The Messenger of the Covenant: Hope and Judgement

Introduction

Today we will conclude our journey through the book of Malachi. It has been a short journey. As you can imagine if we were to cover all that there is to cover in Malachi we would spend many hours per Sunday and many months uncovering all of it’s meaning.

What we do each Sunday is hopefully an appetizer so that you will be motivated to dig deeper into the Scriptures yourselves in your small groups and in your quiet times. Sometimes I do feel the frustration of wanting to go deeper and spend more time on a text but I have to be mindful of everyone’s time including children workers who are finished with there lessons while we have just started.

This is the reason for the survey that is going around concerning when it would be more feasible to have a proper corporate Bible study session where we stick with a book as long as it takes to cover it… meeting once a week for about an hour or so for as many weeks as it takes to finish.

Today we will conclude with a look at chapter 3 and peek of chapter 4 which is pretty much a single paragraph.

In chapter 3, God announces the coming of a messenger who will purify His people like silver and gold. This passage emphasizes God's desire for a faithful and purified community, reminding us that His refining process, though painful, ultimately leads to righteousness and restoration.

Malachi 3:1–5 LSB

1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a smelter’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 “And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness. 4 “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh as in the ancient days and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the sojourner and do not fear Me,” says Yahweh of hosts.

Messenger used twice within the first verse. (malʾāḵ), which means angel. We tent to think of heavenly beings as angels but neither in the Hebrew nor in the Greek does the word angel describe what a thing is ontologically. What it describes is what a thing does or is doing. (human being, driver, etc). Therefore, a mâl•āk can be any individual who is sent to someone for the purpose of conveying a message or carrying out an order.

The malʾāḵ does not report his own message; his function and message are dependent upon the will of the person who sends him. His significance derives not from who he is, but from who his superior is.

So the first (mâl•āk) in this passage that Yahweh is sending has a specific purpose.

Isaiah 40:3 LSB

3 A voice is calling, “Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

Notice whose way is being prepared and where. This is a parallel passage from that of Malachi.

John 1:22–23 LSB

22 Therefore, they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

The second malʾāḵ, messenger, angel is a different person than the first. My messenger is different from the messenger. This malʾāḵ, messenger, angel is the Lord Himself who had been quite active in Israel’s earlier history Identifying Himself as the Angel of the Lord (cf. Gen. 16:10; 22:15–18; Ex. 3:2; 33:14 with Isa. 63:9; and Judg 13:21-22).

Judges 13:21–22 LSB

21 Now the angel of Yahweh did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh. 22 So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.”

That second messenger or angel is the same person who who appeared in the midst of the burning bush.

The parallel phrases, the LORD you are seeking and whom you desire, reflect the general expectation of the Lord’s coming, as predicted by many other prophets.

Now these phrases also carry a note of sarcasm. That Israel’s hope was superficial was indicated by her question (Mal. 2:17) with the whole “where is the God of justice comment. However, though their hope was superficial, He will come.

But here is a Messianic promise that includes both his comings. It predicts his coming just after John the Baptist and His last one. which is the day of the Lord; a day of judgement on the whole world, a day of disaster and death.

The picture of God purifying by fire is one that has been used over and over again in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.

Here is where God answers the people’s reproach as we read last week concerning “where is the God of justice”. He says He will draw near swiftly. This word does not denote timing but the surprise of it all it will be sudden.

1 Thessalonians 5:2–3 LSB

2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman who is pregnant, and they will never escape.

And so Malachi speaks about this event but he narrows the scope to just Israel because this is his main concern. But do not overlook that God’s justice is global. In Mal 1:5 God admonished that He will be magnified beyond the territory of Israel.

So far, their blatant disrespect for God deserved the immediate wrath of God However God is as much mercy as he is justice.

Lamentations 3:22–23 NIV

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God is incapable of change, so He remains constant not just in his justice but also in his mercy

Malachi 3:6–7 LSB

6 “For I, Yahweh, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

Israel’s continuous existence was due only to the Lord’s unchanging character and his unswerving commitment to His covenant promise.

James 1:17 LSB

17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

His mercies never end and all they had to do is repent and wholeheartedly return to Him. Simple enough right?

Yet, apparently unwilling to admit the sins on their part needing repentance (also cf. v. 8b), the invitation to return is met with another cynical query, asking how they can return when, from their perspective, they haven’t left—God has. The truth was, God hasn’t changed and neither have they; He was as righteous as ever and they as unrighteous… No one had changed.

