MALACHI
The Minor Prophets:
Malachi 1
Malachi is the name of an office, rather than a person, "My messenger," and as such is found in Malachi 3:1 translate, not "by Malachi," but "by the hand of His messenger" (compare Haggai 1:13 Testament, announcing the advent of the Great Messenger of the New Testament. The Chaldee paraphrase identifies him with Ezra wrongly, as Ezra is never called a prophet but a scribe, and Malachi never a scribe but a prophet. Still it hence appears that Malachi was by some old authorities not regarded as a proper name. The analogy of the headings of other prophets, however, favors the common view that Malachi is a proper name. As Haggai and Zechariah, the contemporary prophets, supported Joshua and Zerubbabel in the building of the temple, so he at a subsequent period supported the priest Ezra and the governor Nehemiah. Probably 400-450 BC
1 This is the message that the LORD (Jesus) gave Malachi to Israel.
to Israel--represented now by the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with individuals of the ten tribes who had returned with the Jews from Babylon. So "Israel" is used, Ezra 7:10 . Compare 2 Chronicles 21:2 , "Jehoshaphat king of Israel," where Judah, rather than the ten tribes, is regarded as the truest representative of Israel (compare 2 Chronicles 12:6 , 28:19 ). the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, in order to enflame His people with the more ardent desire for Him, the great antitype and fulfiller of prophecy.(Jamieson)
2 The LORD (Jesus) says to his people, I have always loved you." But they reply, "How have you shown your love for us? The LORD (Jesus) answers, Esau and Jacob were brothers, but it was Jacob I chose to love and his descendants too,
3 and I have hated Esau and his descendants. I have devastated Esau's hill country and abandoned the land to jackals."
4 If Esau's descendants, the Edomites, say, "Our towns have been destroyed, but we will rebuild them," then the LORD (Jesus) will reply, "Let them rebuild - I will tear them down again. People will call them "The evil country' and "The nation with whom the LORD (Jesus) is angry forever.' "
5 The people of Israel are going to see this with their own eyes, and they will say, "The LORD (Jesus) is mighty even outside the land of Israel!"
6 The LORD (Jesus) Almighty says to the priests, "Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father - why don't you honor me? I am your master - why don't you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, "How have we despised you?'
7 This is how - by offering worthless sacrifices on my altar. Then you ask, "How have we failed to respect you?' You defile them by saying the altar of the LORD (Jesus) deserves no respect.
8 When you bring a blind or sick or lame animal to sacrifice to me, do you think there's nothing wrong with that? Try giving an animal like that to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or grant you any favors?"
9 Now, you priests, try asking God to be good to us. He will not answer your prayer, and it will be your fault, Says the LORD (Jesus) of Hosts.
10 The LORD (Jesus) Almighty says, I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so as to prevent you from lighting useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you; I will not accept the offerings you bring me.
11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the LORD (Jesus) of Hosts(Almighty).
Since ye Jewish priests and people "despise My name" ( Malachi 1:6 ), I shall find others who will magnify it ( Matthew 3:9 ). Do not think I shall have no worshippers because I have not you; for from the east to the west My name shall be great among the Gentiles ( Isaiah 66:19 Isaiah 66:20 ), those very peoples whom ye look down upon as abominable. (Jamieson)
"Sacrifice" is used metaphorically ( Psalms 51:17 , Hebrews 13:10 Hebrews 13:15 Hebrews 13:16 , 1 Peter 2:5 1 Peter 2:12 ). In this sense the reference to the LORD (Jesus)'s Supper, maintained by many of the fathers, may be admitted; it, like prayer, is a spiritual offering, accepted through the literal offering of the "Lamb without blemish," once for all slain.
12 But you profane it, In that you say, 'The table of the LORD (Jesus) is defiled; When you offer on it food that you wouln't eat.
13 You say, 'Oh what a nuisance it is,' and you sniff at it in disgust," says the LORD (Jesus) of Armies of Heaven. "You bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. When you bring such offerings, should I accept them from you?" asks the LORD (Jesus).
14 Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the LORD (Jesus). For I am a great king, says the LORD (Jesus) Almighty, and my name is feared among the nations!
Malachi 2
MIXED MARRIAGES AND UNFAITHFULNESS:
1 Listen, you priests; this command is for you!
2 Listen to me and take it to heart. Honor my name, says the LORD(Jesus) Almighty, or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning seriously.
3 I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice on your solemn feasts - and you will be taken out to the dung heap.
4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue, Says the LORD(Jesus) of Hosts.
5 In My covenant I promised them life and well-being, and this is what I gave them, so that they might respect me. In those days he feared Me And was reverent before My name.
6 The Law(Torah) of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.
7 It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the LORD(Jesus) Almighty.
So ministers are called "ambassadors of Christ" ( 2 Corinthians 5:20 ); and the bishops of the seven churches in Revelation, "angels" or messengers ( Revelation 2:1 Revelation 2:8 Revelation 2:12 Revelation 2:18 , Revelation 3:1 Revelation 3:7 Revelation 3:14 ; compare Galatians 4:14 ).
