Malachi 3
3
1Look! I am sending my messenger,#3:1. Malachi means “my messenger.” and he will prepare the way for me. The Lord you are seeking#3:1. In the light of the previous verses, the idea that God is being sought is surely ironic. will suddenly arrive at his Temple. The messenger of the agreement you say is so happy with you#3:1. “You say is so happy with you”: referring back to 2:17. is coming, says the Lord Almighty. 2Who can survive the day when he comes? Who can stand before him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing furnace that refines metal, or like the strong alkali that cleanses stains. 3He will sit down like a refiner who purifies silver; he will purify Levi's descendants and refine them like gold and silver so they can present pure offerings to the Lord. 4Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as they did in the old days, in the former years. 5I will come and put you on trial. I am ready to be a witness against those who:
practice witchcraft
commit adultery
tell lies
give false evidence
cheat employees
oppress widows and orphans
abuse foreigners
and do not respect me, says the Lord Almighty. 6For I am the Lord, I don't change, and you haven't stopped being descendants of Jacob.#3:6. There is debate over the meaning of this second part of the verse. It could be interpreted that it is because of God's unchanging nature that the descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. However, in context it seems more likely that God is saying “I haven't changed, and you haven't changed either—you are just like your forefather Jacob who was a deceiver too…” The word used can mean either “ended as in destroyed,” or simply “stopped.” 7From the time of your forefathers onward, you have turned away from my laws and not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.
But you ask, “How should we return?”#3:7. The sense seems to be that the people do not see any necessity to return, not recognizing they have done anything wrong.
8Should people defraud God? Yet you are defrauding me!#3:8. “Defraud”: this is closer to the original meaning than rob. It also continues the theme of the people being descendants of the deceiver Jacob, who defrauded his brother out of his birthright.
But you ask, “How have we defrauded you?”
In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse, for you and the whole nation are defrauding me. 10Bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there will be food in my Temple. Put me to the test in this, says the Lord Almighty, and I will open the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won't have enough room for it. 11I will prevent locusts#3:11. Literally, “the devourer.” from destroying your crops, and your vineyards will not fail to bear fruit, says the Lord Almighty. 12All nations will call you blessed because you live in such a wonderful land, says the Lord Almighty.
13You have said hard things about me, says the Lord.
But you say, “What have we said against you?” 14You have said, “What's the point of serving God? What benefit is there in keeping his commandments or going before the Lord Almighty with long faces?#3:14. “Long faces”: literally, “as mourners”—however it does not appear that the people were sincerely repentant. 15From now on we'll say that the proud are blessed. Evil people do well, and nothing happens when they dare God to punish them.”
16Then those who truly respected the Lord spoke to each other, and the Lord heard what they said. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence of those who respected the Lord and paid attention to him.#3:16. “Paid attention to him”: literally, “pondered his name.” 17They shall be mine, says the Lord Almighty, my prized possession on the day when I take action. I will treat them kindly, as a father treats an obedient son. 18Then you will once again be able to distinguish those who do right from those who do wrong, between those who serve him and those who don't.
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Malachi 3: FBV
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Malachi 3
3
1 # Cited Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27; [ch. 4:5; Luke 1:76] “Behold, I send #See ch. 2:7 my messenger, and #See Isa. 40:3 he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord #[ch. 2:17] whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and #[ch. 4:5]the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But #Joel 2:11 who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For #Isa. 4:4he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3He will sit #Isa. 1:25; Zech. 13:9 as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring #[ch. 1:7]offerings in righteousness to the Lord.#3:3 Or and they will belong to the Lord, bringers of an offering in righteousness 4#Ezek. 20:40Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
5“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be #ch. 2:14; Jer. 29:23 a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those #See Lev. 19:13 who oppress the hired worker in his wages, #See Deut. 24:17the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
Robbing God
6“For #Ps. 102:27; See Num. 23:19 I the Lord do not change; #Lam. 3:22therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7#Acts 7:51 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. #See Zech. 1:3 Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. #[ch. 1:2]But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. #[See ver. 7 above] But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ #[Neh. 13:10]In your tithes and contributions. 9#[ch. 2:2]You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10#[Prov. 3:9, 10] Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby #See 2 Cor. 9:6-8 put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open #See Gen. 7:11the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11I will rebuke #[Joel 1:4]the devourer#3:11 Probably a name for some crop-destroying pest or pests for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12Then #Zeph. 3:19 all nations will call you blessed, for you will be #[Isa. 62:4]a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
13 # [ch. 2:17] “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. #[ch. 1:2]But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14You have said, #[Zeph. 1:12] ‘It is vain to serve God. #[Job 21:15]What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15And now we call #[ch. 4:1] the arrogant blessed. #[ch. 4:1] Evildoers not only prosper but #[Ps. 95:9]they put God to the test and they escape.’”
The Book of Remembrance
16Then those who feared the Lord #[Deut. 6:6, 7] spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and #See Ex. 32:32a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, #[ch. 4:3; Acts 17:31] in the day when I make up #Ex. 19:5; 1 Pet. 2:9my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18Then once more you shall #[ch. 4:1]see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
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