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Malachi Warns of the Messenger
August 1, 2015

Last week we continued our study of the Book of Malachi by examing a commandment given to priests, and how when out of touch with God, priests rely on emotion as a false religion. Today Malachi warns of the messenger who exposes the sins of the priests.

Malachi 3:1-6
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

The messenger would appear at a time before the Lord would come to the temple in the great and dreadful Day of the Lord. Refining the priests through this action, the priests would once again be pure in the sight of God. Punished in this action would be those who dabble in the occult, and those with loose sexual morals. Also punished are those who lie, and those who oppress others in need such as employees, the elderly, orphans, and those migrating through with no way to earn an income. Yes is hard to imagine priests who would oppress the most needy of people. Malachi reminds us even with priests, evil is possible.

Malachi 3:7-12
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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 you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

Through the words recorded by Malachi, it becomes clear that the period of lawlessness is multi-generational and that the priests of Levi were corrupt and oblivious to it. Instead of bringing the tithes and offering of the children of Israel to the storehouse, they priests stole from God and misrepresented themselves to those who originally gave the tithes and offering. If only the priests would change their ways and from that point on bring the people's tithes and offering to the storehouse, God would forgive them. Instead, the priests chose to continue to embezzle from God. Somehow in all of this, they probably thought they were the good guys as they lived rich and opulent lifestyles at the expense of the tithes and offerings of the common person.

Malachi 3:13-18
Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Malachi continues to show how the arrogant and corrupt priests lived a life based on a lie. While serving God, they understood there was no financial gain in their service, and they wanted wealth and they took it and turned the morals upside down. Pride replaced happiness; wickedness is glorified, and those who should be condemned are somehow saved, all in this corrupt system of false religious worship based on emotion. During this time of evil there are those who understand and do what God expects. To these individuals God promises deliverance.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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