Malachi 3:1-6

Malachi 2:17 to Malachi 3:6 . The Coming of Judgment.— This passage is addressed to those of the prophet’ s contemporaries who were so perplexed by the state of things around them that they had become sceptical of God’ s justice. The times were out of joint, prosperity was the lot of the wicked instead of the righteous. Their querulousness became a burden to Yahweh, so that He announces His immediate intervention; the day of Yahweh, long regarded as the panacea for all Israel’ s ills, is about to dawn. Malachi, like Amos ( Amos 5:18) and other prophets, stamps the popular conception with an ethical value. Yahweh is even now sending His forerunner, possibly to be identified with Elijah ( Malachi 4:5) but probably more like “ Yahweh’ s angel” so often mentioned in the historical books, who is often almost one with Yahweh Himself. So here “ the Lord . . . even ( mg.) the messenger.” Perhaps we should distinguish between “ my messenger” and “ the messenger of the covenant.” The phrases whom ye seek ( cf. Malachi 2:17, Where is the God of judgment?) and whom ye delight in (or desire) are parallel. The Gospels ( Matthew 11:10 = Luke 7:27, Mark 1:2) cite Malachi 3:1 a in reference to John the Baptist. The judgment is to be a time of purifying and cleansing— like a fierce crucible in which the silver is separated from the base elements of the alloy. By “ soap” is meant lye, water alkalised by vegetable ashes. The judgment will begin by purging (lit. straining) the corrupt priesthood, and be effective ( Malachi 3:3 f); it will then pass on to attack evildoers of different kinds among the people. It is a mission of cleansing, not of destruction ( cf. Jeremiah 30:11); Yahweh’ s love of the house of Jacob ( cf. Malachi 1:2 f.) is unchanging.