31 " Behold , I am going to send My messenger , and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord , whom you seek , will suddenly come to His temple ; and the messenger of the covenant , in whom you delight , behold , 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 is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap . 3 "He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver , and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver , so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness . 4 "Then 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 ; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely , and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages , the widow and the orphan , and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the Lord of hosts .
6 "For I, the Lord , do not change ; therefore you, O sons of Jacob , are not consumed .
7 "From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of hosts . "But you say , 'How shall we return ?' 8 "Will a man rob God ? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say , 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings . 9 "You are cursed with a curse , for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 " Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse , so that there may be food in My house , and test Me now in this ," says the Lord of hosts , "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows e . 11 "Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground ; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes," says the Lord of hosts . 12 " All the nations will call you blessed , for you shall be a delightful land ," says the Lord of hosts .
13 "Your words have been arrogant against Me," says the Lord . "Yet you say , 'What have we spoken against You?' 14 "You have said , 'It is vain to serve God ; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge , and that we have walked in mourning before e the Lord of hosts ? 15 'So now we call the arrogant blessed ; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape .' " 16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another , and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name . 17 "They will be Mine," says the Lord of hosts , "on the day that I prepare My own 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 one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Malachi 3:1-24
Commentary on Malachi 3:1-6
(Read Malachi 3:1-6)
The first words of this chapter seem 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 shall prepare the way before him, by calling men to repentance. The Messiah had been long called, "He that should come," and now shortly he will come. He is the Messenger of the covenant. Those who seek Jesus, shall find pleasure in him, often when not looked for. The Lord Jesus, prepares the sinner's heart to be his temple, by 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 men, to separate between the precious and the vile. He shall sit as a Refiner. Christ, by his gospel, shall purify and reform his church, and by his Spirit working with it, shall regenerate and cleanse souls. He will take away the dross found in them. He will separate their corruptions, which render their faculties worthless and useless. The believer needs not fear the fiery trial of afflictions and temptations, by which the Saviour refines his gold. He will take care it is not more intense or longer than is needful for his good; and this trial will end far otherwise than that of the wicked. Christ will, by interceding for them, make them accepted. Where no fear of God is, no good is to be expected. Evil pursues sinners. God is unchangeable. And though the sentence against evil works be 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 have to do with a God that changes not, therefore it is that we are not consumed; because his compassions fail not.
Commentary on Malachi 3:7-12
(Read Malachi 3:7-12)
The men of that generation turned away from God, they had not kept his ordinances. God gives them a gracious call. But they said, Wherein shall we return? God notices what returns 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 part between them and 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 have not room to receive them. He who makes trial will find nothing is lost by honouring the Lord with his substance.
Commentary on Malachi 3:13-18
(Read Malachi 3:13-18)
Among the Jews at this time, some plainly discovered 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 of things as they will appear when the doom of these proud sinners comes to be executed. Those that feared the Lord, spake kindly, for preserving and promoting mutual love, when sin thus abounded. They spake one to another, in the language of those that 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 perish not with those that believe not. 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 own God for theirs, he will then own for 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 stand in need of sparing mercy. All are righteous or wicked, such as serve God, or such as serve him not: all are going to heaven or to hell. We are often deceived in our opinions concerning both the one and the other; but at the bar of Christ, every man's character will be known. As to ourselves, we have need to think among which we shall have our lot; and, as to others, we must judge nothing before the time. But in the end all the world will confess that those alone were wise and happy, who served the Lord and trusted in Him.