Malachi 1

-ou PREFACE., X HE Prophet Malachi was, in all likelihood, contemporary with Nehemiah. His prophecy supposes the temple to be built,, and the worship of God settled there; but blames the priests and Levites for not attending upon the public worship, (i. 10.) and the people for offering the lame and the blind, (ibid: ver. 7, 8.) and robbing God of his tithes and offerings, (iii. 10.) which agrees very well with the abuses we read of, Nehem. x.33. 30. xiii. 10—12. as his reproving them. for marrying strange ivives, (ii. 11.) exactly answers Nehem. x. 30. xiii. 23, &c. Bishop Lloyd dates this prophecy something later than Nehemiah’s time, about three hundred and ninety-seven years before Christ; at which time, according to his computation, the first seven of Daniel’s weeks, or forty-nine’. years, were expired: which time, as his lordship explains the words,.was allotted for sealing tip the vision and prophecy; (Dan. ix. 24.) k e. for completing the canon of the’ Old Testament. The words of Malachi, iv. 4, 5. import, that after him the Jews were not to expect a succession of’ prophets: whereupon he exhorts them carefully to observe the law of Moses, and to look for no other prophet till Elias, the forerunner of the Messias, should come. God reproves the Jews for their ingratitude, and blames both priest and people for their irreverent and careless performance of the public worship.

Malachi 1:1

JL HE burden of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. The word burden is sometimes equivalent to prophecy, and in this sense it is taken here, and is so interpreted in the Syriac version. (See the note upon Zech. xii. 1.) Jsrael stands here for Judah, as it does ver. 5. ii. 11.,Micah i. 14. iii. 1. 8, 9. that being the only remainder of the Jewish nation which enjoyed any of the blessings promised to their fathers.

Malachi 1:2

I have loved you, saith the Lord. I have chosen you for my peculiar people, out of pure love and kindness, without any antecedent merits on your side. (See Dcut. vii. 8. x. 15.) Ibid, and

Malachi 1:3

Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and Ms heritage waste. I have all along shewed a particular kindness to Jacob and his family, above that of Esau, though they were both the sons of Isaac: and have lately given a signal proof of it in that I have restored you to your country again, after your captivity; whereas I have scattered the Edomites, and dispossessed them Of Mount Seir, their ancient inheritance, (Deut. ii. 5.) by the Nabatheans, to which they shall never be restored again. (Compare Jer. xlix.18. Ezek. xxxv. 7. 9.) Hating is sometimes used comparatively for a less degree of love. (See Gen. xxix. 31. Luke xiV. 26.) St. Paul alleges this text, Rom. ix. 13. to prove, that God might justly reject the Jew: s for their rejecting the gospel, notwithstanding his promises made to Abraham’s seed; since he had from the beginning’ freely bestowed particular favours upon one branch of his posterity, from which others were excluded. For the dragons in the ivilderness.] The word tannin, or tannoth, signifies any large creature of the creeping kind, whether by land or sea. (See the note upon Micah i. 8.) Here it is taken for a great serpent, such as are commonly found in deserts and desolate places. (Compare Psal. xliv. 19. Isa. xiii. 22. Jer. ix. 11. Ii. 37.).

Malachi 1:4

We are impoverished, [or destroyed, compare Jer. v. 17. but we will return and build the desolate places.] They hoped to be restored to their own country again, as the Jews had been. They shall build, but I will throw down.] Or, If they shall build, yet I will throw down. (See Noldius, Concord. p. 90.) They shall never succeed in their attempts to recover their own country, and shall be finally subdued by Ilyrcanus, and the name of the Edomite utterly extinguished. (See Dr. Prideaux, ad an. A. C. 129.),. And they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.] They shall be spoken of as a remarkable example of. God’s severe judgments upon a sinful people. The word border is equivalent to country here, and in the following verse: so it is used, Jer. xxxi. 17. Ezek. xi. 10. Amos vi. 2.

Malachi 1:5

And your eyes shall see it, and ye shall say, The Lordivillbe magnified from the border of Israel. Though. you ungratefully forget God’s former mercies, he will give you fresh instances of his favour towards you, so that ye shall be forced to acknowledge that he continues to make his name and power illustrious in your preservation.

Malachi 1:6

A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master, &c. Those degrees of respect that are due to human authority, are in a more eminent manner to be paid to the supreme Lord of all: so the priests who arc dedicated to my servico in a peculiar manner, behave themselves very undutifully, in that disrespect which they shew to my name and worship. (Sec the following verse.) And ye say, 1 Vherein have ive despised thy name?] Or, Yet ye say: they impudently persist in justifying themselves. (Compare ii. 14. 17, iii. 7, 8. 13.) Digitized by Micrmoft ® [chap. I.

Malachi 1:7

Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar — the table of the Lord. The words altar and table denote the same thing. (Compare Ezek. xli. 22.) What was consumed upon the altar was God’s portion, and is called the bread of God, Lev. xxi. 6. and the food of the Lord, iii. 11. 1G. as our translation renders it, but it is in the Hebrew, the bread of the Lord. So by polluted bread ismeant maimed and blemished sacrifices, as it is particularly expressed, ver. 8. In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.] By your actions you declare how little value you have for the worship of God, since you care riot in how slight ancb contemptuous a manner it is performed.

