Malachi
3:1-5
Key Verse: "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."
Malachi 3:1B
He is who they were told to watch for, but they didn't
recognize Him when He arrived. He would appear at the temple to set things
right, but the way things were was too comfortable, so His corrections were not
welcome. Malachi had given them the sign. "See, I will send my messenger,
who will prepare the way before Me." (Malachi 3:1A) The messenger had come
in the person of John the Baptist, but they hadn't recognized him either.
Malachi warned them to be on their guard. Malachi was the
last prophet to speak and then, there was four hundred years of silence.
Malachi had much to say to the people about how corrupt they were. Their
sacrifices were pitiful. The priests were negligent and abusive. Malachi warned
the people that the Lord would come, but they were not expecting Him to come in
the way that He did.
"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He
will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver." (Mal. 3:3)
Gold and silver are refined by heat. As they melt, the impurities sink and can
be removed leaving only precious metal behind.
In Malachi's day, the sacrifices and offerings, given to the
Lord were impure. They were not offered with a heart toward worship, but
rather, a heart toward getting off as cheaply as they could. As we will see,
the sacrificial system was no better in Jesus’ time. The refiner would still
need to act.
But in acting, His goal was that: "Then the Lord will
have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings in Judah
and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former
years.” (Malachi 3:4) Malachi was remembering the offerings of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, David and Elijah: those who were wholly devoted to the Lord. That is
what pleases God's heart.
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." (Psalm
51:16-17) Obviously, what Jesus would come upon in the temple, He despised
very much. This calls us, once again, however, to examine our own offerings.
Are they true gifts to God, offered in sincere love, or are they our attempt to
get off cheap, giving God as little as possible so that we have more with which
to be self-indulgent? Remember, God knows. Might He need to do some cleansing
in us as well?
Finally, we need to remember that He Himself has gone before
us to set the example. He does not ask us to do anything that He Himself has
not already done. His sacrifice will be the purest and while He Himself refines
our sacrifice, through His sacrifice, He Himself will be the most refined of
all. "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this
is your Spiritual act of worship." (Rom.12:1b)
Even in this, He goes before us as we shall see.
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