Where is the God of Justice?

The Messenger, The Message, and The Mess

Allen Snapp

Grace Community Church

Nov. 30, 2025

Where is the God of Justice?

Great to be back! Thank you for your prayers. Amazing time!

If you have your bible turn to Malachi 2.

¹⁷ You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?” 2:17

Let’s pause here and pray.

Here we again see the repetition of God bringing a charge against the Jews, the Jews question the accusation, and God lays out the case against them. You have wearied the Lord with your words. How have we wearied him?

The word weary means to grow tired or annoyed. Of course God never actually grows weary, He is speaking in a way that we can relate to – He’s grown weary, He’s fed up with their accusations and complaints against Him. They are looking at the evil and injustice going on around them and they question why God’s allowing it to continue. I think we can understand that. We probably all have had questions like that. When we see all the wrong and evil going on in the world, it’s natural to wonder why. Why do some seem to get away with doing evil? Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? We see the injustices in the world and we don’t understand why God allows it. Someone wrongs us and we feel the injustice of it and want vindication – the wrong to be made right. We feel an indignation at all the injustice of the world and we want justice to be had. And honestly we wonder too, where is the God of justice? We see all this and ask, why God? Is that wrong?

The Bible is full of such questions and complaints. The Psalms in particular are full of questions and complaints against God. Why O Lord? How long O Lord? Have you abandoned me O God? Even Jesus on the cross cried out My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

So why is God fed up with their questions and complaints against Him?

First of all because they were speaking to each other, not to God. They were complaining about God to each other. They were accusing God to each other, not to God. They weren’t telling God what was on their hearts. They weren’t bringing their complaints to God. God wants us to bring the questions and even complaints on our hearts to Him.

But they weren’t bringing their questions and complaints to God, they were bringing them to each other. And they were accusing God to each other of being unjust and evil. They were saying, “God must delight in those who do evil. People who do evil must look good to God. How else can you explain it? If God is a God of justice, where is He? Where is His justice?” They were fostering a community of toxic doubt and unbelief.

God doesn’t mind our questions or even complaints but maligning God’s character because we don’t understand what He’s doing or agree with His timetable is blasphemy and arrogant. Let’s read God’s answer in chapter 3.

3 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ² But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. ⁴ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

The name Malachi means my messenger but in chapter 3 God’s talking about sending two different messengers. The first messenger will prepare the way for the Lord. John the Baptist came with the message: prepare the way of the Lord. Then, after that first messenger, the Lord you say you want so badly will suddenly come to his temple.

God says, be careful what you wish for. You say you want justice. You say you want evil to be judged. You say you want God to bring the heat to those who deserve to be judged. I’ve got good news for you: he’s coming! The Lord you are seeking will suddenly come. The messenger you think you delight in will appear.

But when he comes, you just might not be as happy to see him as you think. You envision him judging all those evil people out there as you cheer him on. The Bible tells us that sin is deceitful and one of its lies is to make us think we’re better than we are. We compare ourselves to each other and feel pretty good about ourselves. If I were God I’d do things differently! If I were God I’d judge the evil in the world with wisdom and justice.

Malachi says when the Lord comes to His temple, who can endure that day? Who can stand at his appearing? The answer is no one. Our best works, our best days, our best efforts are filthy rags to the Holy One of Israel. No one will stand on their righteousnesss on that day. There’s not a person in all of history other than Jesus who can endure God’s court of justice.

It reminds me of the man who commissioned a great artist to paint his portrait. He sat for days as the artist carefully painted his portrait of this man. Finally when it was done the man rushed to take a look at the finished product and was deeply disappointed. He complained to the artist, this painting doesn’t do me justice! The artist replied, with a face like yours, you don’t need justice. You need mercy.

With a heart like ours, we don’t need justice, we need mercy. Mercy is the reason God delays His justice. The Bible says the wages of sin is death so if God dispensed justice the moment we sinned, we’d never have time to repent. God delays His justice to give us time to repent. Time to believe the gospel and be saved. Time for Christians to preach the gospel to the lost so that they might be saved. Jesus told his disciples I have sheep from other folds that I must bring in. Mercy calls to all the world to believe in Jesus and receive salvation. Justice is coming but what we really need is mercy.

Malachi says when the Lord does come – speaking of Jesus – he will come as a refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap. John the Baptist said that one was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Fire refines precious metals to draw out its impurities, not to destroy it. Likewise fuller’s soap makes the dirty garment clean.

Jesus was born in a stable, not to bring judgement but to bring mercy. He said he didn’t come to judge but to save. Judgment will come, but now is a season to repent and be saved. To turn from our sin and to God in faith and receive mercy. We celebrate a Savior who brings good news of great joy – that good news is mercy and peace from God.

On the cross justice and mercy have kissed. God’s perfect justice was satisfied as His perfect and beloved Son received the judgment that we deserve. As Jesus hung on that cross, it says the sun was darkened for three hours. During that time God poured out His just and fierce wrath for all our sins on His Son. God’s perfect justice was satisfied at the cross so that God’s loving mercy could be poured out on everyone who believes in Jesus.

The cross is the greatest display of God’s justice and the greatest display of God’s mercy. That’s why God says, TODAY if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Today is the day of salvation. This is the time of grace.

The delay in God’s full justice coming to this earth isn’t because He thinks evil is good or delights in the injustice men do, it’s because God is patient and loving. He wants to give people time to repent of their sins and receive salvation.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance - 2 Pet. 3:9

The day is coming for all of us when it’s too late to repent and all is left is certain judgement. Those who call for justice but reject the mercy of Jesus will face perfect justice and on that day, who will stand? Who will endure? No one.

We have a saying justice delayed is justice denied and to some extent I think that’s true of our imperfect justice system, but it’s not true in God’s eternal economy. This life is a heartbeat, a breath, a vapor and then eternity. Then the court of God will be in session and every human being who has ever lived will stand before the Righteous Judge. That’s what Malachi envisions after the Lord comes with refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap. Those who reject the cleansing that Jesus offers through faith in him will receive justice. Nothing less, nothing more.

⁵ “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. 2:17-3:5