A Refiner’s Fire

Malachi 2:17-4:6

 

The Day of His Coming (2:17-3:5)

This passage is another example of the format of statement, challenge, and argument that prevails in the book of Malachi. In this statement, we are charged with having wearied the Lord by continuing to question his justice. In Isaiah we are told that those of us who would pervert the justice of God are the ones who rely on our own wisdom (Isaiah 5:20-21). And even if that wisdom does not lead us into deliberate evil, it may suggest a complacency that would deny the active judgment of the Lord (Zephaniah 1:12). What temerity we have, when even our Lord would not put himself in the place of God (Mark 10:17-18).

If, like Job, we feel we have been wronged and would demand an audience with God, then we should brace ourselves for what will come to us (Job 19:7; 38:1-3). If, like Habakkuk, we would cry out for God to take action against the injustice we see around us, then we should be prepared to be utterly amazed (Habakkuk 1:2-5). We are promised a baptism of fire, and this promise is either comfort or condemnation (Matthew 3:11-12).

Bring the Whole Tithe (3:6-18)

The next charge against us is that we attempt to rob God by shortchanging him in our tithes. Showing honor to God and giving support to his church by returning a portion of our material wealth is unquestionably important, but we should note that God has always called for more. More than solemn assemblies or the noise of songs he calls for justice (Amos 5:21-24). More than sacrifice, he calls for mercy (Hosea 6:4-6). More than the strictest tithe, he calls for righteousness (Matthew 23:23-24).

Though we would like to depend on the things we can make with our hands or form in our minds, we can only trust in God (Isaiah 45:22). And when we trust in God, he will become more real to us than all the things of this world (Psalm 34:8). This is our faith – both what we know and our way of knowing: when we are weary we may find rest in him (Matthew 11:28-30).

Surely the Day Is Coming (4:1-6)

Whether we look forward to it in faith or in fear, the Day of the Lord is coming. We may for a while convince ourselves that we will escape judgment, but the Lord knows better (Psalm 37:12-13). And we may convince ourselves for a while that we have no need of salvation, but the Lord knows better (Luke 12:16-21). But the fire that is surely coming is a refiner’s fire, and as sure as the day of judgment is the day of salvation.

“Do not be worried and upset,” Jesus told them. “Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am. (John 14:1-3 GNB)

A Covenant of Life and Peace

Malachi 2:1-16

 

This Admonition is for You (2:1-9)

Through the prophet, the Lord has already asked “Where is the honor due me?” (1:6) In this section, he begins to characterize the the honor he requires, as he says we have not “set our hearts” to honor his name. Through Isaiah, he has charged us with approaching him with our mouths, but not our hearts (Isaiah 29:13). Such lip service is no honor to God, and with it we only fool ourselves (James 1:22-25).

When our relationship with God is broken, the consequences are serious, even though they are described here in theatrically dramatic terms. In this disturbing metaphor, our failed relationship is described as a failure to keep the covenant of Levi, the tribe that was set apart to serve and worship the Lord (Numbers 3:11-13; Deuteronomy 10:8). This covenant is offered to us as a blessing and a curse, a choice of life or death (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

And if we choose God, then God has chosen us (Exodus 19:5-6). We will become a nation of priests, so that we may declare the praises of God (1 Peter 2:9-10). From our mouths we will declare the knowledge of salvation, which is the forgiveness of sin (Luke 1:76-77).

Have We not all one Father? (2:10-12)

How do we accept our election as priests? If we remain true to our God, and reject the false gods of this world, and if we set our hearts to honor the Lord our God, then we must love our fellows of his creation. We are one body and we all have one God, but this unity is neither a token that is granted automatically, or a goal that is never achieved. If we make every effort, we can honor God by becoming one in his service (Ephesians 4:3-6).

This is part of the covenant. We have all one father, and we cannot honor that father without loving our fellow man (1 John 4:19-21).

You Flood the Lord’s Altar With Tears (2:13-16)

The issue of divorce is certainly a part of the way we treat each other, and so it is important to understand what the Bible says about it. Divorce is mentioned in the law in passing, among a collection of miscellaneous laws (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Ezra, thought to be a contemporary of Malachi, lead the people in divorcing themselves from their foreign women and their children (Ezra 10:2-3). And the Lord himself uses divorce in his condemnation of the people of Judah (Jeremiah 3:8). Jesus, while at the same time making clear the dire result of divorce, also casts doubts on the legal standing of divorce in the law of God (Matthew 19:1-11).

Probably we could all agree that divorce is not a good thing, but the Bible, in these and other verses, makes clear that there are occasions when it is appropriate.

