Matthew Henry Commentary Malachi 3
Matthew Henry Commentary
Malachi 3
Matthew Henry Commentary
Malachi 3
"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; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts. But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner`s fire, and like fuller`s soap: and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts. For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." — Malachi 3:1-6 (ASV)
The first words of this chapter seem to be an answer to the scoffers of those days. Here is a prophecy of the appearing of John the Baptist. He is Christ's harbinger. He will prepare the way before him, by calling people to repentance. The Messiah had long been called, “He that should come,” and now he will soon come. He is the Messenger of the covenant.
Those who seek Jesus will find pleasure in him, often when not expected. The Lord Jesus prepares the sinner's heart to be his temple through the ministry of his word and the convictions of his Spirit, and he enters it as the Messenger of peace and consolation. No hypocrite or formalist can endure his doctrine or stand before his tribunal. Christ came to distinguish people, to separate between the precious and the vile.
He will sit as a Refiner. Christ, by his gospel, will purify and reform his church, and by his Spirit working with it, will regenerate and cleanse souls. He will take away the dross found in them. He will separate their corruptions, which make their inner powers worthless and useless. The believer need not fear the fiery trial of afflictions and temptations, by which the Savior refines his gold.
He will take care that it is not more intense or longer than is necessary for his good; and this trial will end very differently from that of the wicked. Christ, by interceding for them, will make them accepted. Where there is no fear of God, no good is to be expected. Evil pursues sinners.
God is unchangeable. And though the sentence against evil works is not executed speedily, yet it will be executed; the Lord is as much an enemy to sin as ever. We may all apply this to ourselves. Because we deal with a God who does not change, therefore we are not consumed, because his compassions do not fail.
"From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with the curse; for ye rob me, even this whole nation. Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough [to receive it]. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts. And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith Jehovah of hosts." — Malachi 3:7-12 (ASV)
The men of that generation turned away from God. They had not kept his ordinances. God gives them a gracious call. But they said, How shall we return?
God notices what responses our hearts make to the calls of his word. It shows great perverseness in sin when men make afflictions excuses for sin, which are sent to separate them from their sins.
Here is an earnest exhortation to reform. God must be served in the first place; and the interest of our souls ought to be preferred before that of our bodies.
Let them trust God to provide for their comfort. God has blessings ready for us, but through the weakness of our faith and the narrowness of our desires, we do not have room to receive them. He who puts it to the test will find nothing is lost by honouring the Lord with his substance.
"Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, What have we spoken against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Jehovah of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and escape. Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, [even] mine own possession, in the day that I make; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." — Malachi 3:13-18 (ASV)
Among the Jews at this time, some plainly revealed themselves to be children of the wicked one. The yoke of Christ is easy. But those who work wickedness tempt God by presumptuous sins. Judge things as they will appear when the doom of these proud sinners is executed. Those who feared the Lord spoke kindly, to preserve and promote mutual love, when sin so abounded.
They spoke to one another in the language of those who fear the Lord and think on His name. As evil communications corrupt good minds and manners, so good communications confirm them. A book of remembrance was written before God. He will take care that His children do not perish with those who do not believe. They shall be vessels of mercy and honour, when the rest are made vessels of wrath and dishonour.
The saints are God's jewels; they are dear to Him. He will preserve them as His jewels, when the earth is burned up like dross. Those who now acknowledge God as theirs, He will then acknowledge as His. It is our duty to serve God with the disposition of children; and He will not have His children trained up in idleness; they must do Him service from a principle of love. Even God's children are in need of sparing mercy.
All are righteous or wicked (namely, those who serve God, or those who do not serve Him): all are going to heaven or to hell. We are often deceived in our opinions concerning both these groups; but at the judgment seat of Christ, every person's character will be known. As for ourselves, we need to consider where our lot will be cast; and, regarding others, we must judge nothing before the time. But in the end, all the world will confess that only those who served the Lord and trusted in Him were wise and happy.
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