Malachi 3:1-7
Prior to the arrival of the ancient king's royal procession, a messenger was sent ahead to prepare the way. He announced the coming of the king, chose the route the king would take and filled the potholes in the road as well as remove any obstacles. Everyone in that day would understand the idea of the forerunner. We know this was John the Baptist who came and prepared the way for Jesus. Notice it says that this forerunner will prepare the way before 'Me"; God Himself was coming (See Isaiah 40:3-5).
Malachi prophesies that the very Lord they seek would come abruptly to His temple. This was seen and anticipated by many prophets (Is 66:6; Ez 46:12; Hag 2:9; Zech 6:12). They longed for this day because they saw it as a day of salvation for them and judgment for their enemies. They wrongly thought they were free from any judgment. Where does an idea like that come from? (Did God really say…..? Genesis 3:1).
Malachi had to have altered their view of this coming. What mere man could endure such a thing? They knew no man had seen God and lived. How would they stand before Him when He appears?
"If any of you, my hearers, are seeking the Lord at this time, I want you to understand what it means: you are seeking a fire which will test you, and consume much which has been dear to you. We are not to expect Christ to come and save us in our sins, he will come and save us from our sins; therefore, if you are enabled by faith to take Christ as a Savior, remember that you take him as the purger and the purifier, for it is from sin that he saves us." (Spurgeon)
The fire or the soap both convey the idea of separating that which has no value from that which does. Therefore, we must be assured we are seen as valued!! The sons of Levi would have thought they were purified and ready to meet the Lord. They wore their priestly garments and did their priestly activity. However, Malachi documented they had a heart problem. The messiah would deal with them. When His work was complete, they could make their offering in righteousness. When He was done, the offering wouldn't be for sin, it would be an offering of praise and worship.
The Lord was coming to restore worship; the offering would be pleasant as it had been formerly. The Lord was coming, their desire for justice would be met. The Lord would come, give testimony against the unrighteous and then bring judgment. Those who clearly offend:
- Sorcerers; a person using magic or dabbling in evil spirits.
- Adulterers; the unfaithful
- Perjurers; those who broke covenant; who were unfaithful
- Swindlers who cheated widows and orphans because they could get away with it.
- Isolationists; who turned away aliens, even though they had rights given to them by God.
By their actions, each of these show that they have no fear of the Lord. Because they don't, judgment was coming swiftly and decisively. This is what they wanted, right?
Malachi's audience may have been waffling a little by now. They certainly wouldn't come right out and confess to fitting under any of these labels of those who didn't fear the Lord. Yet, Malachi had already called out the unfaithful who broke covenant as well as the adulterers. These were the folks that were leading Israel astray; and Malachi probably hit every person listening to the point they may not have been quite as excited about judgment.
The Lord then provides them a lesson in the big picture. God is unchanging. Their election was sure and unchanging. The covenant He made was unchanging. If it were possible for God to change, He would be perfectly just and right to consume us all in the fire of judgment.
They had had in fact left Him, He did not leave them. God calls for them to return to Him; this is stopping and turning around. When they do, it will be as if He returned to them. This marks the 5th dispute.
- Yet their response is, "In what way shall we return?"
They were completely unaware of being turned away from God. This means their back was to God, they had left Him and were moving away. Yet, they didn't know and, in fact, thought themselves to be very godly, pious and devout.
Malachi 3:8-12
The sixth dispute pertains to their tithes and offerings. God declared that He had been robbed by them.
- The response is "In what way have we robbed You?"
They want to know how they robbed Him. Surely, they think, God is mistaken. After all, they believe themselves to be very godly, pious and devout. And how can a man rob God anyway? One would like to believe they asked so they might correct it. However, that's not the case. Their question is like the others. They didn't see it that way. It again shows how far from Him they had grown.
How is God robbed? Why would anyone rob God. There are a few reasons it's not a good idea:
- It is a brave soul that would endeavor to pull of such a robbery.
