rd

Malachi 3

1 Of the messenger of the Lord, John Baptist, & of Christ’s office.
1.Behold, I will send my amessenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the bLord whom ye seek, shall speedily come to his Temple: even the cmessenger of the covenant whom ye desire: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2.But who dmay abide the day of his coming? and who shall endure, when he appeareth? for he is like a purging fire, and like a fuller’s soap.
3.And he shall sit down to try and fine the silver: he shall even fine the sons of eLeví, and purify them as gold and silver, that they may bring offerings unto the Lord in righteousness.
4.Then shall the offerings of Judáh and Jerusalém be acceptable unto the Lord, as in old time and in the years afore.
5.And I will come near to you to judgement, and I will be a swift witness against the soothsayer, and against the adulterers, and against false swears, & against those that wrongfully keep back the hireling’s wages, and vex the widow, and the fatherless, and oppress the stranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6.For I am the Lord: I change not, and ye sons of Jaakób fare not consumed.
7.From the days of your fathers, ye are gone away form mine ordinances, and have not kept them: greturn unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts: but ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8.Will a hman spoil his gods? yet have ye spoiled me: but ye say, Wherein have we spoiled thee? In itithes and offerings.
9.Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have spoiled me, even this whole nation.
10.Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine House, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven unto you, and pour you out a blessing kwithout measure.
11.And I will rebuke the ldevourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground, neither shall your vine be barren in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12.And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shalbe a pleasant land, saith the Lord of hosts.
13.Your words have been stout magainst me, saith the Lord: yet ye say, What have we spoken against thee?
14.Ye have said, It is in vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his commandment, and that we walked humbly before the Lord of hosts?
15.Therefore we count the proud blessed: even they that work wickedness, are set up, and they that tempt God, yea, they are ndelivered.
16.oThen spake they that feared the Lord, every one to his neighbour, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a pbook of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his Name.
17.And they shalbe to me, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day qthat I shall do this, for a flock, and I will rspare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18.Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.

Notes

1-a.
This is meant of John Baptist, as Christ expounded it, Lk. 7.27.
1-b.
Meaning, Messiah, as Ps. 140.1, Dan. 9.17.
1-c.
That is, Christ by whom the covenant was made and ratified, who is called the Angel or messenger of the covenant, because he reconciles us to his father: and is Lord or King, because he has the government of his Church.
2-d.
He shows that the hypocrites which wish so much for the Lord’s coming, will not abide when he draws near: for he will consume them, and purge his and make them clean.
3-e.
He begins at the Priests that they might be lights & shine unto others.
6-f.
They murmured against God, because they saw not his help ever present to defend them: and therefore he accuses them of ingratitude, and shows that in that they are not daily consumed, it is a token, that he does still defend them: and so his mercy toward them never changes.
7-g.
Read Zech. 1.3.
8-h.
There are none of the heathen so barbarous, that will defraud their gods of their honour, or deal deceitfully with them.
8-i.
Whereby the service of God should have been maintained, and the Priests, and the poor relieved.
10-k.
Not having respect how much you need, but I will give you in all abundance: so that you shall lack place to put my blessings.
11-l.
Meaning, the caterpillar, and whatsoever destroys corn and fruits.
13-m.
The Prophet condemns them of double blasphemy against God: first in that they said that God had no respect to them that served him, and next that the wicked were more in his favour then the godly.
15-n.
They are not only preferred to honour, but also delivered from dangers.
16-o.
After these admonitions of the Prophet some were lively touched, and encouraged others to fear God.
16-p.
Both because the thing was strange, that some turned to God in that great and universal corruption, and also that this might be an example of God’s mercies to all penitent sinners.
17-q.
When I shall restore my Church according to my promise, they shall be as my own proper goods.
17-r.
That is, forgive their sins, and govern them with my Spirit.