Malachi’s concern for social justice: Malachi 2:17 and 3:5 and its ethical imperatives for faith communities

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Malachi’s concern for social justice: Malachi 2:17 and 3:5 and its ethical imperatives for faith communities
 
Creator Bọlọjẹ, Blessing O. Groenewald, Alphonso
 
Subject — —
Description Any time humans in any culture consider primary ethical concepts, justice will be to the fore. Much seems to hinge upon it whether human society is to function with any semblance of civil order, security and harmony. When justice is pervasively trampled upon, the very fabric of liveable society crumbles. The apprehension for justice is clearly reflected in almost all of the Old Testament (OT). It is an important theological motif in the OT. This is found in such OT literature as historical, legal, prophetic and wisdom writings. This evidence thus reveals that the apprehension for the issue of justice was one of the many ways by which Israel’s multifaceted social life was knit together throughout its various ancient historical developments. No aspect of the life of Israel was excluded from this kind of apprehension for justice, and Yahweh was understood to be actively involved in its entire phase. This article examines Malachi’s fourth disputation in the light of the lawlessness alluded to in Malachi 2:17 and the corruption of personal and civil morality in Malachi 3:5. In the discussions that follow, this article examines the need for the justice of Yahweh; that is, Yahweh’s righting of past wrongs and the reversal of sinful societal order. The purpose is to enact a communal ethic for those who generously care for the neighbourhood and are firm in their devotion to Him, that is, God.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2014-07-17
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/octet-stream text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/hts.v70i1.2072
 
Source HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies; Vol 70, No 1 (2014); 9 pages 2072-8050 0259-9422
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2072/4679 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2072/4680 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2072/4681 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2072/4678
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2014 Blessing O. Bọlọjẹ, Alphonso Groenewald https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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