8 But you have departed from the (right) way; You have caused many to break the Law(Torah). You have corrupted the Covenant of Levi, Says the LORD(Jesus) of hosts.
9 So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown partiality in your interpretation of the Law(Torah).
This “interpretation” is what lead to the “bad laws” that God allowed the people to follow. These are the “laws” that Jesus railed against and Paul as well. Those who teach that Paul was claiming that the eternal Law of God was now abolished, have twisted Paul to their own destruction! See 2 Peter 3:16
10 Don't we all have the same father? Didn't the same God (Elohim) create us all? Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God (Elohim-The God Family) made with our ancestors?
MIXED MARRIAGES:
11 The people of Judah have broken their promise to God (Elohim-The God Family) and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the church which the LORD(Jesus) loves. Men have married women who worship foreign gods (elohim).
12 May the LORD(Jesus) remove from Jacob those who did this, and never again let them participate in the offerings our nation brings to the LORD(Jesus) Almighty.
13 This is another thing you do. You drown the LORD(Jesus)'s altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him.
14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the LORD(Jesus) has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by vows (covenant).
15 Didn't He make you one body and Spirit with her? What was his purpose in this? It was that you should have children who are truly His people. So make sure that none of you breaks his promise to his wife.
Once married, God intends us to stay married. Remember what Jesus said about divorce. “In the beginning it was not so.” MAURER and HENGSTENBERG explain the verse thus: The Jews had defended their conduct by the precedent of Abraham, who had taken Hagar to the injury of Sarah, his lawful wife; to this Malachi says now, "No one (ever) did so in whom there was a residue of intelligence (discriminating between good and evil); and what did the one (Abraham, to whom you appeal for support) do, seeking a godly seed?" His object (namely, not to gratify passion, but to obtain the seed promised by God) makes the case wholly inapplicable to defend your position.
16 For the LORD(Jesus) God of Israel says: I hate divorce. I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife.
17 You have tired the LORD(Jesus) out with your talk. But you ask, "How have we tired him?" By saying, "The LORD(Jesus) Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them." Or by asking, "Where is the God (Elohim-The God Family) who is supposed to be just?"
Skepticism shall be rife before Christ's second coming. He shall suddenly and unexpectedly come then also as a consuming Judge to unbelievers ( 2 Peter 3:3 2 Peter 3:4 ). Then, too, they shall affect to seek His coming, while really denying it ( Isaiah 5:19 , Jeremiah 17:15 , Ezekiel 12:22 Ezekiel 12:27 ).
Malachi 3
JOHN THE BAPTIST:
1 Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord(Master-Jesus) you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The Messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming, says the LORD(The Father) Almighty.
my messenger--John the Baptist; as Matthew 3:3 , 11:10 , Mark 1:2 Mark 1:3 , Luke 1:76 , 3:4 , Luke 7:26 Luke 7:27 , John 1:23 , prove. This passage of Malachi evidently rests on that of Isaiah his predecessor ( Isaiah 40:3-5 ). Perhaps also, as HENGSTENBERG thinks, "messenger" includes the long line of prophets headed by Elijah (whence his name is put in Malachi 4:5 as a representative name), and terminating in John, the last and greatest of the prophets ( Matthew 11:9-11 ). (Jamieson)
Lord LORD- Whenever Both The father and Jesus are mentioned in the same verse, the Father always becomes Yahweh(LORD) and Jesus always is rendered “adown” or Master (lower case Lord). The Father sends the Son: the Son comes. Proving the distinctness of personality between the Father and the Son. In this case, it is the FATHER God speaking here through Jesus (The Logos or word of God, to the prophet) Matthew 21:12 Matthew 21:13 Luke 12:38-46 Revelation 16:15
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 launderer's soap Malachi 4:1 , Revelation 6:16 Revelation 6:17
The Messiah would come, not, as they expected, to flatter the theocratic nation's prejudices, but to subject their principles to the fiery test of His heart-searching truth ( Matthew 3:10-12 ), and to destroy Jerusalem and the theocracy after they had rejected Him. His mission is here regarded as a whole from the first to the second advent: the process of refining and separating the godly from the ungodly beginning during Christ's stay on earth, going on ever since, and about to continue till the final separation ( Matthew 25:31-46 ) (Jamieson)
3 He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the LORD(Jesus)'s messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the LORD(Jesus) the right kind of offerings.
4 Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to the LORD(Jesus) will be pleasing to Him, as they used to be in the past.
5 At that time I will put you on trial. I will be a ready witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear Me, says the LORD(Jesus) Almighty.
