"And your eyes shall see" (Malachi 1:5). The prophet promises that Israel will watch the fall of Edom — watch it with their own eyes, from their own territory, and say: "Great is the Lord!" This is not a vision or a prophecy at a distance. It is a promise of witnessed redemption.
But the midrash makes a subtle move: the fall of Edom is not the point. It is the prelude to praise. The destruction of Israel's enemies is the condition for seeing God clearly, not the goal in itself. Malachi continues: "The Lord will be great beyond the borders of Israel" (Malachi 1:5). The nations will recognize it. Not because they were conquered but because they saw what they could not explain. The angel of Edom, the prince who had ruled over the nations for centuries, will have no answer when his kingdom collapses and the God he opposed is still standing.
The rabbis connected this to the Psalms of Ascent — "A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains" (Psalm 121:1) — because the ascent is both physical and spiritual. Israel ascending to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festivals is Israel ascending in faith. To lift the eyes toward Jerusalem while Edom still stands is an act of insistence: we believe in what we cannot yet see. "Your eyes shall see" is the reward for refusing to look away.