COMMENTARY ON MALACHI
LESSON NUMBER 19
Mal 3:4 “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 5 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 false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, saith the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” – (Malachi 3:4-6)
THE OFFERING SHALL BE PLEASANT
INTRODUCTION
God is contrasting His own faithfulness with the lack thereof that has been found in the priests and those who followed them. He has remained faithful to His nature, and to His promises which reflected that nature. This faithfulness accounts for His refusal to receive the offerings of the priests. If also accounts for the moral and spiritual collapse that had resulted. When those who have been called by God are not sustained by Him, it is because He is faithful, and has not changed. Spiritual decline is always the result of drawing back from God – a condition that results in Him having no pleasure in such people (Heb 10:38-39). When the Gentiles failed to receive the testimony of creation, refusing to retain God in their knowledge, and resorting to changing His glory, God in faithfulness turned them over to a “reprobate mind” (Rom 1:28). He refused to sustain them, because that would require Him to compromise His holiness. Thus, left to themselves, even though they were technically “the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29), they degenerated into patterns of behavior that were absolutely reprehensible: “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful” (Rom 1:29-31). Now, this same kind of judgment has happened to Israel who, after being chosen and blessed by God, corrupted His service, considered it a burden to serve Him, and spoke against Him as though He had been unjust in allowing their enemies fo prevail over them. There is certainly a vital lesson to be learned in this text – one that has been glossed by many!
THE OFFERING OF JUDAH AND JERUSALEM
Malachi 3:4 “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.”
THEN . . . The Lord now, according to His promise and purpose, describes the state of things after the coming of “the Messenger of the covenant.” The first “messenger” was John the Baptist, and he prepared the way for the ultimate “Messenger,” the Lord Jesus Christ. Those preparations were in strict accord with the objective that is here delineated. The Savior, called by Malachi “a Refiner and Purifier,” will produce the condition now described. Be sure that He will “not fail nor be discouraged” in this obje4ctive (Isa 42:4). To be sure, He will not introduce an era where the God of heaven will suddenly be satisfied with impure people who offer impure sacrifices. He will not enable God to be pleased with what formerly displeased Him.
THE OFFERING SHALL BE PLEASANT UNTO THE LORD. Other versions read, “Will be pleasant to the Lord,” NKJV “will be pleasing to the Lord,” NASB “will be acceptable to the Lord,” NIV “the Lord will accept the offerings,” NLT and “sweet to the Lord.” YLT Through Malachi God asked the wayward priests of Israel, “Will the Lord be pleased with thee, or accept thy person?” (1:8). Candidly He told them, “neither will I accept an offering at your hand” (1:10). When they barged into His presence with ignoble motives, bringing Him an offering, the Lord chided them, “should I accept this of your hand?” (2:13). God only endured them in prospect of the time of which Malachi now prophesied, even though He did not receive their offerings!
The truth of the matter is that God does not receive something that is fundamentally displeasing to Him. This is what created the complication under the Law. The people were not pleasing to Him, and therefore, what they offered to Him was not accepted. Early in human history, God slew Onan because “the thing which He did displeased the Lord” (Gen 38:10). En route to Canaan, “the fire of the Lord” broke forth against Israel, “and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp” (Num 11:1b). The reason for this judgment – when “the people complained it displeased the Lord” (Num 11:1a). When David took Bathsheba to himself, it “displeased the Lord” (2 Sam 11:27). When David numbered Israel, “God was displeased with this thing; therefore He smote Israel” (1 Chron 21:7).
Isaiah prophesied of this time of acceptance. “Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted” (Isa 56:7). Ezekiel spoke of the same acceptance: “I will accept you with your sweet savor” (Ezek 20:41). The acceptance of the sacrifices of the people indicates the acceptance of the people themselves. That acceptance will be the result of the Refiner removing from them what was offensive to the Lord. It is evident that the Lord worked with the children of Israel in the prospect of the days of the New Covenant and its Messenger.
On a practical level, Malachi’s prophecy was intended to awaken the remnant so they could labor in hope. They were not to fall into the pit of despair, grumbling because of the hard times during which they were living. Rather, they were to live in the prospect of the promise – something that God has always required of His people, from the time of the expulsion from Eden to this very day. God’s people have always been “saved by hope” (Rom 8:24-25).
AS IN THE DAYS OF OLD. These were the times God confirmed the acceptance of the sacrifice by sending fire from heaven to consume it. This took place in relation to the Tabernacle when Aaron and his sons were dedicated, and the service of the Tabernacle was officially instituted. At that time “there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat” (Lev 9:24). The same thing happened at the dedication of the Temple when “the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house” (2 Chron 7:1). Another occasion during which God publically confirmed the acceptance of a sacrifice was when Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal. At that time also “the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice” (1 Kgs 18:38). The point here is not the renewal of the sacrifices of animals, but of the offering of acceptable sacrifices. The Lord refers to the sacrifices in terms understood by the Jews of that time.
