Malachi refers to God as the Father of the Israelites by virtue of having created them. Sometimes a reference to God’s act of creating points to his literally bringing something into existence. For example, in Genesis 5:1–2 the word “created” means bringing into existence someone or something that did not exist before.
But at other times, the word “created” refers to making something that already exists into something it was not before. For example, in Deuteronomy 32:6, Moses addresses all Israel as a nation, and declares, “Is not [the Lord] your father, who created you, who made you and established you?” What Moses is referring to is God’s creation of Israel as a nation, as his own people. There are other places where the same thought is expressed in similar terms, some that connect the idea of “creating” or “making” Israel with his sovereign choice of Israel as his people (see Psalm 100:3, Isaiah 43:7, Isaiah 44:2, Isaiah 64:8).
The reference in our text to God’s creative work refers to God’s making Israel his special people.
10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?