Malachi 3
BBCMalachi 3:1
F. Parenthesis: Messiah’s Coming in Judgment (3:1-6)3:1 God next answers the impious challenge of the previous verse. He will send His messenger, a promise that had an early and partial fulfillment in John the Baptist, but awaits a later and complete fulfillment when Elijah (Mal_4:5) will prepare the way of the Lord, . . . the Messenger of the covenant whom they desired (irony). The irony here is that when He later arrived (His First Advent), the nation of Israel did not delight in Him but crucified Him instead. 3:2-4 The day of His coming will be the Second Advent. The Lord will come in judgment on sin, and who will be able to stand? This purifying ministry, pictured by Christ’s cleansing of the temple, awaits final fulfillment at His Second Coming. The sons of Levi (priests) will be purified so that they can make offerings of holiness and righteousness that are pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old. 3:5 The Lord will also punish sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, oppressors of wage earners, widows, and orphans, as well as those who turn away an alien. 3:6 The fact that the LORD is the unchanging One accounts for the preservation of the sons of Jacob from destruction.
Malachi 3:7
G. The Backsliding of the People (3:7)The LORD invites the people to return to Him, but they deny having gone away, asking hypocritically, “In what way shall we return?”
Malachi 3:8
H. Robbing God of Tithes and Offerings (3:8-12)Under the Mosaic Law, the Israelites were required to give a tenth of all produce and livestock to the Lord (or they could redeem it with money and add a fifth part). The tithes were in addition to numerous offerings, and were an acknowledgment that everything belonged to God and that He was the Giver of all possessions. The NT teaches believers to give systematically, liberally, cheerfully, and as the Lord has prospered them, that is, proportionately. But no mention is made of tithing. Rather, the suggestion is that if a Jew living under law gave a tenth, how much more should a Christian living under grace give! The reward for faithful tithing in the OT was material wealth; the reward for faithful stewardship in the present age is spiritual riches. So He reminds them of their failure to bring their tithes and offerings, thus robbing God and bringing a curse on themselves. If they will be faithful with their tithes, He will bless them with incredible plenty, so much so that there will not be room enough to receive it. He will deliver them from drought, plague, enemies, and locusts, and make them a blessing in the earth.
Malachi 3:13
I. False Charges Against God (3:13-15)Again the LORD charges that they have spoken harsh things against Him, saying that it does not pay to serve God or obey Him. They taught that the proud, the wicked, and those who tempt God not only prosper but get away with it scot-free.
Malachi 3:16
II. THE BLESSING OF THE REMNANT AND THE JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED (3:164:6) A. The Restoration of the Faithful Remnant (3:16-18)But there was a remnant of people true to Jehovah. These shall be spared and blessed, and acknowledged as God’s own possession, being made into His jewels. William Kelly comments: The Jews themselves will no longer take the ground of being mere Jews. They will see the vanity of an outward place; they will value what is of God, they will abhor the more those who are wicked because they are Jews (v. 18).