CRITICAL NOTES.
Malachi 3:6. I Jehovah] am unchangeable in gifts and calling, therefore sons of Jacob] (contrasted with Jehovah) will not be destroyed. “The Divine immutability secured the preservation of the Jewish people from destruction, not withstanding their flagrant wickedness, till he had accomplished all his purposes of mercy” [Henderson].
Malachi 3:7.] Reproof for non-payment of tithes, which was the cause of national calamities. Wherein] In what respect return? indicates a self-righteous spirit
Malachi 3:8.] They did what none should dare to do. Rob] Defraud God. Tithes had been withheld, though they were severely punished.
Malachi 3:9.] Ch. Malachi 2:2
Malachi 3:10-12.] Nature of curse.
Malachi 3:10. All] Not a portion, and thus defraud God. Storehouse] Treasuries (Nehemiah 13:12). Prove] if I am not holy and righteous, an attitude which they had questioned. Then shall promised blessings flow like pouring rain. Pour] Lit. empty out (2 Kings 7:2). Enough] Lit. till there is no more need; i.e. superabundance [Keil]. Where sufficiency can have no more place; more than sufficient; superabundantly [Henderson].
Malachi 3:11]. The thought individualized. Devourer] Locusts and other noxious creatures. Rebuke] Practically; i.e. to frustrate the intention. Nothing shall then miscarry.
Malachi 3:12. Blessed] In consequence of God’s blessing. Delight.] An object of pleasure to every one (Zechariah 8:13; Deuteronomy 33:29).
HOMILETICS
THE UNCHANGING GOD.—Malachi 3:6
God judges the wicked and purifies the righteous to carry out his immutable purpose of love. He changes not, therefore the sons of Israel do not perish.
I. God is unchangeable, therefore his character should not be maligned. “I Jehovah, I change not.” Sin may triumph, judgments appear long, but we must never infer from this that God has changed. God is the same in essence and act as ever. He is not less wise and mighty, just and true, than at the beginning. Whatever be the character of his dispensation, he is the eternal and immutable One, “with whom is no variableness (vicissitudes, eclipses, and decreases, like planets), nor shadow (adumbrations, like stars in different sites and positions) of turning” (James 1:17).
II. God is unchangeable, therefore his covenant abides. Man’s word is recalled, altered, or forgotten. Man’s conduct is fickle, self-willed, and sinful. But “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” God’s covenant with Israel is “equipped and sure” (2 Samuel 23:5). The ingratitude and unfaithfulness of man can never annul it. Nothing can be reversed. “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (i.e. immutable and unalterable) (Romans 2:29).
III. God is unchangeable, therefore his people are not consumed. “Ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” We are fretful and impatient with one another, despair of amendment and love; but God waits patiently, never casts off entirely, and abides by his word of promise. We provoke him to anger, but he remembers his covenant. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
DIVINE BLESSINGS SUSPENDED.—Malachi 3:7-12
In these words God explains why his blessings have been withheld, reproves the people for keeping back tithes and offerings, and promises abundant blessings on condition of repentance.
I. Why are Divine blessings withheld? The reason is not found in God, but in the people. God is not unwilling to bless, nor slack concerning his promise, but they do not fulfil the conditions.
1. They have rebelled against God. “Ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them” (Malachi 3:7). Their sins were of long continuance, imitated by posterity, and defended with pertinacity.
2. They have robbed God. They defrauded God in a twofold sense. The priests did not discharge their sacrificial duties rightly, and the Levites could not officiate for God, because driven away in destitution. How, therefore, can God bless them in their apostasy? The reward of obedience cannot be given to the disobedient.
II. On what conditions will Divine blessings be given? They are called upon to prove God, to test him, by complying with his wish (Malachi 3:10).
1. Return to God. “Return unto me, and I will return unto you” (Malachi 3:7). If they return in penitence, he will return in blessings. Distance from God will hinder the fulfilment of every promise.
2. Pay God his dues. “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10). No wonder men do not morally conform to the Divine will when they neglect the smaller duty of sacrifice. All, not a part of the tithes must be given. Nothing must be kept back, for God has a right to the firstfruits and the best of everything. Then, if these conditions are complied with, the curse will be removed, blessings like fruitful showers will fall upon them.
1. The temple will be blessed. The treasury will be filled. There will be meat, not superfluity, for those who minister in my house.
