Job had an airtight case. He was the most righteous person on earth. God said so (see Job 1:8). Yet he suffered tragedy after unspeakable tragedy. Job wasn't just stuck in a rut; He was buried. So he pleaded with God for a chance to make his case. If God would only give him a hearing, Job knew he would clear his name (10:2-7; 13:22-23; 23:1-7; 31:35). Then God arrived in a storm, and blew Job away. Job realised his righteousness had no claim on God, and he confessed, ″I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes″ (42:6).

Judah knew the story of Job, so they should have known better than to beg for a hearing with God. Yet they cried, ″Where is the God of justice?″ (Malachi 2:17). God answered by promising to send a messenger to clear away their evil debris, then ″suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come″ (3:1). But don't clap just yet. The Lord of love accepts us as we are, but He loves us too much to allow us to stay that way. His appearance is going to hurt.

″Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?″ No one. The Lord himself is ″a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap″ (v. 2). The furnace of His love will refine and purify us, burning off our impurities so that what's left is pure ″gold and silver″ (v. 3).

Judgment isn't fun. Who wants to learn that what they liked most about themselves is actually dross that must be melted away? But judgment that refines is a compliment. It means that, despite our pride and selfishness, God believes we are too valuable to waste. He sees the gold that we can become, and thinks we're worth it.

When Jesus returns, He will judge our works, proclaim His forgiveness, and forever change us. Then we ″will bring offerings in righteousness″, offerings that are ″acceptable to the Lord″ (vv. 3-4). Meanwhile, we must prepare for the coming judgment. Our rut may not have been caused by our sin. Sin might not even be a contributing factor. But we still have some sins to repent from.

Like Job, we may yearn to plead our case with God. That's fine, as long as we keep the proper perspective. Our job isn't to judge God; we will be judged by Him. So we confess with Job: ″But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold″ (Job 23:10).