Through-out this book, the prophet Malachi addresses the unbelieving people of Israel. But in our passage today, he turns to the few believers left in the nation. They were lamenting the lack of action on the part of God to bring judgment to unbelievers around them. They'd concluded God was unwilling to judge sin and had abandoned them. But Malachi reassures them God's love was on the way, as He spoke of a day when all wrongs will be made right - the day of the coming of the Messiah.
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Now, in speaking of the Messiah's coming, the Old Testament prophets knew facts about His coming, but they didn't fully comprehend the time sequence about His coming. They didn't know there was going to be a first and second coming of the Messiah. So they'd speak of His suffering and in the same breath also speak of His eventual reign.
"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow." - 1 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV)
The Old Testament prophets saw the 1st and 2nd comings of Christ as one event. Kind of like a person seeing what looks to be one mountain peak, but there is another peak behind it with a valley in between.
We who live in this present age are positioned to recognize what the Old Testament prophets did not, that the Messiah would come twice.
He came the 1st time to save (Isaiah 53:4-6); He'll come the 2nd time to judge (Jude 14-15).
He came the 1st time to die (Mark 10:45); He'll come the 2nd time to reign (Revelation 11:15).
He came the 1st time to bring peace to the human heart (John 14:27); He'll come the 2nd time to bring peace to the entire world. (Revelation 21:3-5).
While both comings of Christ are mentioned in this prophecy, it's His second coming, when all wrongs will be made right, that Malachi has in view, as he shares three truths about the coming of the Messiah.
1. The Preparation for His coming - v. 1
Malachi uses the word, "messenger" twice here; and we see the first coming of Christ mentioned with the second coming. First, John the Baptist is the Messenger spoken of. This refers to the first coming of Christ. Next, the Messenger is Jesus; a reference to the second coming.
Ironically, both are times of judgment. The first time Christ came, He took on Himself the judgment for the world's sin. The second time He comes, He will judge all who refused to accept His sacrifice for their sin. In this, we see the preparation that was needed before the coming these folks were looking for could take place - Christ had to be judged for mankind's sin, before He would judge mankind's sin. Christ had to first be nailed to a cross of judgment; before He would be seated on a throne of judgment. God has graciously provided the possibility of man's forgiveness, and now patiently provides opportunity for man's repentance. Before the justice of God could prevail in this world; God wanted to first see that
forgiveness was provided for this world.
There are many reasons why God might delay judgment. But the main reason is that He wants people to have a chance to escape judgment.
"The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9 (Amplified)
Just like there were those who needed to repent of waywardness; the folks Malachi addressed needed to repent of hardheartedness. Their eyes needed to be opened to the compassion of God above them; the need of those around them; and the callousness within them.
"There is something wrong when people are leaving the church to find God." - Paul Fritz (Professor, Trinity College)
There's another messenger tied to this passage. It's Malachi himself, whose name means, "My Messenger". That is who he was called to be and that is who God calls all His children to be.
". . . you will be my witnesses . . ." - Acts 1:8 (NIV)
2. The Purpose of His coming - vs. 2-4
When the Lord does come to exact judgment, He doesn't begin with those Malachi's audience thinks He should begin with. No, His focus is on the people of God (v. 3). His coming will be a time of refining and restoring, and His focus will be on those who belong to Him. The mention of the Levites (priests) in verse 3, reminds us of how we are told that God calls us to be His holy priests (1 Peter 2:5; 9) and how we will one day serve the Father forever as a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). When Christ returns for His people, He will complete whatever is lacking in us, making us like Him, our Great High Priest, in everyway. Why? So we might worship God properly.
"But the time is coming - indeed it’s here now - when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” - John 4:23-24 (NLT)
Jesus says this time when God's people will worship Him in spirit and truth is coming; and has come. It has come in the sense that due to the first coming of Jesus, we can be born again and made spiritually alive to God. Therefore, because of the first coming of Christ, we can worship the Father in spirit AND through living according to His Word, worship Him in truth. But we don't always get it right, do we?
When the billionaire Howard Hughes died, his company’s public relations director asked the casinos in Las Vegas, where Hughes owned multiple casinos, to show him respect by giving him a minute of silence. So, for an uncomfortable sixty seconds, the casinos fell eerily silent. Then a pit boss looked at his watch, leaned forward, and whispered, “Okay, roll the dice. He’s had his minute.” (From the book, Howard Hughes: The Hidden Years )
Too often, God's people treat Him like those gamblers in Las Vegas treated Howard Hughes. We interrupt our busy schedules once a week, rush into church, give God “His hour,” and then forget about Him and get back to what we’d rather be doing.
We often fail to recognize that worship is more than a weekly service to attend; it is daily service to offer.
"To present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God . . . is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship." - Romans 12:2 (Amplified)
“What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." - 1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)
Christ calls us to worship in spirit and in truth today, and He'll come to complete the work of making us that kind of worshiper one day.
3. The Promise of His coming- v. 5
The fact was, that in the divine plan of redemption, the Messiah had to come and first pay for the sins of the world so that judgment would be poured out on Him on behalf of all people. Thus, He would not come to judge in the days of Malachi, but in His own time. But one day, the Messiah would come. The 1st time to redeem, the 2nd time to reign.
Conclusion: Don't forget how Malachi begins this section (read 2:17). He points out that while the people of God were complaining about how sinful everyone around them were, they failed to recognize how heard-hearted they had become. While whining to God about His lack of judgment, God was wearied by their lack of commitment. God wanted them to understand that they were a big reason for the problem of wickedness reigning in their nation. The bottom line was this: If they would focus on being the kind of worshipers God called them to be, then they would be the kind of influence on others that they needed to be.
"You must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it." - 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)
And what is the hope we have to share? That God's love has come in the person of Christ! And we can effectively do so, if we are living the life of a worshiper that we are called to.
"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." - 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." - Matthew 12:30 (NIV)
When the Messiah comes for the second time, how will He find you?
Will He find you to be a whiner or a worshiper?
A gatherer or a scatterer?
