the Lord, I do not change; and you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your forefathers you have strayed from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ – Malachi 3:5-7
This passage is a rebuke of the people of Israel, calling on them to repent for their repeated disobedience to God. God promises to exact punishment on the wicked among His people and calls on Israel to repent and return to Him. In the course of this rebuke and call to repentance, God promises that Israel shall never be destroyed.
We see from context that the promise of eternal Jewish survival in our verse is not about the restoration and ingathering of Israel. It is not about God’s blessings that are bestowed on Israel when the exile comes to an end. It is about survival during a long and dark exile.
Notice that the Jewish people are referred to as “Jacob,” rather than “Israel.” We have explained elsewhere that this name is used for the Jewish people when implying their lowly and persecuted state in exile. And the promise in this verse is not of blessing and bounty. It is that the Jewish people will not be utterly destroyed. Mere survival is the promise of this verse, nothing more.
The eternity of Israel
We mentioned that two important ideas are linked together in this verse.
- The unchanging nature of God
- The eternity of the Jewish people
Although this verse was written centuries before the beginning of Christianity, it is impossible to read this verse without thinking about the dominant theological position taken by most of the Christian world regarding the Jews.
When contemplating the question as to why God allowed the Jewish people to survive, Augustine famously formulated the position known as “Witness Theology.” According to Augustine, as punishment for their rejection of Jesus and for their responsibility in killing him, the Jews were exiled from their land and would continue to live as a sorrowful, persecuted, and powerless people until the end of time. By enduring this pathetic existence, the Jewish people would bear witness for the world regarding the consequences of rejecting Jesus. With regard to the promises made to Israel in the Bible, Augustine said that they no longer apply to the Jews, but to the Church.
What is remarkable about Augustine’s version of Replacement Theology is that our verse here in Malachi appears to have been written for the expressed purpose of refuting it. It is almost as though Augustine missed this verse when he read through the Bible!
First, our verse states unequivocally that God does not change. While this may seem like an obvious theological point, we must consider the context in which God said this. This verse is not part of some abstract theological contemplation about the nature of God. As we showed above, the context of this statement is a discussion of the survival of Israel as they suffer in exile. It is in this context that God states clearly, “I do not change.”
Why did God state that He does not change in this specific context? The answer is simple. Like Augustine, many Christian thinkers throughout the centuries saw the exile and suffering of the Jewish people as a sign that God’s covenantal promises to Israel were no longer valid. Put simply, they believed that the seemingly never-ending suffering of the Jews was evidence that God had changed His mind. But God knew that the centuries of exile and persecution of the Jews would lead many people to this incorrect conclusion. Therefore, it makes sense that in the context of warning Israel of the punishments that would befall them, He would state clearly, “I do not change.” In other words, “Just in case you might make the mistake of thinking that the suffering of the Jews is a sign that I have changed my mind and rejected them, this is incorrect. My promises are eternal.”
We have said numerous times that God reveals Himself to the world through the unique history of the nation of Israel. Through the millennia of this history there have been many ups and downs. Our verse is a warning. If you look at the exile of the Jews and think that God has rejected Israel, you are mistaken not only about the Jews but about God Himself.
Over the centuries, many have made the mistake of thinking that God changed His mind and revoked the promises made to Israel. But God does not change. And His promises to Israel are forever.
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