I Will Send My Messenger
(Matthew 11:7–19; Luke 7:24–35)
1“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me.† Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.
2But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
3And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.
4Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.
5“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Robbing God
Malachi’s fifth message echoes the first (1:2–5) by...
Malachi’s fifth message echoes the first (1:2–5) by emphasizing God’s faithfulness to his promises. He calls Israel to a similar faithfulness in worship, especially in giving their tithes and offerings. If Malachi is a courtroom drama, the fifth message is the judge’s verdict. The real message is repentance—God wants honest and sincere worship from his people, of which tithing is a symbol.
6“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. 7Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’
Malachi appeals to Judah for a comprehensive renewal...
- Malachi appeals to Judah for a comprehensive renewal of their practice of giving to the Lord.
- Tithes, a tenth of the produce of the land, were required offerings (see Deut 12:6, 11, 17). Offerings were additional gifts or contributions made to the Lord or his sanctuary that included produce, material goods (such as construction materials or garments), or personal valuables (such as gold, silver, or precious stones).
- Judah’s recent experience resulted from God’s curse (see Deut 28:20, 27). Malachi thus urgently called the community to repent, turn to the Lord, and do what the covenant required.
8Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’
In tithes and offerings. 9You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me. 10Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.† 11I will rebuke the devourer† for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land, and the vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of Hosts.
12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of Hosts.
The Book of Remembrance
Malachi’s final message contains two distinct but related...
Malachi’s final message contains two distinct but related speeches, the first emphasizing service to the Lord (3:13–18) and the second contrasting the fate of the wicked with that of the righteous (4:1–3). Each speech concludes with the messenger formula (see study note on 1:8). The prophet revisits themes from the fourth message (3:1–5) as he reiterates God’s desire for honesty and faithfulness in worship in view of coming judgment on the day of the Lord. If Malachi is a courtroom drama, this last disputation is the sentencing. While wickedness seems to triumph over righteousness and God seems delinquent in judging sin in the community, the coming day of the Lord will vindicate God’s justice as the wicked are separated from the righteous by the fire of God’s judgment.
13“Your words against Me have been harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against You?’
14You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts? 15So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”
The prophet here serves as a recorder, reporting...
The prophet here serves as a recorder, reporting the audience’s reaction to his final message and God’s response to the discussion among those who feared the Lord. Although God listened to their deliberations (see 3:16), there is no evidence that Malachi’s message effected any real change in the majority of his listeners.
16At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
17“They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. 18So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”