The next study that Rudy Ross and I will undertake is the Gospel of Matthew. When you read the Gospel of Matthew, you will see the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy in Chapter 3.
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? (Malachi 3.1-2).
John the Baptist served as the messenger who urged people to make ready the path for the Lord. Contrary to celebrating the arrival of the Messiah, individuals struggled as Malachi had foretold, finding it difficult to withstand the day of His coming.
Why do people resist the presence of the Lord? One answer is that we have our lives contained in a box that we’re comfortable living in. Jesus breaks open that box and challenges us to a new way of thinking.
We can either accept His new way through repentance, or we can resist Him and try to move Him out of the picture.
Refiner’s Fire
For 45 years, I’ve worn a gold ring on my left hand that symbolizes the love and commitment I have for Toni. I am grateful that, somewhere in the process, the gold was refined and fashioned into a ring that is a very significant part of my life.
The presence of the Lord will be like a refiner’s fire to God’s people when He comes.
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like washers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years (Malachi 3.2b-4).
One of my favorite preachers, in years gone by, was a gravelly-voiced pastor from Beaumont, Texas. One of his major themes was for people to pray to be broken.
While I have never prayed to be broken, because I don’t particularly like that process, the times when God has brought brokenness into my life have been beneficial.
They have served like the refiner’s fire that Malachi talks about.
While you may not pray to be broken, don’t resist God’s breaking in your life. He has a plan for you.
The Removal of Impurities
As God comes to America in 2024, I am sure He has a list of impurities that need to be refined from the church and our culture. Malachi presented a list to his people of impurities that needed to be removed in his day.
Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts (Malachi 3.5).
I’d like to comment on three aspects of Malachi’s list.
(1) To swear falsely is to tell an untruth in court. God comes to society to refine that behavior from our actions.
(2) To oppress the vulnerable, hired workers, widows, orphans, and immigrants are people that God consistently cares about in society. When a society thrusts its rights aside in favor of the powerful, we can count on God’s refining process.
(3) The best definition I have found for the fear of the Lord involves three steps. First, we come to God and live in a love relationship with Him. In that relationship, we humbly receive His guidance. Then, we act on that guidance in obedience.
There are many other aspects to the fear of the Lord, but that sums up the best understanding that I’ve learned from studying the Book of Proverbs.
When we choose not to live in the fear of the Lord with God, we can expect God’s refining process to try to move us in the proper direction.
Refining Will Happen
God loves us and wants the best for our lives. We can expect that God will use His refining process to give us His best.
We can be like the opponents of Jesus and try to push Him out of our lives to resist the refining process. Or we can be like His disciples and say, “Lord, wherever You lead, I’m going to follow.”
Let’s make the right choice today.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It can be found on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 