3 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
God will send a messenger, but who is this messenger. Remember, we are at the close of the Old Testament. There will be a 400 year-long silence until Christ’s birth. So this verse refers to a future messenger, one that will proceed who? Me. God. The messenger who proceeds God is John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2 and Luke 7:27).
Isaiah 40:3-5 echoes the same prophecy:
3
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
In ancient times, a messenger would be sent ahead of any soon-to-be approaching king, to not only announce his arrival but to remove any obstacles to his approach. This shows us that Malachi, Isaiah and the writers of the New Testament Gospels all referred to Jesus as the coming king.
The Jewish people were expecting a Messiah, due to their interpretation of scripture, so they were “desiring” that the Messiah came. Although they had the timing right, they mistook what the Messiah would actually bring. They were looking for a militant who would kick the Roman empire out of Jerusalem and reinstate Israel’s sovereign borders. They were all about the procurement of material possessions, so much so they missed what truly God desired: to affect their hearts.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.
This part of the prophecy is an example of far and near fulfillment, which is a device used in scripture in regards to prophecy that fulfills a dual purpose: one is for the current situation, and the second is for a distant situation. In this case, we are talking about the coming Messiah (Jesus) who is coming to both judge (refiner’s fire) and purify (launderer’s soap). During Christ’s initial mission, we don’t see the purification of the Levites. But what we do see is the ability for the Levites to become purified through Christ. The further fulfillment will happen at the end of the age, during Christ’s second coming (Revelation 19). The idea is this: that during that final judgment and purification, it will restore proper sacrifice that is acceptable to the Lord.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
This judgment is swift and it is final. His target are those in continued disobedience. What does he call out:
Sorcerers: People who use powers of darkness (spells, divination, communicating with the dead). This is strictly in the bible (2 Chronicles 33:6).
Adulterers: People who defile the covenant of marriage. These are people who are defined by their actions, not those who commit it, repent and move toward Christ.
Swear Falsely: Those who are liars and have little conviction. These are people who serve their own interests at any cost.
Oppress the hired worker in his wages: These are people who take advantage of others.
Oppression of widows and the fatherless: These are people who take advantage of the poorest and most in need. Widows in ancient culture were left to die without resources. Orphans were also left to fend for themselves. James 1:26 makes it clear that true religion (not the hypocritical religion of those posing as religious) is shown in two ways: taking care of those in the deepest need (widows and Orphans) and remaining pure in a corrupt world.
Thrust aside the sojourner: These are people who deny the rights of foreigners living among them. The mistreatment of those in out midst is not something God values.
Those who don’t fear me: It doesn’t mean fear in the scary sense, but it means reverence. Those who don’t revere God for all He has done and continues to do means that person carries an ambivalence that forces God away and elevates the person.
6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children 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 man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
The next dispute is about robbery. It begins with God reminding the Jewish priests of a simple fact: He doesn’t change. So who’s changed? Obviously, the change has come gradually in each generation over time, causing a slow drip of disobedience that trickles down to the people.
But in this disobedience there is hope. God’s full blessing will return to the Israelites if they return to Him. This is repentance, a complete abandonment of sin and disobedience and a movement toward God and holiness.
The question asked is How shall we return? Now if this is genuine, it means something. Part of the issue with the priests of this time is that they don’t necessarily understand how they have drifted. But is there a sincerity in the question?
The answer is probably not one they want to hear: Stop robbing me. The priestly class don’t understand that they are robbing God. How have we robbed you? They have not tithed properly, not contributed according to the specifications of the Mosaic Law. They have forgotten God’s instructions and done it their own way, again abandoning God’s word.
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer 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. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Verse 10 is often taken out of context to promote the idea that tithing is something to test God on. Although tithing is a good thing, it is a requirement of the Mosaic Law and, although spoken in a positive light in the New Testament (Luke 11:42), it is never spelled out as a requirement. New Testament guidance is that it be done with a giving heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). The New Testament actually shows us that generosity is treasured by God and our generosity should flow into the giving nature He has planted in us.