THE ESSENTIALITY OF PLEASING GOD. In our time, the emphasis on acceptable sacrifices is not one that is common, Somehow, the people are being left with the impression that anything offered to God is acceptable. However, this is not the case. Peter spoke of sacrifices that are “acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 2:5). Paul referred to a “living sacrifice,” or a sacrifice of life, that was “holy, acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1). He also wrote of “a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God” (Phil 4:18). We are also told of sacrifices appropriately called “the sacrifice of praise to God . . . the fruit of our lips.” Additionally, the saints are reminded that doing good and communicating, or sharing, are “sacrifices” with which “God is well pleased” (Heb 13:15-16). The basic postulate of Scripture concerning this matter is that when the individuals are “approved unto God” (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Cor 11:19), they will offer appropriate sacrifices, and those sacrifices will be accepted by the Lord. This circumstance also presumes a fundamental change in the people, so they are no longer what they once were.
THEN GOD WILL COME IN JUDGMENT
3:5 “ 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 false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, saith the LORD of hosts.”
This is a most remarkable prophecy, and worthy of extended consideration. It is a commentary on the work of refining, and has particularly to do with the refinement of the people of Israel, as compared with an individual. The thrust of this word is the cleansing of the people as a whole. During the New Covenant it is paralleled by references to the sanctifying and cleansing of “the church” (Eph 5:25-26). The aim of cleansing is not merely to make individuals clean, but to make the entire congregation of God’s people pure. This is because they reflect the image of Christ in the aggregate, with each individual being but a part of the whole.
COMING NEAR TO JUDGMENT. Other versions read, “draw near to you for judgment,” NASB “approach you for judgment,” CJB “come to judge you,” GWN and “coming to put you on trial.” NLT
Here, “judgment” equates to refining, purifying, and purging (3:3). This is the work of the Refiner, who refines with fire – which fire depicts the judgment of the Lord against that which displeases Him. Remember, this is testifying of a facet of the work of the “Messenger of the Covenant,” the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the preliminary purging of the threshing floor (Matt 3:12). The ultimate purging will be in order to entrance into glory. This purging is in order to the offering of acceptable sacrifices to God.
A SWIFT WITNESS. Other versions read, “swift to testify,” NIV and “quickly be a witness.” ASV The idea here is that of instant judgment – something that will not tarry, or be a long time in accomplishing. Although Israel’s unacceptable conduct had extended over centuries, yet the Lord would bring an abrupt halt to it, cutting His work “short in righteousness” (Rom 9:16).
THE TARGETS OF THE JUDGMENT. In this prophecy individuals would be refined out of the mass of Israel. The targets are spelled out: “sorcerers” [appealing to lawful and Satanic sources],“adulterers” [the unfaithful, and covenant-breakers] “false swearers” [those who commit perjury for self-advantage], those who “oppress the hireling” [defrauding laborers of their wages], those who oppress “the widow and the fatherless” [taking advantage of the helpless, upon whom the eyes of the Lord look], and those who “deprive the aliens of justice” [push aside the sojourner, forgetting they were once in that category]. NIV
AND FEAR NOT ME. In summary, the Lord says, such people are described as those “who fear not Me.” That is, they lived their lives without a due regard for the living God. They honored neither His Person nor His Word. They preferred their own interests to the revealed concerns of the Lord. They ignored the Divine agenda in order to implement their own. They did, in fact, live as though there was no God at all, going through religious routines as though they were nothing more than burdensome habits.
THE RELEVANCE OF THIS PROMISE. Does the presence of such people among those professing identity with God have an impact upon the Lord’s working among the people? Did the presence of the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Lawyers have an effect on the Lord’s view of Israel when Jesus tabernacled among them? Did He not castigate that generation of people? He said they were a generation that demanded the satisfaction of their own corrupted appetites (Matt 11:16-17). He affirmed they would be judged by previous wicked generations who did not have their advantages (Matt 12:41-42). Jesus said judgment would come on that generation (Matt 23:36). They would be given no sign (Mk 8:12). The blood of all the prophets who were slain would be required of that generation (Lk 11:50-51). Jesus was rejected by that generation (Lk 17:25). Just as in our text, the presence of corrupt leaders impacted the entire nation.
