Daily Devotional Monday 6th January 2020
by William MoodyMalachi 3:1–12
3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.1 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
Robbing God
6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer2 for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
Footnotes
[1] 3:3
Or and they will belong to the Lord, bringers of an offering in righteousness
[2] 3:11Probably a name for some crop-destroying pest or pests (ESV)
The messenger here is John the Baptist (v1, see Matthew 3 v1-3). The Lord Himself would come in the person of Jesus. The temple is being highlighted as it was the place of worship that the Lord had such a contention with Jesus’ appearances at the temple included at His birth, (Luke 2 v22-39), as a boy (Luke 2 v41-50) and the cleansing (Luke 19 v4S-48).
There is a great repetition of words to do with cleansing (v2-3). The goal of this is to create acceptable worshippers. This is first among the Levites who were responsible for the worship at the temple, and then among the whole people (v3b-4).
There is given a list of sinners highlighted who will receive judgment (v5). There are listed sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, fraudsters, oppressors and the unjust. The cause of this sinfulness was a lack of fear of God (v5b). We must examine ourselves and fear God, because God does not take sin lightly.
The Lord highlights the unfaithfulness of Israel and then graciously calls them to return (v7). The God of grace does not change (v6). In calling the people to return, the Lord starts with highlighting tithes and offerings (v8-10a). Our use of our money and possessions will reveal much about our hearts.
The result of a return to faithfulness in this will be great blessing (v10b-12)
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