This is an important distinction because God will take care of our every need when we put him first (Matthew 11:33), and that’s the primary message God is challenging the corrupt priests with. Remember, when we read scripture, we must read in context, and that not every verse in scripture is for all Christians for all time. This particular verse is meant for the corrupted priests and to challenge them into testing God, which isn’t a normative concept in scripture.
The tithing is also important to understand in the historical context. Tithing (ten percent) was a Mosaic practice put in place to support the temple and the Levites who managed the temple. So when tithing wasn’t being practiced, the Levites had to look for other sources of income, primarily farming, to support their lives.
When we look at this in context, it makes much more sense than ripping a verse out and applying it. This is a direct challenge to the people of Israel to test God. This is abut putting God first, above all else. Remember, they were guilty of bringing faulty sacrifices, of not following the law, of not even understanding that God was with them. This is a call to repent and there will be blessing (James 4:8).
13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”
It is vain to serve God. “What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?” This is what the people of God were saying about God. They were asking what the benefits of following God were. When we drop out of an eternal mindset and into a temporal one, we forget that there is a spiritual realm that does not go away. One day we will be there, standing before God, accounting our life.
The leadership and followers in Jerusalem had fallen so far that they didn’t understand they were speaking openly about defying God. Perhaps they noticed the wicked succeeding while the righteous suffered. Looking at it from a temporal view will bring one to a uselessness in following God. Also, when they speak about mourning, that directly parallels humility. What is the point of being humble? This was the conduct that separated them from God.
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a 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, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Even though the entire book has dealt with Israel as a whole, we see also there is a remnant in Jerusalem that are still fearing (in reverence to) the Lord. They came together and encouraged each other. God keeps His promises to those who obey, and their names are written in the book, they are regarded as a treasured possession. There is a giant distinction between those who are disobedient and those who are not.
God will send a messenger, but who is this messenger. Remember, we are at the close of the Old Testament. There will be a 400 year-long silence until Christ’s birth. So this verse refers to a future messenger, one that will proceed who? Me. God. The messenger who proceeds God is John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2 and Luke 7:27).
Isaiah 40:3-5 echoes the same prophecy:
3
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
In ancient times, a messenger would be sent ahead of any soon-to-be approaching king, to not only announce his arrival but to remove any obstacles to his approach. This shows us that Malachi, Isaiah and the writers of the New Testament Gospels all referred to Jesus as the coming king.
The Jewish people were expecting a Messiah, due to their interpretation of scripture, so they were “desiring” that the Messiah came. Although they had the timing right, they mistook what the Messiah would actually bring. They were looking for a militant who would kick the Roman empire out of Jerusalem and reinstate Israel’s sovereign borders. They were all about the procurement of material possessions, so much so they missed what truly God desired: to affect their hearts.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.
This part of the prophecy is an example of far and near fulfillment, which is a device used in scripture in regards to prophecy that fulfills a dual purpose: one is for the current situation, and the second is for a distant situation. In this case, we are talking about the coming Messiah (Jesus) who is coming to both judge (refiner’s fire) and purify (launderer’s soap). During Christ’s initial mission, we don’t see the purification of the Levites. But what we do see is the ability for the Levites to become purified through Christ. The further fulfillment will happen at the end of the age, during Christ’s second coming (Revelation 19). The idea is this: that during that final judgment and purification, it will restore proper sacrifice that is acceptable to the Lord.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
This judgment is swift and it is final. His target are those in continued disobedience. What does he call out:
Sorcerers: People who use powers of darkness (spells, divination, communicating with the dead). This is strictly in the bible (2 Chronicles 33:6).
Adulterers: People who defile the covenant of marriage. These are people who are defined by their actions, not those who commit it, repent and move toward Christ.