The Jews of Christ's time also practiced sorcery ( Acts 8:9 , 13:6 , Galatians 5:20 ; JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 20.6; Wars of the Jews, 2.12.23]). It shall be a characteristic of the last Anti-christian confederacy, about to be consumed by the brightness of Christ's Coming ( Matthew 24:24 , 2 Thessalonians 2:9 , Revelation 13:13 Revelation 13:14 , Revelation 16:13 Revelation 16:14 ; also Revelation 9:21 , 18:23 , 21:8 , 22:15 ). Romanism has practiced it; an order of exorcists exists in that Church... IE: The Catholic CHURCH! (Jamieson)
I DO NOT CHANGE!
6 I am the LORD(Jesus), and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.
If Jesus changed, He would have destroyed these terrible people who were worse than any of the heathens around Him- yet because He doesn't change, He remains true to His promise to Abraham! Jesus does not change, neither does the Law which he wrote with His own fingers! We should be happy that Jesus follows the Law! If not, he could change His mind, and we too could be destroyed! Think about that! See the very next verse-- He is talking expressly concerning THE LAW and that we refuse to still obey it!
7 THE LORD(JESUS) OF HOSTS(THE ALMIGHTY ONE) says: Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned My Laws and failed to obey them. Now return to Me, and I will return to you! But you ask, 'How can we return when we have never gone away?'
HOW WE CHEAT GOD:
8 I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God (Elohim-The Family of God)? Of course not, yet you are cheating Us. "How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings.
Tithes and offerings are STILL part of the Law!-- God says we are cheating HIM! What is the result? Read on and ask yourself, “is this me?”
rob--literally, "cover": hence, defraud. Do ye call defrauding God no sin to be "returned" from ( Malachi 3:7 )? Yet ye have done so to Me in respect to the tithes due to Me, namely, the tenth of all the remainder after the first-fruits were paid, which tenth was paid to the Levites for their support ( Leviticus 27:30-33 ): a tenth paid by the Levites to the priests ( Numbers 18:26-28 ): a second tenth paid by the people for the entertainment of the Levites, and their own families, at the tabernacle ( Deuteronomy 12:18 ): another tithe every third year for the poor, &c. ( Deuteronomy 14:28 Deuteronomy 14:29 ). (Jamieson)
9 A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating Us (The Godhead).
10 The LORD(Jesus) ALMIGHTY says: Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put Me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things.
Jesus is telling us to TEST HIM on the Law of Tithes and Offerings! He we obey here, He promises INSTANT rewards! We should all take His challenge! Psalms 72:5
11 I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes, says THE LORD(Jesus) of the Hosts of Heaven!
12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight, says the LORD Almighty.
13 You have said terrible things about me, says the LORD(Jesus). But you ask, "What have we said about you?'
14 You have said, 'What's the use of serving God (Elohim-The God family)? What have we gained by obeying His commandments [The LAW] or by trying to show the LORD of Hosts that we are sorry for our sins [breaking the Law- 1 John 3:4]?
Today, this applies so horribly to modern Christians who believe that the Law has been abolished! Is it not? Christ did not come to do away the His perfect NEVER CHANGING Law, which protects us from a wrathful God and death! The Law is OUR eternal Constitution and Bill of Rights- From GOD(Jesus and the Father)
15 As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they even tempt God and go free and get away with sinning!
Doesn't this sound like the modern “faith alone” lawless Christian today? Not only do they break the Law and sin, they ask and teach others that God will let them get away with it-- In fact, they have the nerve to pray to God to get away with it, misquoting Paul! Malachi 2:17 , Psalms 73:12
16 Then the people who feared the LORD(Jesus) spoke to one another, and the LORD(Jesus) listened and heard what they said. In his presence, there was written down in a book a record(or remembrance) of those who feared the LORD(Jesus) and respected him.
I left out “OFTEN” because it is in the English, but NOT the hebrew- The "often" of English Version is not in the Hebrew. There has been always in the darkest times a remnant that feared God ( 1 Kings 19:18 , Romans 11:4 ).
17 They will be My people! On the day when I act, they will be My very own. I will be merciful to them as parents are merciful to the children who serve them. Says the LORD(Jesus) Almighty.
CALVIN translates more in accordance with Hebrew idiom, "They shall be My peculiar treasure in the day in which I will do it" (that is, fulfill My promise of gathering My completed Church; or, "make" those things come to pass foretold in Malachi 3:5 above [GROTIUS]); so in Malachi 4:3 "do" is used absolutely, "in the day that I shall do this." MAURER, not so well, translates, "in the day which I shall make," that is, appoint as in Psalms 118:24 . (Jamieson)
18 Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.
Then shall ye . . . discern--Then shall ye see the falseness of your calumny against God's government ( Malachi 3:15 ), that the "proud" and wicked prosper. Do not judge before the time till My work is complete. It is in part to test your disposition to trust in God in spite of perplexing appearances, and in order to make your service less mercenary, that the present blended state is allowed; but at last all ("ye," both godly and ungodly) shall see the eternal difference there really is "between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not" ( Psalms 58:11 ).
END OF THE MINOR PROPHETS
END OF THE PROPHETS