Malachi 1:8

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?. The beasts to be offered in sacrifice* were required to be perfecfand without blemish, (Lcv.‘xxii. 21, 22.) Offer it now to thy governor; will he be pleased with thee?] It argues a great contempt of Almighty God, when men are less careful in maintaining the decencies of his worship, than they are in giving proper respects to their superiors.

Malachi 1:9

And now, I pray you, beseech God, that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: wilt he regard your persons?. This irreverent performance of God’s worship is a national sin, for which we may expect some public judgment. It is the priests’ office to intercede with God, to be merciful to his people: (see Joel ii. 17.) and you are more especially obliged to do this, because this wickedness has been occasioned by your neglect, although it is much to be feared he will not regard your prayers or intercession.

Malachi 1:10

WJio is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? &c. You do not attend upon my service in the temple, out of any zeal or affection for it, but purely with a regard to your own profit and advantage, which makes both your persons and your offerings unacceptable unto me: and under the gospel I will put an end both to your priesthood and the sacrifices which you offer. (See the following verse.) The words for nought, at the end of the first sentence, are not in the Hebrew, but are supplied by our interpreters. The LXX. render the sentence to this sense, It is throughyou (Or, through your fault) that the doors’ will be shut; i. e. you would be content to have the doors of the temple quite shut up, and God’s worship’wholly intermitted.

Malachi 1:11

And in every place incense shall be offered to my name, and a pure offering^ The prophet describes the Christian sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving, by the outward rites of the Jewish worship. (See the note on Zech. xiv. 1G.) Incense" was lookedupon as a figure or emblem of prayer by the Jews themselves. (See Psal. cxli. 2. Luke i. 10.) This spiritual Service, the prophet saith, shall be offered up in every place; whereas the Jewish worship was confined to the temple. The words of Christ are a commentary on this text, John iv/21. 23. The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father: but (lit true worshippers shall worship him iu spirit and in truth. Where spirit is opposed to the carnal ordinances of the Jewish service, such as meats and drinks and bloody sacrifices; and truthis used by way of distinction from the same external rituals, which were Gnly shadows of things to come. The Hebrew word mincha, offering, is commonly translated by our interpreters meatoffering, but should rather be rendered bread-offering; it being that offering of fine flour which always accompanied the other sacrifices. (See Lev. ii. 1. ix. 17.) It seems to signify the daily sacrifice, by a synecdoche, in the thirteenth verse of this chapter, and ii. 12, 13. as it does in 1 Kings xviii.29. 3G. Mr. Mede thinks the word is used here to denote the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, which may be properly called a commemorative sacrifice. (See his discourse of the Christian Sacrifice.)

Malachi 1:12

But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted, &c. But ye have profaned mine altar, and in your careless performance of my service there, you do as good as say, there is no difference between wh^t is offered upon it, and other common meats: thus you render my sacrifices contemptible in the sight of the people. The* word nib, fruit, is applied to sacrifice, see Isa. Ivii. 19. where the fruit of the lips is explained of the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, Heb. xiiL15. The oc/o, his meat, may be understood either of that* part of the sacrifice which was immediately offered upon the altar, and is called the food of the Lord, (see the note upon ver. 7.) or else ©f the remainder of the sacrifice which God allotted to the priest, and to those that made the offering, but was still esteemed a hallowed thing, as having: been consecrated to God. (See Numb, xviii. 9, 10. Lev. xix.8.)

Malachi 1:13

Ye have said, Wliat a weariness is it! and.yc have sniiffed at it. Ye have complained of the constant attendauccr upon my altar, as a wearisome employment, as if ye were overburdened with the care of purifying yourselves, and the nice inspection of the sacrifices brought thither; so you have by your outward gestures expressed your contempt of my service. And you have brought tliat which was torn, &c] See ver. 8. TItey have brought an offering.] See the note upon ver. 11. Should I accept this of your hands?] God hath declared in Lev. xxii. 20. that he will not accept a sacrifice any way blemished or imperfect.

Malachi 1:14

But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voiceth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a cor’ rupt thing. The former reproofs related only to the priests; here the prophet Teproves the people, that would offer to deceive Almighty God by putting him off with the worst they had. Dr. Pocock. thinks the words are to be understood of such offerings as of their own accord they vowed to God, which were to be males: (Lev. xxii. 19.) and if they would not peiform their vows, in such a manner as God directed, it wore better they did not vow at all. (See Deut. xxiii. 21.) It was in this respect that Abel’s sacrifice was preferred before Cain’s, that he offered of the best of his substance. Thus much is implied in the words of St. Paul, Heb. xi. 4. where the apostle saith, Abel offered nXdova Svaiav, a sacrifice better in its kind than Cain. For I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is [or, shall be] dreadful among the heathen.] As God is the great King over all the earth, and -will be acknowledged as such among the gentiles under the gospel; (ver. 11.) somen’s religious services ought to be performed with a reverence suitable to the greatness of his majesty.