Malachi 2:17

CHAPTER XLV

THE COMING DAY OF THE LORD

THE LORD WILL SEND A MESSENGER TO PREPARE FOR HIS DAY. Malachi 2:17 to Malachi 3:6.

RV. Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? In that ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of Jehovah, and he delighteth in them; or where is the God of justice? Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts. But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers-' soap: and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. And I will come near to you to judgement; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner from his right, and. fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts. For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

LXX. ye that have provoked God with your words. But ye said, Wherein have we provoked him? In that ye say, Every one that does evil is a pleasing object in the sight of the Lord, and he takes pleasure in such; and where is the God of justice? Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall survey the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come into his temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom ye take pleasure in: behold, he is coming, saith the Lord Almighty. And who will abide the day of his coming? or who will withstand at his appearing? for he is coming in as the fire of a furnace and as the herb of fullers. He shall sit to melt and purify as it were silver, and as it were gold: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver, and they shall offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. And the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to the Lord, according to the former days, and according to the former years. And I will draw near to you in judgement; and I will be a swift witness against the witches, and against the adulteresses, and against them that swear falsely by my name, and against them that keep back the hireling's wages, and them that oppress the widow, and afflict orphans, and that wrest the judgement of the stranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord Almighty, For I am the Lord your God, and I am not changed:

COMMENTS

WHERE IS THE GOD OF JUSTICE. Malachi 2:17

Two things in the arguments of the priests wearied Jehovah. First, they considered evil to be good, so they declared it good in the sight of Jehovah.

Second, they said where is the God of justice. They looked at the drought, crop failures and generally unprosperous conditions of Judah on the one hand, and on the other, the fact that the forms of the ceremonial law were being observed and concluded that God was slack in His justice, As we have seen, the quality of the sacrifices and the spirit in which they were offered put the lie to their arguments.

BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER. Malachi 3:1

Here is God's answer to their question, where is the God of justice. Suddenly the Lord will appear in the temple heralded by His forerunner.

Isaiah had made a similar prediction. (Isaiah 40:3-5).

The New Testament applies Malachi's prophecy to John the Baptist. (e.g. Matthew 3:3; Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 1:76; Luke 3:4; Luke 7:26-27, John 1:23) The obvious fulfillment of this promise in the baptist's ministry would be difficult for any open-minded Bible student to overlook.

The sudden appearance of the Lord mentioned hare was interpreted by the Rabbis as a dramatic explosive visitation by which the Messiah would announce His presence. It was this popular expectation which the devil exploited in tempting Jesus to cast Himself from the pinnacle of the temple. (Luke 4:9) To have done so would have won for Him instant acceptance as the Messiah on the basis of popular though erroneous expectation.

The messenger of the covenant. What more apt description could there be of Him Whose coming formed the heart of God's covenant promise? How fitting that the writer of Hebrews should introduce his comparison of the Old and New Covenants with the argument for the superiority of the New based on the superiority of the Son over the prophets, angels and Moses, who were the messengers of the Old. (cp. Hebrews 1:1 to Hebrews 2:4)

(Malachi 3:2-6) Who can abide the day of His coming? The Messiah was coming but not to confirm the racial arrogance or religious exclusiveness of these false Israelites. John will speak of Him as one whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor; and He will gather His wheat into the garner but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12).

Malachi here makes a like prediction. By a change of metaphors he describes the Messiah's judgement first as fuller's soap then as refiners fire.
In this sense, soap and fire have one thing in common, both remove, impurity. The entire ministry of the Messiah, including His first coming, the intervening age and His second coming, will purge the impurities from the people of God. Those whose profession is false, whose hope is based on false ambition and nationalistic exclusiveness will be removed from Israel. The remnant will be saved.

This refining process is described by Zechariah as removing all but a third of those who call themselves Israel. (cp. Isaiah 1:25)

(Malachi 3:3-4) Since Malachi's primary concern is with false priests (see above on Malachi 3:1-10 -ff), he pictures the Messiah, in verse three, as a refiner sitting before the crucible in which the sons of Levi are purged of those who are unfaithful so that they will offer to Jehovah offerings in righteousness.

