Message About The Messenger

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Introduction/Background

Thank you , messenger. That’s what his name literally means messenger. Scholars are not sure if Malachi was a person’s name or a title for Ezra. Doesn’t make much difference though for a prophet is a prophet by any other name is still the same. So whether this was his name or a pseudonym makes no difference. He was a prophet with a prophets call.

He cam along after Jeremiah after the exiles have returned. The walls and the temple have been rebuilt. But the exiles that have come back don;t have the best attitude. The had lost their spiritual identity while in captivity. Ezra did his best so that the law was honored and followed. That YHWH was first and foremost in everyones life. But they just went through the motions. Their once proud country had become noting but and administrative area of the Persian empire. They had no King, the had an appointed governor. I thin the returned exiles were somewhat bitter. Things were not goin well, those that returned were not well like by those that were left behind. Remember, Nebu took the cream of Judaite society and left behind the poor. So when the upper crust returned, those left were use to minding their own matters. needles to say the didn’t get along. Plus there was a war between the Egyptians and the Persians that made things worse. The walls of Jerusalem were still further destroyed, presumably by the Egyptians and Persians, and everywhere conditions were bad. The exorbitant profits of the rich, together with the compulsory contributions to the Persians for the waging of their wars, caused many to sink into poverty, to mortgage their property, and to give their sons and daughters into slavery.

I said last week that they were struggling to understand why God had allowed this to happen. they lost their land. They didn't have a a King. Along comes Malachi getting on the people and the priests saying judgement is coming! Malachi the messenger has a message about the messenger. Let’s take a closer look at this.

Exegesis

Malachi writes that God is sending a messenger before he returns to the temple. Th people felt that God had abandoned them. In fact Ezekiel while in Babylon has in Chapter 10 has a vision of God leaving the temple. Here Malachi see the return, proceeded by a messenger that will call everyone to repentance and then restore their purity thorough fire and water!

The messenger will clear a path, a path through self interest, spiritual lethargy. and evil behavior. This is a restorative judgement. A restorative judgement that will produce a new covenant. The return of the Divine Presence to the temple reassure this. God’s return assures a new covenant era. Seen by Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

The people and the priests will be called to repentance and purification. they will be ready for God’s arrival. Matthew, mark, and Luke all saw this prophecy to relate to John the Baptist. Most scholars think as well that Malachi was drawing from

Isaiah 40:3–5 NRSV

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:3-

In fact, Malachi later on in this short book of 55 verses tells us that the messenger is Elijah! Who did Jesus say John the Baptist was?

Matthew 11:7–14 NRSV

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

So Malachi is the cliff hanger at the end of our Old testament. After a 400 year intermission John the Baptist appears in the dessert dressed in camel hair and eating weird food. Truly a prophet in th eline of Elijah.

Matthew 11:7–10 NRSV

Matthew 11:7-

This is why Malachi ends our New Testament. You finish and then start with Mark:

Mark 1:1–5 NRSV

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Mark 1:1-

The messenger arrives before the incarnation of God does. Offering a judgement of restoration, preparing the way, clearing the path. Listen to Luke:

Luke 3:1–16 NRSV

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luke 3:1-

Application

So what does that mean? We are between advents, Jesus will return. Who is calling for “restorative repentance”? restoration or redemption is exactly what Jesus came for. He said it himself he came not to judge

John 3:17 NRSV

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Salvation is restoration, redemption. Why is the church not proclaiming this message? We spend far too much time condemning as a church. (I mean the church in general terms. it is always the judgmental, the far out, the extreme that gets all the publicity. That’s OK, that sells newspapers. it may be the stereo type, but what we know is God starts with love not judgement. Jesus said so in 3:17. he came to save to restore not to condemn. here’s how the Message puts it:

John 3:17 The Message

God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

John 3:17–19 The Message

God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.

This is what we have to cry. The church now has to be the one crying in the wilderness making and clearing the paths for the Coming Lord.

John 3:17-19

Our time is not that much different. Too often the church is only for Sundays. Too many Christians have a split personality, One personality for Sunday and another for the rest of the week. You can’t have a split personality Malachi is all about this. Remember the 10 commandments are not just for Sunday. This is what John was saying in Luke when the crowd asked him “what should we do?”

Listen to John again:

Matthew 3:7–12 NRSV

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 3:7-

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Brothers and sisters, he di what we should be doing. He called us to repentance, we were restored. This week be the voice in the wilderness be the message about THE MESSENGER Jesus Christ.