Malachi Chapter 3

Bible Study at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
Mid-Week Teaching Service on 04 Apr 2001

v.1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts - This verse is a direct answer to the Jews' question in the previous verse ("Where is the God of judgment?"). God assures the doubting Jews that the Messiah would indeed come ("Behold" is repeated twice). It was the custom of kings to send a messenger before them to prepare the way (ie, to remove obstacles to their visit). John the Baptist was sent before Christ's coming to prepare the people for His coming, by preaching repentance from sin. The Hebrew word for, "messenger" is "malachi," which is the name of the author of this book. After the John the Baptist's preparation, the LORD came suddenly (ie, instantaneously and unannounced) to his temple (which had just been built by Zerubabbel.) Christ is the "messenger of the covenant," in whose blood the covenant of grace was sealed. The Jews desired the coming of the Messiah (ie, "whom ye delight") - most of them for the wrong reason, ie, expecting physical blessings.

v. 2 But who may abide the day of h is coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope - The majority of Jews expected a Messiah bringing physical blessings but this verse warns them that He would come to "refine" them spiritually. Christ came preaching God's truth and exposing the hypocrisy of Jewish external worship, so "that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (LUK 2:3 5) and who shall stand when he appeareth? The "refiner's fire" removed the impurities in the ore and purified it totally. Those who trust in Christ as their Savior, are given new hearts (2CO 5:17) - being refined from the inside. "Fuller's sope" refers to launderer's soap which removes dirt. Christians are "sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the word" (EPH 5,16).

v.3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness - Silver and gold that were not purified were useless for making ornamental vessels for temple use because they rusted. Similarly, a Christian who is not spiritually purified cannot offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. We must first be right with God, before we can offer anything (eg. praise, prayer, service, money) acceptable to Him. Christians are, like the sons of Levi, God's priests (IPE 2:5).

v.4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as informer years - "Judah and Jerusalem" refer to the Christian church, expressed by the name of its Old Testament type. The simple sincere offerings of men of old, eg. Abel (GEN 4:4), Noah (GEN 8:20,2 1), pleased God.

v. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; an d I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me The Jews, who had mistakenly believed that the physical prosperity of the wicked was evidence of God's blessings, had said " Where is the God of judgment?" (2:17). God replies: "I will come near to you to judgment... and I will be a swift witness against...." Most sinners carefully cover their sins and think that no one saw them, but God says that He will come near and witness their sins. God's people who may consult His word are forbidden to consult Satan through sorcery (DEU 18:10-14). He hates adulterers, who deal treacherously with their wives (2:15). False swearers profane God's name by calling Him to be witness to their lies. Oppressors take advantage of hirelings (employees), widows, fatherless and strangers. To "turn aside the stranger from his right" is to "deny foreigners the right of the law." The root-cause of all these sins is because the Jews fear not God. Where there is no fear of God, no good is to be expected.

v.6 For I am the LORD, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed - Though the LORD is unchangeably holy and will judge sin, He is also unchangeably merciful and faithful to His covenant with the Jews, therefore, the sons of Jacob are not consumed.

v.7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? - The Jews had rebelled against God for a very long time (ie, "even from the days of your ' fathers "). Yet all that God required from them now was repentance (ie, "return unto me") and He would forgive them (ie, "I will return unto you"). Instead of gratefully accepting God's gracious offer, they shamelessly replied "Wherein shall we return?" (ie, "what is our sin?").

v.8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings - Would a man dare to rob a king, who is mightier than him? But the Jews robbed God who is infinitely more powerful than them, and on whom they depended for their lives and provisions! Jews were commanded, by the law, to give their tithes and offerings for the support of the Temple services and the priests (and their families).

v.9 Ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation - The Jews were heavily cursed (ie, "cursed with a curse") with a severe famine because they had robbed God. The "whole nation" was guilty of withholding their tithes and offerings. They had probably used the famine as a further excuse to withhold their tithes and offerings. Sinful men often do not respond to God's judgments by repentance and restitution but instead use His judgments against them as reasons for continuing in their sins.

v. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it -The storehouse was one or more large rooms built in the Temple complex to store all the tithes and offerings that were brought in. God challenges the Jews to prove Him - whether He would indeed pour out a blessing, if they obeyed Him by giving their tithes and offerings. This is one "experiment" that every Christian must try - and discover for himself. In GEN 7: 11 "when the windows of heaven were opened," it rained for forty days and forty nights. Israel is a fertile land with plenty of sunshine. The limiting factor is the supply of water. Therefore, when there is abundant water, Israel is blessed with an abundant harvest. With an abundant harvest, there would not be enough room in the storehouse to receive the tithes and offerings.

v. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the frults of the ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field - Agricultural pests devoured much of each crop and strong winds and cold frosts at night caused the vine to cast her fruit before the time. These cc natural" factors greatly affected the harvests. God promised to control these "natural" factors for their benefit if they first brought in their tithes and offerings (MAT 6:33). v. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed for ye shall be a delightsome land - If they obeyed God, His blessings would be so evident, that all the surrounding nations would notice and call Israel a "blessed' nation. It appeared that the Jews responded to this challenge (NEH 13:12) and were blessed. Today, in spite of the undisputed talent of the Jews, all nations call Israel a "problematic" nation of endless wars and sufferings.

v. 13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD, Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? - The Jews arrogantly voiced their dissatisfaction with God (ie, "stout against me"), yet they would not admit their sin. Men commonly deny what they said, or brush it aside as "no big deal."

v. 14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God. and what profit is it that we have kept h is ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? - The Jews openly professed that it was pointless to serve God by obeying his ordinances and walking outwardly in repentance and sobriety (ie, "walked mournfully') before Him. They saw natural calamities around them -and instead of repenting of their sins, they complained against God.

v. 15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered - The proud Jews who rebelled openly against God were prospering (ie, "are set up- and delivered) and were considered by many to be blessed (ie, "happy"). They did not understand God's patient but sure way of dealing with sin, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (ECC 8:11).

v. 16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name - When sin abounded and God's name was shamed, God raised up a faithful remnant who came together to encourage one another (ie, "spake often one to another") to be faithful. God heard every word of theirs, and noted it in a book of remembrance, Kings often kept records of great deeds done, so that they would not forget them (EST 6:1,2). Obviously, God does not need to keep notes to help Him to remember - but God expresses Himself in a way that frail men can understand.

v. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him - The faithful remnant appeared unrecognized and unrewarded by both God and men. However, God promised them that "in that day' when God decided to "draw the line," He would own them as His jewels (ie, special treasure). In the meanwhile, He would deal mercifully with them and spare them, when they sinned, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

v. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not - When God judges, then shall the Jews return to their senses, and acknowledge that God discerns between the righteous and the wicked, and between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.