2. The land will be blessed. The devouring locusts will be rebuked, the fruits of earth shall not be destroyed, and the grapes of the vintage shall not miscarry. “Ye shall be a delightsome land.”
3. The people will be blessed. “All nations shall call you blessed” (Malachi 3:12). If we honour God with our substance and free-will offerings, we shall not lose in this world. The windows of heaven will open, and no real good will be withheld. So happy will be our condition, so fertile our farms and lands, that all men will call us blessed. “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
ROBBING GOD.—Malachi 3:8
When exhorted to return, they reply in a spirit of pride and self-righteousness. Return to God! In what? Have we, the chosen race, the holy people, departed from God? Yes, replies the prophet, in those very things in which you profess to be exact. You do not duly pay tithes and offerings, though rebuked by the famine for neglect. You defraud God, therefore, of his dues. This is a common sin in Christian worship and daily life.
I. Men rob God of worship. Man is made to worship. God alone is the proper object of worship. To him we owe reverence, homage, and praise. But to withhold these or transfer them to the creature is to rob God.
II. Men rob God of time. Our times are in his hands. But time is not valued nor turned to good account. The Sabbath, expressly claimed for God, is neglected. Youth, “the morning of life, and maturity of age are given to pleasure.” “Redeem the time.” “Time wasted is existence, used is life” [Young].
III. Men rob God of talents. All gifts are bestowed by God, should be improved and consecrated to him. But to devote them to sinful conversation and unlawful pursuits is to rob God. “What hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
1. The charge of defection. Gone away and not kept the ordinances of God.
(1) Defection of long standing. “From the days of your fathers.” Posterity walking in the steps of their fathers, and thus entailing a curse upon generation after generation.
(2) Defection of stubborn spirit. “Wherein shall we return?” In wilful ignorance and prejudice, in frivolous excuses and self-righteousness, they challenge the charge and demand particulars.
2. The invitation to return. “Return unto me,” &c.
(1) This invitation displays the great mercy of God. After such long and grievous apostasy he offers to be reconciled.
(2) This invitation aggravates the impenitent conduct of men. No excuse can be made. “I will return unto you.”
Malachi 3:8. Rob God! How base; what presumption, and what folly! “In what? God specifies two things only, obvious, patent, which, as being material things, they could not deny. In tithes and offerings” [Pusey]. A striking instance found in Nehemiah 13:10.
Malachi 3:10. Prove me.
1. Prove God concerning his promise of mercy to the penitent sinner and the troubled Christian.
2. Prove God concerning the blessings promised to his house.
3. Prove God concerning his predictions of good to his Church. In these and in other ways God shows marvellous love and condescension, and pledges himself in a way in which he can verify his word. “Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the peeple began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store (2 Chronicles 31:10).
Malachi 3:10-12. How much depends upon giving ourselves an offering wholly unto the Lord! The offerings now required are our hearts, and all that comes from them. But if the Lord was so strict in tithes, how much more with our hearts! Dost thou wish the full blessing of God? then be exact in whatever is thy duty. What is our duty? Whatever God requires of us, in great or little, in his service or in every-day life. How can he who is not strict in duty hope or pray for the full blessing of God? [Lange].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 3
Malachi 3:6. Change not. In commercial crises manhood is at a greater discount than funds are. Suppose a man had said to me last spring, “If there comes a pinch in your affairs, draw upon me for ten thousand dollars.” The man said so last spring, but I should not dare to draw on him this fall. I should say, “Times have changed; he would not abide by it.” But God’s promises are “from everlasting to everlasting,” and he always stands up to them. There never was a run on heaven that was not promptly met [Beecher].
Malachi 3:8. Rob. Special favours call for special gratitude and service, as those who rent the largest farms generally pay the most for them [Wilson]. In tithes. Well may we think our substance due where we owe ourselves [Bp. Hall].
Malachi 3:9-12. Prove. The condescending goodness of God gives not only to the godly, but sometimes to the ungodly, opportunity and challenge to prove his truth and power; and it is the duty of a minister of God, as it was of the prophet, not only to point both classes to it, but even to offer them this proving of God, confident as Elijah against Ahab, as Isaiah against Ahaz, that God will not forsake his servants, but will by the event put to shame all unbelief [Lange].