- It's also a shameful and shows a tremendous ingratitude.
- There is no possible good outcome. Does anyone think they can hide it from Him?
- Punishment is inevitable.
Can we agree this won't be successful? Is it fair to say this is downright ridiculous?
The Lord gives them the answer; it is by their tithes and offerings. They had been instructed on what was expected. They were to bring a tenth of the produce, the grain of their fields and livestock. In addition, the offering was a freewill offering; given for special purposes and as an act of thanks and worship. Their failure to give brought a curse on them.
There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty. (Prov 11:24)
God set up the economy of his people so that these tithes and offerings provided for the Levites, the priests, the orphans, widows and other needy. Not only were they robbing God, but they were robbing the nation, oppressing those already afflicted.
The Lord commanded them to bring 'all' the tithes to the storehouse. This probably indicates they were giving, they just weren't giving obediently. Our willingness to give reveals our heart. God will be stingy in blessing anyone who is a stingy giver. When we divide that offering and keep what should be given, we essentially have decided we know better than God what to do with that money. We join these people in their rebellion who believe God is mistaken.
It's worth noting that the command is the same no matter what income level, age, education or place in society. Greed and the love of money is just as prevalent in the poor as to the rich. It has nothing to do with how much you have or don't have. It has everything to do with revealing your obedience and reverence.
The tithe was to be brought in. It was a representative amount. The first tenth of the grain was brought in. It represented the entirety of the harvest. In bringing the tithe, a statement was made, "God, the harvest is all yours." We give a tenth of what's His and He lets us keep the ninety percent. This is quite a deal and would be seen that way if someone gave us a pile of money and would let us keep it if we simply gave them ten percent back. However, when we get that money via a paycheck, we look at it as if it were ours and hint that God should get his own!
God makes a rare offer to test His precept on giving. If we bring all the tithe in, He promises to open the windows of heaven for you. This window might be as simple as providing rain for their crops. But it can be so much more; it's God protection and guidance. It's abundance and blessing from any direction. The Lord has resources we know nothing about. There won't be room for it.
So, why would they withhold the tithe? Why would they rob God? How would they think it would be more successful than having the windows of heaven opened? For these people, the choice seemed to be:
- Rob God
- Tithe and get blessed like crazy
That doesn't seem to be too hard of a decision. They didn't tithe because their faith was weak. They didn't believe God was good to that promise. They saw their needs and desire to be more important that God's command.
While the tithe was a command for those people at that time, God is still the same unchanging God. As a child of God what do you do? Rob God or receive abundant blessings. Giving is to be:
- Regular – every week, month, paycheck, harvest etc
- Given freely – not in a legalistic way; not grudgingly
- Planned – the first part, not what's left
- Cheerful – making it part of worship; God its all yours and I get to keep the bigger part of it.
- Proportional, in other places we called to be generous – a part of what is entrusted to you (remember it's His)
- Private – when attention is drawn to your giving, that moment of pride is probably the only thing close to a blessing you'll get.
To many, the question is, "How little can I give?" The evidence of the early church was, "How little can I get by on so I can give more?" What a contrast these two concepts are and they have nothing to do with money and everything to do with attitude.
Malachi 3:13-15
The next (7th) dispute has to do with words, but mostly the tone of the words and the way they were said to the Lord. The Lord said they were harsh. This means 'intense' and we might get a hint they were disrespectful and irreverent. The response of the people proves the statement:
- "What have we spoken against You?"
Once again, they disagree with God. As far as they knew they weren't harsh, and they trusted their judgment more than the Lord's.
The Lord gave them an example. They said:
- "It was useless to serve God"
- Why keep His ordinances?
- Why bow in humility? (walk as mourners)
They decided to call the proud blessed, to hold the wicked in esteem and tempt God. This is quite a contrast to God's invitation to test Him so He might bless them abundantly. They decided to test Him in how much wickedness He would allow. It's the same word translated "try me" in verse eight as "tempt God" in verse fifteen.
