Malachi · chapter 3 of 4
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Malachi 3 answers the question about the God of justice by announcing that the Lord will send his messenger and come to his temple to purify the sons of Levi like a refiner's fire. It then calls the people to return to him and stop robbing him in tithes and contributions, with the promise of opening the windows of heaven. It ends with those who fear the Lord, whose names are written in a book of remembrance.
The previous chapter ended with the people asking where the God of justice is. Malachi 3 is the answer: the Lord himself will come, and his coming will be a purification. The chapter contains one of the best-known promises of the book, the messenger, which the Gospels apply to John the Baptist, and the most familiar passage on the tithe.
The Lord declares that he will send his messenger to prepare the way before him. Suddenly the Lord whom they seek will come to his temple, the messenger of the covenant whom they desire, and no one will be able to endure the day of his coming. He will be like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap: he will sit as a refiner of silver and purify the sons of Levi so that they present offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old (vv. 1-4).
The Lord will also draw near for judgment and will be a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, those who swear falsely, those who cheat the hired worker, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the foreigner. God affirms that he does not change, and that is why the sons of Jacob have not been destroyed. He calls them to return to him, and they ask how they are to return. God answers with an accusation: they have robbed him in tithes and contributions, and so they are under a curse. He invites them to bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in his house, to test him, and see whether he will not open the windows of heaven and pour out blessing until there is more than enough. He will also rebuke the devourer so that it does not destroy their crops, and all nations will call them blessed (vv. 5-12).
The Lord now quotes the harsh words some have spoken: that it is vain to serve God, and that the arrogant are happy. But those who feared the Lord spoke with one another, and the Lord listened and wrote a book of remembrance. They will be his, a treasured possession, on the day he acts, and he will spare them as a father spares the son who serves him. Then the difference between the righteous and the wicked will be seen again (vv. 13-18).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord announces that he will send a messenger to prepare the way before him, and that he will then come suddenly to his temple. The Gospels apply the first part to John the Baptist and the coming of the Lord to Jesus.
The Lord declares that he does not change, and that is why the sons of Jacob have not been consumed. God's faithfulness is the reason his people still exist and can return to him.
The Lord asks for the full tithe to be brought into the storehouse so that there is food in his house, and promises to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessing. It is an invitation to trust God with material things, addressed to Israel under the law.
Those who feared the Lord spoke with one another, and he listened and wrote a book of remembrance. Even when many doubt, God recognizes and remembers those who are faithful to him.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: His messenger, who will prepare the way before him. — Malachi 3:1
Answer: A refiner's fire and fullers' soap; he sits as a refiner of silver. — Malachi 3:2-3
Answer: Because the Lord does not change. — Malachi 3:6
Answer: Of robbing him in tithes and contributions. — Malachi 3:8
Answer: To open the windows of heaven and pour out blessing until there is more than enough. — Malachi 3:10
Answer: A book of remembrance before him. — Malachi 3:16
Malachi 3 invites us to return to God. To the people who asked how to return, God answered with something concrete: trust him with their resources. For believers today the passage is a question about generosity: do we give to God with joy and trust, or do we see it as an expense? A class can talk about how to support the work of the church and help the needy.
The chapter also encourages those who feel that serving God is not worth it. The Lord listens to those who fear him and remembers them. We do not need visible success to be faithful: God sees, records and rewards.
Malachi 3 announces the coming of the Lord as a day of purification and promises that the faithful will be his treasured possession. The next chapter, the last of the Old Testament, describes the day of the Lord and closes with the promise of Elijah.
The Gospels identify him with John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus (Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2). The Lord who comes to his temple is Jesus, whom the New Testament presents as the Lord who arrives to purify and judge.
Christians hold different views. Some see the tithe as a lasting guide for giving; others say the New Testament teaches generous, joyful giving according to what each has decided in his heart (2 Corinthians 9:6-8), without setting a percentage. In any case, the passage teaches us to trust God with our possessions and to support his work.