Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Malachi · About this commentary
The Messenger of the Covenant
Malachi 2:17-3:5
17 You have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in Yahweh’s sight, and he delights in them;’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’ · WEB
They ask where the God of justice is, and the answer is that he is coming — which turns out to be a more alarming reply than they expected.
You have wearied Yahweh with your words. The objection is quoted as usual, and the words that wearied him are given: evildoers prosper and God is pleased with them, or else — where is the God of justice?
The reply begins in the next verse and grants the demand exactly. He is coming. A messenger will prepare the way before him, and then the Lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple, the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Three figures in one verse, and the word for messenger is the book's own title word Malachi 2:7.
But verse 2 turns the answer over: who can endure the day of his coming, and who will stand when he appears? A refiner's fire and launderers' soap are both agents that remove things, and neither is gentle. The refiner sits down — the posture is patient, not hasty — and the first metal into the crucible is the sons of Levi, the very priesthood chapter 1 indicted. The God of justice they asked for arrives, and he begins at the temple.
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