Malachi 3:16-18
The disputes are over. God presented them with seven statements, all of which they disputed and disagreed with. He then gave them the irrefutable truth of why He stated these things. Those who feared the Lord could know that God listened to them and heard. And He won't forget, they are written of in the book of remembrance; this is a human way of understanding our omniscient God.
It was a dark time for the people of Malachi's day. All around them was corruption and mediocrity. The oppressed seemed to have no voice. The wicked seemed to be doing fine while the righteous were often found suffering. These folks needed to know that if everyone around them turned from the Lord and withered in their faith, they could remain a jewel in the eyes of God. Even when they didn't feel that way, they remained a precious and valuable jewel to God. David Guzik put it this way:
Yet their feeling didn't change the fact, and they needed to let God's fact be greater than their feeling.
In a world steeped in sin, witnessed in a love grown cold, corruption and spiritual mediocrity, this the greatest news a child of God can hear. We are possessed by Him. We are in His grip, we haven't slipped away, nor will we ever. While this world is difficult, we can know and experience our salvation today. Yet, this salvation assurance is just a hint of what is to come. Because of what they see with their eyes and feel emotionally many lose sight of this truth and whither in their faith. We must take heed, allow Him to guard our hearts and minds with His promises. While we walk in this world, we can be hidden in Him.
On this great and coming day, God's jewels could know that he will spare them as a man spares his own son. Those who returned to Him and put their faith and trust in Him walked in obedience and righteousness. They would once again be able to discern between right and wrong. They wouldn't have to ask 'how' to God's disputes. When they were obedient, there would not be disputes but relationship.
We can be a jewel of God today. We can know He will spare us from His wrath on that coming day. God can do this because His own Son already paid for our sin; He took our sin and gave us His righteousness. God sees our righteousness like that of a son (the Son) and knows our sins are paid for. This is available to all who trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Their eyes will be opened; they will see & hear and discern righteousness.
Malachi 4:1-6
It was a day of decision for these folks. They were so used to living in corruption and mediocrity that they could no longer discern right from wrong. The Lord brought disputes and they were so far away, they argued with Him. They had a kind offer to return to Him; to turn back from sin and run to Him.
There is a day coming when justice won't be questioned. The standard for this judgment is the Lord's standard, not that of men. We won't get an appeal and we won't have any hope of convincing God of our goodness. Righteousness is only available in One Way. Every day that the Lord withholds His wrath and just judgment is a day of mercy; a kind offering to return to Him. The delay isn't God's approval of corruption and mediocrity, it's his long-suffering in hopes that all men might repent and return to Him.
Those who trust in the Lord have these promises (and more):
- The Sun of righteousness will arise. The glory of the Lord will shine; His light is the Sun of righteousness. This Sun of righteousness may also be a messianic title; for He is the Son of Righteousness.
- The Sun (Son) will bring healing in His wings. Deep in every person is the desire for a final heeling, a day when then weariness of sickness, disease, oppression and more will all be washed away.
- You shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves; the calf is set free into the Sun of righteousness to enjoy, no longer confined to the stall. It's a picture of joy and health and freedom.
- The calf jumping about and running in the freedom of the pasture is also trampling the wicked. The ashes shall be under foot, left from the fires of judgment.
The people were shown their heart, the disputes revealed what they had grown too callous to see. They were told to return and given this second command to remember the law of Moses. They needed to return to their heritage. Then Malachi offers this reminder and marker of the future to come. It was an event on the horizon that shouldn't be forgotten; The Day of the Lord is coming. Elijah would come before that day and he would turn the hearts of the people.
Knowing these promises come from an unchanging God, the disputes should end. Knowing that in His kindness He calls for them to return to Him, they should return. Knowing that a day of Judgment is coming should instill an urgency that moved them on that day. They had all they needed to make it through the silent years as they waited for their messiah.
©2018 Doug Ford
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