Heb. malachi. First, this prophecy concerning the coming of Jehovah’s messenger was fulfilled in the coming of the prophet Malachi, a type of Christ as the coming One. Second, this prophecy was fulfilled in the first coming of Christ with John the Baptist as His forerunner (Isa. 40:3-5; Matt. 11:7-13). In His first coming Christ came as a Messenger and even as the message sent by God. As the Messenger of God, Christ not only brings a word or a message from God to God’s people; He Himself is the living message. This is proven by the four Gospels, which are a complete and perfect record of Christ as the living message sent by God to His chosen people (see note Heb. 1:2^2a). As God’s Messenger Christ came to adjust, refine, and purify the priests. In the Gospels the Lord Jesus frequently rebuked the priests. Third, this prophecy will be fulfilled in the second coming of Christ with Elijah as His forerunner (Mal. 4:5 and note Mal. 4:5^1a).

Or, Messenger. Christ’s coming suddenly as the Angel of the covenant will be to execute upon Israel the covenant that He enacted through His death (Matt. 26:28). In His first coming Christ came in the way of an Angel, a serving one (cf. Heb. 1:14), to serve God in forming the new testament (Mark 10:45). When He established His table on the night in which He was betrayed, He enacted the new covenant (Luke 22:20), in which God is obligated to forgive our sins and to dispense Himself into our being to be our life, our law of life, and our everything as our inward content that we may live Him (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-12). As the Angel of the covenant, Christ in resurrection executes the new covenant as its surety (Heb. 7:22), making it real to us by assuring us that our sins have been forgiven and by dispensing the riches of the covenanted Triune God into us. See note Jer. 31:31^1a, note Jer. 31:33¹, and note Jer. 31:33^2d.

Although the Lord Jesus enacted the new covenant nearly two thousand years ago, generally the Jewish people have not benefited from it. Instead, the benefit has gone to the Gentiles. However, when Christ comes back, He will come as the Angel of the covenant to execute His covenant over the repentant and believing Jews. At that time they will become beneficiaries of the new covenant.

Cf. Hag. 2:7 and note Hag. 2:7¹.

Christ will come also to refine and purify the sons of Levi, mainly the priests, like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap that they may offer to God the proper sacrifice (vv. 2-4). In the millennium the repentant Jews who are regenerated through the new covenant will be the priests to care for all the nations (Isa. 2:2-3; Zech. 8:20-23). For this they will need much refining and purifying. Therefore, in His second coming Christ will renew, sanctify, and transform Israel to be His refined and purified priests.

Jehovah’s concern for the stranger indicates that as Christ He is very human and that He is not happy when His people ill-treat a stranger instead of giving him hospitality.

To rob God is to not give Him what is due to Him. God established the principle that of all the produce from the land, one tenth (the tithe), the top tenth, should go to Him (Lev. 27:30).

The food in God’s house is not for man but for God. God’s food, the divine food, is the offerings, especially the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering (Num. 28:2; 29:39), all of which typify Christ (see notes in Lev. chs. 1—7).

To be blessed by God here and in v. 12 is to be healed (Mal. 4:2). To be healed is to be saved, and to be saved is to be made whole.

This word indicates that the children of Israel worshipped and served God, but they did it mournfully, not at all happy that they were required to do these things.

When we consider, love, regard, respect, and sanctify God’s name, God keeps a record of this in His book of remembrance.

The day of God’s anger, i.e., the day of Jehovah. See note Joel 1:15^1a.