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Mal 3:1-5  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me

[Study Aired January 4, 2024]

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 
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.
Mal 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.

The primary inward dispensational message of this chapter of Malachi is that when the messenger is sent to us, when Christ’s spirit is given and indwelling, we will be more than conquerors through him as He prepares the way before us, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: [Php 2:12-13] and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.“

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Christ came to earth and said, “It is expedient for you that I go away” in order to send the holy spirit on Pentecost to suddenly (Act 2:2-3) come to His predestined temple, the body of Christ (Joh 16:7, 1Co 3:16). 

Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Act 22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

Mar 13:35  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Mar 13:36  Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
Mar 13:37  And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

With God’s spirit within us (Rom 8:9) we can become a living sacrifice that can “walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4), and “serve in newness of spirit” (Rom 7:6), as God makes us His “able ministersG1249 of the new testament” [we are all servants of the King who are examples of being a servant (Php 2:7-10)]  (2Co 3:6, Joh 6:63, Mat 5:19). 

G1249 διάκονος  diakonos

Thayer Definition:

1) one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master, a servant, attendant, minister

1a) the servant of a king
1b) a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use
1c) a waiter, one who serves food and drink

Chapter 2 of Malachi focused on the marriage covenant and how treacherously wives were being put away, all this representing our breaking of the covenant we have with Christ and God’s word. The admonition is always for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear the message (Mat 13:16). Those who have God’s spirit are given the ability to carefully consider the warnings of the prophets as we patiently go about keeping God’s commandments which tell us to examine ourselves to be sure there is no root of bitterness that will cause many to be defiled (Heb 12:15). The only possible way that is going to be accomplished is to have one “greater than the temple” abiding within us as our hope of glory (Mat 12:6, Col 1:27). It is in the temple that the cleansing work of grace through faith is being accomplished in those few (Mat 22:14) who are being received by our Father and Christ in this life (1Co 3:13-16, Heb 12:6).

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 
1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple [Col 1:27].

If Christ is working in our lives, there will be evidence of this via the token (Php 1:28-29) of our own afflictions, much tribulation and suffering we endure (Rom 8:18, 1Pe 4:13, 2Co 11:30, Act 14:22) in order to bear much fruit. We are blessed to have a desire and zeal to be careful to maintain good works, which is what the faith of Christ will produce as we die daily (Gal 2:20). 

God willing, Christ will continue to be the exemplary life that our Father gave us and is being reflected more and more as He increases within us and we decrease (Joh 3:16, Joh 3:30), knowing that God is giving that increase (1Co 3:6) so that all glory is His, as it was in the life of Christ when He was on earth, and now in His body the church (Tit 2:11-12, Luk 13:32, Rev 16:15, Rev 19:8, Tit 3:8, Joh 5:30, Joh 15:5, 1Jn 4:17, Col 1:24).

Chapter 3 of Malachi points to the hope of glory within Jesus Christ (Col 1:27) Who calls us to ‘come out of her, my people’ and to rejoice always for the wonderful works He is doing to the sons of men in this age (2Co 6:17, Psa 107:31-32). 

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

It is “the general assembly and church of the firstborn” whose names are written in heaven who will be in that blessed and holy first resurrection. This hope-filled third chapter will go on to explain how God is going to accomplish this work of grace in the lives of the few who have been given this tremendous honor to be made ready as “the spirits of just men made perfect” who are the bride of Christ (Heb 12:23, Rev 20:6).

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 

There are many prophets and kings of old who sought the Lord with all their hearts “even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in“ which is what Christ told us in (Luk 10:23-24).

Luk 10:23  And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
Luk 10:24  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Those prophets and kings typify for us the “ever-searching but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” churches of Babylon out of which the elect are called, that ‘have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof’ because it is not given to them in this age to keep the commandments of God in the spirit (2Ti 3:5-9). From such we are commanded to “turn away”, which is just another way of saying “come out of her my people” (2Co 6:17).

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

Physically, Christ did come to His people as the “the messenger of the covenant“, and anon with joy the people delighted in Christ “whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts“, but then He was rejected of His own (Joh 1:11, Isa 53:3), including all His disciples who forsook Him and fled in His most dire hour of need (Mat 26:31). This is all a witness to us of how we cannot continue in a right relationship with Christ without God’s holy spirit being given to us. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6). It is when the spirit of God is given to us that the messenger is inwardly sent to us (Col 1:27, Rom 8:9) and what He does in the elect’s day of visitation is judge us and make us ready as the bride of Christ, delivering us from sin (Luk 19:44, 1Pe 2:12, 1Pe 4:17, Joh 8:36).