Swear Falsely: Those who are liars and have little conviction. These are people who serve their own interests at any cost.
Oppress the hired worker in his wages: These are people who take advantage of others.
Oppression of widows and the fatherless: These are people who take advantage of the poorest and most in need. Widows in ancient culture were left to die without resources. Orphans were also left to fend for themselves. James 1:26 makes it clear that true religion (not the hypocritical religion of those posing as religious) is shown in two ways: taking care of those in the deepest need (widows and Orphans) and remaining pure in a corrupt world.
Thrust aside the sojourner: These are people who deny the rights of foreigners living among them. The mistreatment of those in out midst is not something God values.
Those who don’t fear me: It doesn’t mean fear in the scary sense, but it means reverence. Those who don’t revere God for all He has done and continues to do means that person carries an ambivalence that forces God away and elevates the person.
6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children 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 man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
The next dispute is about robbery. It begins with God reminding the Jewish priests of a simple fact: He doesn’t change. So who’s changed? Obviously, the change has come gradually in each generation over time, causing a slow drip of disobedience that trickles down to the people.
But in this disobedience there is hope. God’s full blessing will return to the Israelites if they return to Him. This is repentance, a complete abandonment of sin and disobedience and a movement toward God and holiness.
The question asked is How shall we return? Now if this is genuine, it means something. Part of the issue with the priests of this time is that they don’t necessarily understand how they have drifted. But is there a sincerity in the question?
The answer is probably not one they want to hear: Stop robbing me. The priestly class don’t understand that they are robbing God. How have we robbed you? They have not tithed properly, not contributed according to the specifications of the Mosaic Law. They have forgotten God’s instructions and done it their own way, again abandoning God’s word.
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer 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. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Verse 10 is often taken out of context to promote the idea that tithing is something to test God on. Although tithing is a good thing, it is a requirement of the Mosaic Law and, although spoken in a positive light in the New Testament (Luke 11:42), it is never spelled out as a requirement. New Testament guidance is that it be done with a giving heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). The New Testament actually shows us that generosity is treasured by God and our generosity should flow into the giving nature He has planted in us.
This is an important distinction because God will take care of our every need when we put him first (Matthew 11:33), and that’s the primary message God is challenging the corrupt priests with. Remember, when we read scripture, we must read in context, and that not every verse in scripture is for all Christians for all time. This particular verse is meant for the corrupted priests and to challenge them into testing God, which isn’t a normative concept in scripture.
The tithing is also important to understand in the historical context. Tithing (ten percent) was a Mosaic practice put in place to support the temple and the Levites who managed the temple. So when tithing wasn’t being practiced, the Levites had to look for other sources of income, primarily farming, to support their lives.
When we look at this in context, it makes much more sense than ripping a verse out and applying it. This is a direct challenge to the people of Israel to test God. This is abut putting God first, above all else. Remember, they were guilty of bringing faulty sacrifices, of not following the law, of not even understanding that God was with them. This is a call to repent and there will be blessing (James 4:8).
13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”
It is vain to serve God. “What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?” This is what the people of God were saying about God. They were asking what the benefits of following God were. When we drop out of an eternal mindset and into a temporal one, we forget that there is a spiritual realm that does not go away. One day we will be there, standing before God, accounting our life.
The leadership and followers in Jerusalem had fallen so far that they didn’t understand they were speaking openly about defying God. Perhaps they noticed the wicked succeeding while the righteous suffered. Looking at it from a temporal view will bring one to a uselessness in following God. Also, when they speak about mourning, that directly parallels humility. What is the point of being humble? This was the conduct that separated them from God.
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a 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, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Even though the entire book has dealt with Israel as a whole, we see also there is a remnant in Jerusalem that are still fearing (in reverence to) the Lord. They came together and encouraged each other. God keeps His promises to those who obey, and their names are written in the book, they are regarded as a treasured possession. There is a giant distinction between those who are disobedient and those who are not.