Malachichapter 3

A.The messenger comes suddenly, like a refiner's firevv. 1-6

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. 2 But 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. 3 And 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. 4 Then 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. 6 “Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.

B.Will a man rob God? Bring the whole tithevv. 7-12

7 Yet 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?’ 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me. 10 Bring 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. 11 I 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.

C.Your words have been stout, and a book of remembrance is writtenvv. 13-18

13 “Your words against Me have been harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts? 15 So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’” 16 At 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. 18 So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

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Chapter summary

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'Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple' (3:1): the verse Mark opens his Gospel with, applied to John the Baptist. But the coming is not comfortable: 'who can abide the day of his coming? … he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap,' sitting to purify the sons of Levi, a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, and those who oppress the hireling and the widow. 'For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.' Then the tithe dispute ('Will a man rob God?') and the one invitation to test him: 'prove me now herewith' (3:10).

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

Prophecy · Malachi — Malachi overview

A. 1–6 The messenger comes suddenly, like a refiner's fire
B. 7–12 Will a man rob God? Bring the whole tithe
C. 13–18 Your words have been stout, and a book of remembrance is written

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Malachi 42 verses
- Malachi 4:2“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
- Malachi 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
- Read Malachi 4 →
Hebrews 132 verses
- Hebrews 13:4Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
- Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
- Read Hebrews 13 →
Zechariah 131 verse
- Zechariah 13:9This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”
- Read Zechariah 13 →
Proverbs 31 verse
- Proverbs 3:9Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;
- Read Proverbs 3 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Luke 11 verse
- Luke 1:76And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
- Read Luke 1 →
Mark 11 verse
- Mark 1:2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”
- Read Mark 1 →
1 Corinthians 31 verse
- 1 Corinthians 3:13his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.
- Read 1 Corinthians 3 →
Isaiah 41 verse
- Isaiah 4:4when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
- Read Isaiah 4 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.