1Pe 2:12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles [1Th 5:22]: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 

Now the question is asked, “who may abide the day of his coming?“ and “who shall stand when he appeareth?” which tells us right off the bat that some are not going to be able to abide the day of His coming, and were not meant to be experiencing God’s judgment (1Pe 4:17), which is likened to “a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap” that will purge God’s people “as gold and silver” burning out of us the lame, torn and sick offering to become “an offering in righteousness” through Christ who is our righteousness Who prepares the bride (Mat 25:1-10, 1Co 1:30-31). “Who shall stand when he appeareth?” is answered for us in these verses in Luke 18:7-8.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

How the bride is prepared:  a parable of our Lord for his bride:

Mat 25:1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 
Mat 25:2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves [Rev 3:18].
Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? [Rom 2:4]
Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 
1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

What is being asked in this second verse of Malachi 3:2 is ‘who will be able to abide the chastening grace-through-faith process (Heb 12:6-7, Eph 6:13-14) that is required to go onto perfection on the third day?’ (Luk 13:31-32). Christ gave Peter the answer to this question, which was written for the elect’s sake (Luk 22:31-32), to remind us that salvation is a gift of God given to those who are refined in this age, typified by this statement, “and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Luk 22:32, Eph 2:8, 1Jn 5:4, Rom 12:1-2).

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day [enduring chastening (Heb 12:7)], and having done all, to stand. [“Who shall stand when he appeareth?” (1Ti 6:12)]
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith^G4102 fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren [maintain good works (Tit 3:8)]

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.^G4102

“Faith” G4102 (From G3982) also used as “assurance”, “belief”, “believe”, “faith”, “fidelity” (KJV 244 occurrences).

God knows that in order for us to be part of the process of being one who is sanctified in this age by His word, which is like fire (Jer 23:29), he (Christ) must sit on the throne of our hearts. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.“

It is only after we’ve been judged that we can offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness, telling us why the trial of our faith is so precious to God (1Pe 1:7, Psa 116:15, 1Co 15:31). It is the sons of Levi who have been promised to be purified (“and he shall purify the sons of Levi” vs 3), and those sons typify for us the bride of Christ who will be made ready through a life of much tribulation (Rev 19:7, Act 14:22). The purifying of silver, the purging of gold and of silver are all being accomplished by the “refiner“, the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, Who is ‘trying’ or ‘refining’ our faith through a process of which He is in the midst (1Pe 4:12, Dan 3:25-26), “and he shall purify the sons of Levi.“

Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Dan 3:26  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

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.
Mal 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. 

These verses confirm that judgment is an ongoing process for the body of Christ, and as such our lives can be presented as a living sacrifice which is pleasant to the LORD, “the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.“

The “as in the days of old, and as in former years” is in reference to our first love when we whole-heartedly served the Lord and “came behind in no gift” (1Co 1:5-7) but were the “yet carnal” of 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. The attitude and desire to serve was great, and we did many wonderful works, but when God works with the elect in this life to bring us to perfection on the third day, those works are brought into a proper perspective. After having been refined through a life-time of trials (Act 14:22), He brings us to cease from sinning and from glorying in those things God did through us as if we did it of our own free will (1Co 4:7). That is the strong meat which God prepares us in time to be able to digest and discern by His mercy (Heb 5:14). When we mature in the Lord, we will stop turning aside the stranger who represents our neighbor who we are to love, “and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me“, doing good to all men, especially unto the household of faith (Gal 6:10). When we conduct ourselves in that manner, we are truly moving with fear, knowing it is Christ who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is to ‘do unto others as we would have them do unto us’ (Php 2:12-13, Luk 12:32, Mat 7:11-12).

Mat 7:11  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

We are blessed when this is happening within us, “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“, which things would just naturally overtake the temple of God we are without the judgment of God upon us driving sin out of our lives as we die daily (1Pe 4:17, Joh 2:15-17). 

It is by the witness of God’s speedy execution of judgment in the lives of those He is saving in this age that “the sorcerers” and “the adulterers” and the “false swearers” and all those things within that would try to “oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me”, that we can go from that state of mind to practicing pure religion, which is defined for us in this way, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction (Heb 10:25), and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (Jas 1:27).

The order of things is clear: God will “send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.” That preparation will take place in the hearts and minds of God’s people so that in time, saviors will come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau (Oba 1:21), being sent as Christ was sent into our lives to bring salvation to this world through the gospel (Joh 20:21, Joh 3:17, Rom 1:16).

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, focusing on these first few verses is a good starting point before we go into the next section of this third chapter. These first few verses really demonstrate for us how we can only ‘make straight the ways of the Lord’ by the Lord Who is the messenger who gives us the ability to fulfill the covenant. This fulfilling of the covenant is a process that takes time, as we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake (Col 1:24), and in the verses to come, the focus will be more on the blessing that now becomes ours if we are blessed to be dragged through this process of judgment while presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1) to God, symbolized by the whole tithe being brought in. 

The results, the fruit of being that living sacrifice being purified by Christ (Mal 3:1-5), is the primary point being looked at in the last section of chapter three, which we will look at next week, Lord willing (Mal 3:6-18). God is faithful to those who are His, and  as a result of being bound to the altar (Psa 118:27) by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9), there will be an abundance of spiritual fruit being produced in the lives of those whom God has called to endure to the end in this corrupt flesh in order to be saved (Mal 3:10, Rom 7:24-25, Mat 24:13).

Psa 118:27  God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Mal 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD 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.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved [Php 4:13].