But just as the Lord uses adultery as a metaphor for our wandering from our covenant relationship with him, we should also understand that divorce is a metaphor for our abandonment of the things we know to be good and true so that we may replace them with the vain pursuits of this world. That is, for the rejection of the covenant of life and peace.

Useless Fires

Malachi Chapter 1

Malachi (1:1)

The name Malachi means “my messenger.” The name is very similar to the word that is translated “my messenger” in (3:1). Many scholars understand the name to be a pseudonym which protects the anonymity of an unknown prophet, but others take it as a given name. As in all such cases, we must ask ourselves what bearing this debate has on our interpretation of the scripture. It could be argued that the question has no bearing at all, as neither position would enlighten our reading. If we were to understand Malachi as a given name, this position would not in any way aid or inform our reading of the prophecy. By the same token, if we were to accept the theory of the pseudonym, it would not detract at all from our understanding.

The time period in which Malachi prophesied is not explicitly given, and so we must take what clues are available from the text. For example, the prophet uses a word which we translate governor (1:8). This word is Persian in origin, and is the same word used in Nehemiah and Haggai, for example, which are known to be post-exilic works (Nehemiah 5:14; Haggai 1:1). The references to the temple, if taken on face value, would indicate that his ministry took place either before the first temple was destroyed or after the second temple was built. Taken together with the reference to a governor, it would seem to point to the post-exilic period. The prophecy is addressed to Israel, and this might be understood to detract from the post-exilic placement, as the kingdom of Israel fell before the exile, but it was common for prophets of the post-exilic period to use this name in reference to the people of God, rather than people from a specific region (cf. Ezra 5:1).

Esau I Have Hated (1:2-5)

This passage establishes the format that is predominate in the book. First, there is a statement. In this case, the statement “I have loved you” is made by the Lord. Second, there is an interrogative challenge to the statement. Here, this challenge is made by the Lord on our behalf: “But you ask ‘How have you loved us?’” Finally, the challenge is followed by an argument. In this case, the Lord points out that, even though Jacob and Esau were brothers, the Lord chose Jacob and rejected Esau.

It seems that the rivalry between Jacob and Esau began even in the womb, for as Jacob was delivered we was grasping the heel of his brother (Genesis 25:26). In one of their encounters, Esau earned the nick-name Edom while rashly promising away his birthright (Genesis 25:29-32). This name was given to the descendants of Esau, the Edomites, and these people were in continuing conflict with the Israelites (2 Kings 8:21-22).

In this setting in Malachi, Jacob and Esau are used as metaphoric references to entire nations. And, more than nations, to those who will accept or reject their adoption as children of the one Father.

To belabor this point slightly, the names Jacob and Esau, which call to our minds specific individuals, are used as metaphor to call to our minds more general, less easily defined concepts. In the same way, we must understand that when the Lord refers to love and hate, he uses terms that have a restricted meaning in our experience in order to call something greater to our minds. Even our loftiest conception of love is a poor representation of the love of God. And, if it seems strange to speak of hate in reference to a God that is the very origin of love, we must note that we cannot constrain our God to our conception. The hatred of God, as it is an attribute of God, must be as beneficial to us has his love.

In this setting, God’s love of Jacob and hatred of Esau are used to represent his sovereign authority in our world. As Paul observed, It is God’s choice to love or to hate – he will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy (Romans 9:11-16). When we wonder if the Lord is active in our day-to-day lives, we must remember that we cannot judge God by our own standards.

Where Is the Honor due Me? (1:6-9)

In this introduction to a section dealing with unacceptable sacrifice, the Lord declares that our sacrifice does not give him the honor and respect he is due. In his argument, he declares that our offerings are not only not perfect, but have major defects: blind, lamed, diseased. Our offerings begin to lose their perfection when we begin to become detached from our relationship with our God – when we come to him with lips alone and fall short of the requirement of heart, soul and strength (Isaiah 29:13; Deuteronomy 6:5). When we believe that we can establish our own standards for worship and service, we deny the active role of our God in our world (Zephaniah 1:12).

You Sniff at It (1:10-14)

As the discussion of sacrifice continues, we see that on the one hand the Lord would rather see the temple closed and abandoned rather than put up with our polluted sacrifice, and on the other we simply sniff at the Lord’s requirements as if they were either of no consequence or beneath our dignity. When our offerings do not arise from our love for our God and our fellow beings, these offerings will not be accepted (Amos 5:21-24; Hosea 6:4-6).

But we should also note that we cannot remedy this failed relationship of our own accord. When we have been polluted by the life we live and the choices we make, our cleansing can only come from God, who will put us in right relationship and suit us for his purpose (Isaiah 6:1-8).