Malachi 3:1-5 “ I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple, the messenger of the covenant whom you desire will come, says the Lord Almighty”. 

Jesus was coming.. and what Malachi said should have prepared the Pharisees and Saduccees. “ But who can endure the day of his coming?”  Jesus was not the Messiah that they wanted.. they could not accept Him.. even though He did exactly what Malachi said.. 

He came “like a refiner’s fire or launderer’s soap”.. 

He came to refine them “as a refiner and purifier of silver”

He came so that Judah would no longer offer defective offerings.. but come in righteousness. 

He came to expose the “sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers..”. He came to testify against those who defrauded the workers and oppressed the “widows and the fatherless” and those who deprived “the foreigners .. of justice.” 

He came because they no longer feared the Lord Almighty. 

When we look at all Jesus said and did in the Gospels.. we see that He did exactly that.. for the purpose of refining the people of God to become all that God desired them to be. 

V6-15. Once again the Lord addresses  Judah.. 

“Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.”  He was not the one who changed..the people of God continued to turn away from Him.. and they didn’t even see it.  “How are we to return?” They asked.  “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse..”   Do what you were commanded to do and do it in faith.. “ and see if I will not throw open the flood gates of heaven.. “ 

“You have spoken arrogantly against Me..”  the Lord says.. “What have we said against you?” They argued.  They didn’t see any use in serving God. They saw the arrogant being “blessed” and prospering. They saw the rich getting richer and getting away with their sinfulness. But, God said that this was “arrogant” talk.. for He did not change, and He was worthy of their faith.. of their worship.. and of their obedience.. They need to see as He truly is.  We need to be humble and reverent before Him.. and to trust Him to deal with the wicked.  What a relevant lesson in today’s climate!

Some listened that day.. and they “talked with each other”.  The Lord “listened and heard”. They wrote down this “scroll of remembrance”.. they “feared the Lord and honored His name.” The Lord called them “my treasured possession.”  He said, “ I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”  

Father in heaven, we honor Your holy name. We know that You do not change.  You do not ignore the wickedness of the world.  You do not forget those who belong to You.  You call us to be faithful and faith-filled. To trust You in all things and to obey Your Word.  Let us hear, once again, the words of Life.. the Words of our Lord who refines us like silver and purifies us like gold.  May we walk in faith, bringing the “whole tithe” into Your storehouse.  May we see that You are at work even when we don’t see it and that we can rest in Christ. Help us to be compassionate and kind, generous and loving.. filled with the grace of our Savior. Help us to walk in Christ so that all will be able to see the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Help us to stand apart as those who serve You. Let Your glory shine forth in Your people today, I pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.