| December 15, 1999 | The Purifier Comes | Malachi 3:1-6

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Lord gave His Word to the prophet Malachi to write, sometime around the year 450 BC. The people had been returning for a couple of decades to the Holy land from their exile in Babylon. They were exiled in judgment for their sins. Now, Malachi writes in a setting where the people were going back to their old sins. The lesson of the exile had not stuck with them.

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, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts.

Matthew's Gospel clearly attaches this prophecy to its fulfillment through John the Baptist some 480 years later. Luke has the Song of Zachariah, which we read tonight, that also says of John the Baptist: "For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways." John was the messenger who prepared the way for the coming of Christ. John's message was one of warning: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" In Malachi too, we see that sense of warning for the Lord will suddenly come to His temple. This is the Lord whom we should be seeking for He is the one to whom we need to reconcile. We need to be restored to Him. Yet, few seek Him. Here is the warning: "He is coming."

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 launderer's soap.

The coming of the Lord becomes an event to fear with the question of who might stand when He comes? Who will be righteous, who will be seen favorably, who will avoid punishment? Several other prophets ask the same question: Who can stand or endure when that day comes? Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Nahum all ask it. The Revelation to John put the question into the present tense: "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

The second part of this verse brings out the purifying aspect of the Lord's coming. Like the fire of one who refines metals, or the soap of one who washes clothes, the Lord will come to remove impurity. The New Testament brings in the idea of winnowing in the judgment, that is, separating wheat from the chaff, which is the same idea of purification.

3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.

The outcome of this purification is that our hearts will be without sin. We will love the Lord with all our hearts. Zechariah says, "I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'" Then we can offer to God an offering of righteousness.

Note that the sons of Levi are mentioned here. This would specifically refer to those called the Levites, who had the special duties regarding the Lord's temple in the Old Testament. The priests came out of Aaron's family, also descendants of Levi. These priests and Levites had fallen into trouble in Israel after the Exile was over. The book of Malachi was written to give these priests a strong call to repentance, but it is also written for all of us. In fact, as Peter writes in his first epistle, we are a royal priesthood - all of us who believe in Christ are priests.

4 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years.

The offering that is make in righteousness, the new-found righteousness will be a pleasing offering. In our sinful state, with our corrupt nature that wants to lead us away from God, we cannot offer anything pleasing to Him. With the purification that came through Christ and the cross, we can offer that which is pleasing. Thus, following the purification of the final judgment, all sin will be removed and erased from us forever, and all we do will be forever pleasing to our God.

5 And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien -- Because they do not fear Me," Says the LORD of hosts.

The judgment will come, and for those who reject the Savior, it will be a swift deliverance to punishment. Some specific sins are mentioned here, as examples of those with which the unbelievers might be involved. However, the reason these sins are punished is, as the text says: "'Because they do not fear Me,' Says the LORD of hosts." Those who reject the salvation our God freely offers will be judged guilty of all their sins. We who trust in the Lord have something else coming for us.

6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

What is the promise? We are not consumed. The fire will refine us and purify us of all sin, but we will survive and come out shining and pure. We will not be burned. This promise is stated will the introduction stating that the Lord does not change. His promises are valid and certain forever. He is faithful. Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations: "Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not." The Lord does not forget to show us mercy as He has assured us through Christ.

As we prepare for the coming of Christ this advent, we prepare in full confidence that the Lord has promised us a full rescue from the punishment of judgment. Then, as we move into the celebration of Christmas, we are joyful to review how our God was so gracious to come among us and be born a child to deliver us from the judgment. Then we await His return to bring all things to completion. Behold, He is coming, yet we will not be consumed. Thanks be to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.