Malachi 3:1-18

3

The Speedy Judgment

1. This v. is closely connected with the preceding. It is the answer to the question, 'Where is the God of judgment?' The messenger is evidently a prophet or a succession of prophets: cp. Deuteronomy 18:9. The phrase he shall prepare the way before me is probably borrowed from Isaiah 40:3, where the thought is that a highway must be prepared on which 'the Glory of the Lord' may lead Israel to the land of Canaan. Zechariah (Zechariah 8:8) had promised that Jehovah would come to His Temple. The promise in Malachi's days had not yet been fulfilled, but Jehovah would 'hasten it in its time.'

2. Malachi shows himself here a true son of the older prophets. Jehovah cannot ignore sin; the day of his coming must therefore be a day of judgment: cp. Amos 5:18; Isaiah 33:14.;