Now, in our time. The church at large has been corrupted by its leaders – men who rose from within to draw away disciples after themselves (Acts 20:30). Until these defiling influences have been refined out of the church, it will remain in a powerless state – just like Israel during the time of Malachi. In fact, the dominance of such men suggests the rejection of the generation who gives heed to them. Paul traced the falling away back to the people who could not endure sound doctrine, and therefore sought teachers after their own lusts (2 Tim 4:3). The words of Jeremiah have thus been fulfilled even today: “My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace” (Jer 50:6). But God has promised to rectify that situation. “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them” (Ezek 34:10). This is the kind of refining of which our text speaks. Many of us have seen this happen on the individual level, but it will yet take place on the corporate level as well. In this manner the Lord will “purify unto Himself a peculiar people” (Tit 2:14).
GOD’S IS UNCHANGING – THE REASON FOR THE REMNANT
2:6 “ For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” The reasoning here is that God will not abandon His people as a whole, even though some of their number will be rejected. Malachi is saying God will not do away with the nation of Israel, even though He rejects some of them.
I AM THE LORD. The name of the Lord is at stake in this matter. A LORD who cannot execute His will is no Lord at all! Such inability is traced to false gods, not the true God. False gods have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, feet, and throats, but cannot do anything with them (Psa 115:5-7; 135:15-17). Woe to that person who accredits such unfitness to the God of heaven – who suggests that God cannot do this or that until men do or initiate something. He is THE LORD! He can cause those who murdered Jesus to repent (Acts 2:37-40). He can cause a person who is aggressively persecuting the church to repent and feed that very church (Acts 9:5-9). He can make Pharaoh let His people go (Ex 13:17), and cause an entire heathen city to repent (Jonah 3:8-10). How gloriously true! He is “THE LORD.”
I CHANGE NOT. Other versions read, “do not change,” NKJV “am unchanged,” BBE and “never change,” GWN At this point we need to be delivered from simplicity. There are occasions when God is said to have repented. He repented that He had made man (Gen 6:6). He repented of His determination to destroy Israel (Ex 32:14). When chastening Israel, He repented at the sound of their groaning under their oppressors (Judges 2:18). He repented that He has made Saul king (1 Sam 15:35). When God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem He repented after the destruction began (1 Chron 21:15). After announcing that He was going to destroy Nineveh, He repented when He saw their contrition of heart (Jonah 3:10).
Did all of this mean that God changed? Indeed not! God does not change in His essential character. That character involves being touched by those who repent as well as destroying those who do not. It involves giving heed to a godly intercessor as well as reacting to hardheartedness. It involves honoring the promise He has made, even though it also includes the destruction of those who ignore those promises. GOD DOES NOT CHANGE.
THEREFORE YE . . . ARE NOT CONSUMED. Israel owed its continued existence to the fact that God does not change. If He did change, their nation would have been utterly destroyed, as were the Amalekites (Deut 25:19), or the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim (Gen 29:23). Earlier, Jeremiah stated this same truth this way: “For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end” (Jer 4:27; 5:18). Although He would make a “full end of all nations,” He would not do so with Israel (Jer 30:11). He promised Israel, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain” (Isa 66:22).
Thus, God reminds Israel that their continued existence is strictly owing to the Lord’s unchangeable nature. Other places He traces it to the promise He made to Abraham (Gen 26:24; Psa 105:42; Isa 41:8; Jer 33:25-26).
THE THEOLOGY OF THE REMNANT. Throughout Scripture, there are references to God’s “remnant.” There are about seventy references to this “remnant” in Scripture. It refers to a body of approved people within those who claim affiliation with the Lord. These are the ones who remain pure though found among an impure people. They are steadfast while others are unfaithful and vacillating. From a lower point of view, it is this remnant that guarantees the existence of the general class of people. Of old time, those people were the Israelites as a nation. Moved along by the Holy Spirit, Isaiah wrote, “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah” (Isa 1:9). Concerning the relevancy of this to the New Covenant, Paul quotes this passage in Romans 9:29. This is why Jeremiah wrote, “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lam 3:22). They were not consumed because of the “remnant.” That circumstance is what keeps them to this very day.
Now, from the evidential point of view, it is the remnant within the church that guarantees its continuity. Although the existence of spiritual Babylon has caused godly and faithful people to appear the exception to the rule, they are really the immediate cause for the continuation of the church during difficult times. Paul referred to this when he wrote, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim 2:19).
The guarantees of God are generally couched in the language of plurality: “they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand . . . no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand . . . I am persuaded that . . . shall be able to separate us . . . He is able to save them . . . “we shall be saved from wrath . . . ” (John 10:28; Rom 8:35-39; Heb 7:25; Rom 5:9). Great affirmations of the keeping power of God are stated in letters to churches, or phrased in such a manner as to include all who are living by faith – “the remnant.” The best of all fellowship, and that which is to be desired on earth, is association with this “remnant.”