The Coming Messenger
And he will bprepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
cEven the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, dHe is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
And bwho can stand when He appears?
For cHe is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may boffer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.
Will be1 pleasant to the Lord,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
aAgainst perjurers,
Against those who bexploit wage earners and cwidows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
bReturn to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
c“But you said,
‘In what way shall we return?’
| << Malachi 3:2 | Malachi 3:4 >> |
What Does Malachi 3:3 Mean?
Malachi 3:3-5
If we put this purging into a different metaphor, it means getting rid of the leaven (see I Corinthians 5:7); here people are being purged of sin. God shows that He will use persecution to purify His people through the testing of their loyalty. We know that our loyalty is being really tested all the time, but a time is coming when it will require a great deal more intense conviction about what we believe. This becomes very important because His purpose is to entrench these beliefs into our character.
If people are truly convicted regarding their beliefs, they will conduct themselves far differently than if they are unsure. It is right here that this point becomes important—super-important really—because the dross of cowardly believers is going to be removed. That is what Malachi 3:3 is about. It will either be removed or else. That is very sobering.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Four)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Malachi 3:3:
Amos 7:1-6
Malachi 3:3-5
Luke 17:28-30
| << Malachi 3:2 | Malachi 3:4 >> |
Join 137,262+ readers
A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning
Consistent Bible study is hard to start.
The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.
Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.