The offerings to the Christ are not the blemished animals of Malachi's day. Rather they are to be holy and acceptable unto God, (cf. Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Peter 2:5) as were those offered in the beginning by Aaron.

(Malachi 3:5-6) They have asked where is the God of justice. (Malachi 2:17) When Messiah comes they will have their answer. He will testify against the sorcerers (Acts 8:1; Acts 13:6, Galatians 5:20), against adulterers (Matthew 5:28), against false swearers (Matthew 5:34; Matthew 5:36), against those that oppress the hireling, the widows, the fatherless, and they that turn aside the sojourners (Matthew 25:31-46), and that fear not me(Matthew 10:26-28).

Special notice should be taken of the inclusion in this list of priestly sins of those that turn aside the sojourner. A sojourner was one of another land who was not a Jew. God's concern for all men, rather than just for the Jew, as stated in the covenant is apparent throughout His dealings with the people through whom He purposed to bless all men.

(Verse b) It is a tragic error to assume that, because God has not smitten the wicked, He has changed from a God of justice to one of easy-going tolerance. Malachi points out to his readers that God's unchanging nature is the only reason they were not themselves long since wiped out!

Paul points out in Romans eleven (cf. Romans 11:29) that God's mercy toward even the covenant people finds its source in His unfailing faithfulness to His own covenant.

Peter speaks to the same fatal fallacy when he writes, But forget not this one thing beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

Chapter XLVQuestions

The Coming Day of the Lord

1.

What were the two arguments of the wicked priests?

2.

What was God's answer to the questions, Where is the God of justice?

3.

The New Testament applies Malachi 3:1 to _________________.

4.

Relate the rabbinic interpretation of this verse to Jesus-' temptations.

5.

What is meant by Malachi's description of the Messiah as fullers-' soap and refiner's fire?

6.

When Messiah came He would testify against the ___________, ___________, ___________, and against __________.

7.

Comment on those who turn aside the sojourner.

8.

Discuss the proposition that, because God does not immediately smite the wicked, He is no longer a God of justice.

9.

Note the similarity of Malachi 3:7-12 to Stephen's defense (Acts 7).

10.

What is the eternal principle presented in these passages?

11.

How were Malachi's readers robbing God?

12.

What is the distinction between tithes and offerings?

13.

What were the first, second and third tithes required by the Law?

14.

The offering consisted of not less than ___________ of one's corn, wine and oil.

15.

The Israelites were commanded to give in three categories: ___________, ___________ and ___________.

16.

How does Jesus express the thought of Malachi 3:10?

17.

Is this passage a valid proof text for modern store house tithing?

18.

List four pertinent points concerning Mosaic tithing.

19.

When the principles of stewardship presented by Malachi is applied to modern giving, ten per cent seems._____________________.

20.

What is meant by the promise of Malachi that God would open the windows of heaven?

21.

God's provisions are always adequate to those who ________________.

22.

Not only have Malachi's readers robbed God, they have ______________________.

23.

God has never promised ___________________ to the faithful nor ___________ to the unjust.

24.

The people equated the sacrifice of blemished animals and with holding of tithes and offerings with ___________________.

25.

A book of ________________ is being written.

26.

To whom does they shall be mine (Malachi 3:17-18) refer?

27.

Discuss Malachi 3:17-18 in comparison to Acts 10:34-35.

28.

Trace the association of fire with judgement.

29.

The sun of righteousness shall ____________________.

30.

The wicked are to be punished by fire while God's people are freed from _____________________.

31.

Does the unequal distribution of wealth negate the necessity of righteousness?

32.

The justice of God demands a ______________________.

33.

The Old Testament closes with a plea to God's people to ___________________.

34.

Why was it essential that the formal observance of the sacrificial system be preserved?

35.

The proud and wicked would be consumed but the ___________________ would survive.

36.

Who is the second Elijah?

37.

How is the New Testament continuous with the Old?

38.

What is the new factor in the New Testament not present in the Old?

39.

The coming of Christ did not constitute an abrupt break but a __________________.

40.

Approximately how much time lapsed between Malachi and Jesus?