Advent Sunday #1: Behold My Messenger!

I. Context of the Prophecy of Malachi

The Jews had come out of a 70 year exile under the Babylonian and Persian/Mede empires.

The king of Persia, Cyrus, allowed the exiles to return home to Judah in 538 B.C.

Despite opposition from their non-Jewish neighbors, and with the encouragement and prophetic voices of Haggai and Zechariah, the Jews rebuilt the temple about 516 B.C. and restored their worship.

God’s people had grown cold to the message of these prophets; falling back into sinfulness by having corrupted the Levitical priesthood, giving polluted offerings, having widespread divorces and marital unfaithfulness, and having ignored social justice, God sent Malachi to warn His people.

Malachi is the last book of the Protestant Bible. It marks the start of at least a 400 year period between the Old and New Testaments, call the Intertestamental Period, in which prophecy generally ceased from Israel!

II. The messenger of preparation (v. 1a)

A. The Hebrew word here for “messenger” is used of several people in the Old Testament:

any person sent with a message

prophets

priests

angels

the Theophanic Angel

B. The identify of the first messenger?

Mark 1:2–3 ESV

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ”

Luke 1:76 ESV

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

Luke 7:27–28 ESV

27 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ 28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

C. The job of the first messenger was to prepare the way of the Lord!

Malachi 4:5–6 ESV

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

John 1:26–27 ESV

26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

John 1:29–34 ESV

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

III. The identity of the second Messenger

He is the Lord whom you seek (see Mal 2:17).

He is the one who will suddenly come to His temple.

He is the Messenger of the covenant.

The LORD of hosts says so.

IV. The effects of the messenger’s appearance

Who can endure His day?

Who can stand when He appears?

He is like a refiner’s fire.

He is like fullers’ soap.

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver

He will purify the sons of Levi.

He will refine them like gold and silver

He will cause them to bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.

V. The LORD will draw near in judgment against those who do not fear Him.