Malachi 3:1-4

Malachi 3:1-4 (NRSV)
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, 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 descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 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.

The pronouncement of judgment begins in Malachi 3:1-4. See, I am sending my messenger (Malachi means “my messenger) to prepare the way before me. II Isaiah has the messenger preparing the way of the Lord in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3). Some think Malachi may refer to himself here. This passage does not identify the messenger. Jesus says John the Baptist is the one who prepares the way, apparently for Jesus (Matthew 11:10). Further, the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to the temple of the Lord. The messenger (angel) of the covenant (berit), the one who will prepare the way, in whom you delight (placing the emphasis upon the presence of the Lord)—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. Covenant was a key theological idea in ancient Israel. While God made individual covenants with Noah, Abraham and David, the covenant between God and the entire people of Israel framed Israel’s religion and identity. The "angel of the covenant" is not the messenger, but is an enigmatic reference to Yahweh.  When theologians look for Old Testament roots of the Christian teaching on the Trinity, this passage is part of the discussion. This passage alternates between the sudden personal presence of the Lord with the messenger of the covenant.[1] ² However, who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? The question implies a searching ordeal in which no one will pass the test. For the Lord is like a refiner’s fire, a fire that is neither a forest fire out of control or the comfort of a campfire, but a fire that serves a purifying function, and like fullers’ soap, that is the ancient art of whitening cloth. ³ The Lord will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (giving full attention to the metal), and will purify the descendants of Levi (Zechariah 13:9, where one third of the land will remain alive and experience refining) and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. The passage uses language found especially in late prophetic texts for the Lord (or, as here, his servant) and always associated with the purification of a corrupted cult. The goal of such purifying was never the elimination of the cult but its purification and continuation in righteousness. We can see here that judgment is the purifying fire of the smelter. God is creator and judge. As creator, God will not allow what God has created to make shipwreck of the dissonance we find in creation. Those who turn away from God are the ones whom God has sought for that reason, moving them to reconciliation. Even those who turn to God in faith will find judgment a reality, but it will be the purifying fire. [2] 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.[3] However, one struggles as to when the time was that Israel offered pleasing sacrifices to the Lord, for Amos and Hosea also criticized such offerings. Some prophetic accounts of the wilderness time suggest the devotion they had in following the Lord (Jeremiah 2:2-3). This passage, therefore, like much of prophetic literature, looks both forward in eschatological anticipation and backward to an idealized past. 

Especially during the advent season, Christians can speak calmly of the coming of the Lord. Malachi is urging that we tremble. Even though Christians celebrate God with us at Christmas, the thought of the divine love coming to us should still arouse some concern and even fear. The coming of the Lord arouses indifferent messages and pleasant, agreeable feelings. Yet, the Lord draws near in order to lay claim to us. It may well be that we will not recognize the incomparable kindness until we have felt something of the fear. The Lord comes in the midst of our world of evil, death, and suffering, and judges the evil in us and in the world. By judging us, the Lord cleanses and sanctifies. Thus, the Lord comes with grace, of course, but it can be a rough grace as we experience it. The grace of God is not cheap. Redemption can be a harsh cure. It leads to a desirable outcome, but we ought not to take the thought of it lightly or assume that the Lord owes it to us.[4]

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[1] Barth, Church Dogmatics 1.1 [8.2] 322. 

[2] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 611.

[3] Some scholars think verses 2b-4 are an insertion into the original text by someone then on the scene who is a herald of the coming of God in fulfillment of the promise of the book.  Some have argued it is Ezra, or even the prophet himself.

[4] These comments are inspired by a Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a message given during Advent 1928.