5 “Then I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, and against those who oppress the laborer in his wages and widows and the fatherless, and against those who turn away the alien [from his right], and those who do not fear Me [with awe-filled reverence],” says the Lord of hosts. 6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change [but remain faithful to My covenant with you]; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.

Malachi 3:5-6 (AMP)

Continued…

These verses continue yesterday’s thought. Yesterday we saw how God would address the sin of the priests (the Levites) by sending His messenger (John the Baptist) but also Himself – at His second coming. As noted yesterday, the proof that this second messenger is God is that He comes for judgment (verse 5) which is what Messiah will do at His second coming. “This was His answer to their claim that He was unjust (2:17).” (planobiblechapel.org)

What are the things He will judge when He comes? They can be summarized as violations of the two greatest commandments: 

“37 And He [Jesus] said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:36-40

What if He changed?

What if God changed? For the Jews that Malachi was writing to, it would mean He wouldn’t have brought them back from Babylon; He would have left them there to perish. For their ancestors in the wilderness, He would have wiped them out a number of times. He told Moses to step back and allow Him to destroy the nation and start over again with Moses. (Exodus 32:10) But He didn’t change. He doesn’t change. He keeps His promises, His covenants – to them and to us.

“If it were possible for God to change His mind about us, He might very well do it and we would be consumed. Fortunately, the LORD does not change in His love or His choice towards us.” (enduringword.com) 

PS: I like the AMP version for its use of “I am the Lord”, vs “I the Lord” in others.  Why? It is how He calls Himself often in the OT (Exodus 3:14). Jesus used if a few times to clearly portray that He is God (John 5:58)