Malachi 3:8–12 LSB

8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and contributions. 9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and empty out for you a blessing until it is beyond enough. 11 “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you so that it will not corrupt the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field fail to bear,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “So all the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of hosts.

So in answering their apparent ignorance He tells them plainly you are robbing me. How are we robbing you? You are keeping for yourself that which I have required of you.

You have given me your leftovers and not brought forward the entirely and wholeness (healthy) portions that belong to me.

This was Israel’s taxes. They served not only for the operation of the temple and priests but they also helped feed the poor. They we robbing Him and themselves.

There is a lot happening at the time of this writing. The people of God had returned from their exile to Babylon but conditions where not good. There was famine and poverty everywhere. But rather than trusting God for provision, they decided to cut God. They forgot why they had been in exile in the first place.

When things are tight you don’t cut off your lifeline. You do not bite the hand that feeds you, the only hand that can feed you. They were in essence trying to save themselves.

Even worse, the animal sacrifices where for the atoning of their sins, it had to be perfect without blemish because it pointed to another reality.

1 Peter 1:18–19 LSB

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

What they were doing was unbelievably disrespectful, blasphemous, irreverent, desecrating, and self-sabotaging. They profited nothing by contending with God, but God opened a way for them to return into favour with Him. Deal faithfully with God and He will be bountiful wi them. The blessings would poor like a deluge. So that others will see and call you blessed. But look at their posture.

Malachi 3:13–15 LSB

13 “Your words have been strong against Me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 “You have said, ‘It is worthless to serve God; and what gain is it that we have kept His charge and that we have walked in mourning before Yahweh of hosts? 15 ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and escape.’”

Again the people of God accuse God of injustice and they see it as worthless to to serve him.

So lets recap. These sinful priest and people had not just questionned God (2:17), violated God’s covenant (2:11), disobeyed His laws (2:9), defiled His altar (1:7, 12), and despised His name (1:6), but they have openly spoken against Him. In spite of what was promised (10-12), the people complained that obedience to God brought no reward and only the wicked and proud prospered they said.

According to them, God was at fault, they were living righteously and God was not fulfilling His part of the covenant. Their sin was so vast they could not see it. Heart condition so corroded that they were blinded to their unrighteousness

Their hearts were not right and that lead to disobedience. Then in their attempt to appease God they constructed a type of myopic legalism. This legalism concentrated on performing certain rigorous activities and not doing other things as the means of vindicating themselves before God. But this actually stifled the full expression of inner righteousness required by God as Jesus discussed in Matthew when He told them that their righteousness had to surpass that of the pharisees or they will be lost. Thus their works would not be accepted as proper covenant obedience.

God requires external obedience, but it must stem from the heart, and this obedience is not to vindicate one’s own righteousness but to manifest God’s righteousness. But how can sinful man change his own heart? How will he even want to when he is so blind to his own condition. How can unrighteousness bring forth righteousness… it cannot.

Romans 3:21–26 NIV

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Demonstrates that He is just and he Himself makes you just. He is righteous and He makes you righteous because obviously we are powerless to produce any kind of righteousness because:

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CONSISTENTLY ACT IN A WAY THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH WHO YOU ARE AND HOW YOU THINK

Philippians 2:13 LSB

13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

This is the only way God could keep his promise to save, and keep his promise for justice. If only the righteous can live then God would have had to come up with a way to make us righteous because all of the time and punishment in the world was not going to change our sinful nature.

Malachi 3:16–18 LSB

16 Then those who feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh gave heed and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Yahweh and who think upon His name. 17 “And they will be Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Their fear of God exemplifies the response which God desired from this oracle. The scroll of remembrance means that a permanent remembrance of their faithful and reverent response is kept in heaven. This provides assurance that when God deals with these individuals He will not forget them.

That day is coming. That day will be both a day of hope and a day of justice depending on where you stand. And your standing is made by the Lord.

John 15:16 LSB

16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would abide, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

John 18:9 LSB

9 in order that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled, “Of those whom You have given Me, I lost not one.”

God has sent Jesus as his messenger to reveal God’s great salvation for his people once and for all. We must trust in Jesus to save us from our guilt and to purify us from our sin.