Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Malachi
Book: Malachi
Chapter: 3
Overview:
The
Coming of Christ.
(1-6) The Jews reproved for their
corruptions.
(7-12) God's care of his people; The distinction
between the righteous and the wicked.
(13-18)
1-6 The first words of this
Chapter seem an answer to the
scoffers of those days. Here is a
Prophecy of the appearing of
John the Baptist. He is
Christ's harbinger. He shall prepare the
way before him,
By Calling men to
Repentance. The
Messiah had
been long called, "He that should come," and now shortly he will
come. He is the
Messenger of the
Covenant. Those who seek
Jesus,
shall find pleasure in him, often when not looked for. The
Lord
Jesus, prepares the sinner's
Heart to be his
Temple,
By the
ministry of his
Word and the convictions of his
Spirit, and he
enters it as the
Messenger of peace and consolation.
No
Hypocrite or formalist can endure his doctrine, or stand before
his tribunal.
Christ came to distinguish men, to separate
between the precious and the vile. He shall sit as a
Refiner.
Christ,
By his
Gospel, shall purify and reform his
Church, and
By his
Spirit working with it, shall regenerate and cleanse
souls. He will take away the
Dross found in them. He will
separate their corruptions, which render their faculties
worthless and useless. The believer needs not fear the fiery
trial of
Afflictions and temptations,
By which the
Saviour
refines his
Gold. He will take care it is not more intense or
longer than is needful for his good; and this trial will
End far
otherwise than that of the wicked.
Christ will,
By interceding
for them, make them accepted. Where
No fear of
God is,
No good
is to be expected. Evil pursues sinners.
God is unchangeable.
And though the sentence against evil
Works be not executed
speedily, yet it will be executed; the
Lord is as much an enemy
to
Sin as ever. We may all apply this to ourselves. Because we
have to do with a
God that changes not, therefore it is that we
are not consumed; because his compassions fail not.
7-12 The men of that
Generation turned away from
God, they had
not kept his ordinances.
God gives them a gracious
Call. But
they said, Wherein shall we return?
God notices what returns our
hearts make to the calls of his
Word. It shows great
perverseness in
Sin, when men make
Afflictions excuses for
Sin,
which are sent to part between them and their sins. Here is an
Earnest exhortation to reform.
God must be served in the first
place; and the interest of our souls ought to be preferred
before that of our bodies. Let them trust
God to provide for
their comfort.
God has blessings ready for us, but through the
weakness of our
Faith and the narrowness of our desires, we have
not room to receive them. He who makes trial will find nothing
is lost
By honouring the
Lord with his substance.
13-18 Among the Jews at this time, some plainly discovered
themselves to be children of the wicked one. The
Yoke of
Christ
is easy. But those who work wickedness, tempt
God By
presumptuous sins.
Judge of things as they will appear when the
doom of these proud sinners comes to be executed. Those that
feared the
Lord, spake kindly, for preserving and promoting
mutual
Love, when
Sin thus abounded. They spake one to another,
in the language of those that fear the
Lord, and think
On his
name. As evil communications corrupt good minds and manners,
So
good communications confirm them. A
Book of remembrance was
written before
God. He will take care that his children perish
not with those that believe not. They shall be vessels of
Mercy
and honour, when the
Rest are made vessels of wrath and
dishonour. The saints are
God's jewels; they are dear to him. He
will preserve them as his jewels, when the
Earth is burned up
like
Dross. Those who now own
God for theirs, he will then own
for his. It is our duty to serve
God with the disposition of
children; and he will not have his children trained up in
idleness; they must do him service from a principle of
Love.
Even
God's children stand in need of sparing
Mercy. All are
righteous or wicked, such as serve
God, or such as serve him
not: all are going to
Heaven or to
Hell. We are often deceived
in our opinions concerning both the one and the other; but at
the
Bar of
Christ, every
Man's character will be known. As to
ourselves, we have need to think among which we shall have our
Lot; and, as to others, we must
Judge nothing before the time.
But in the
End all the world will confess that those alone were
Wise and happy, who served the
Lord and trusted in Him.