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Text -- Malachi 3:7-18 (NET)

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Context
3:7 From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord who rules over all. “But you say, ‘How should we return?’ 3:8 Can a person rob God? You indeed are robbing me, but you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and contributions! 3:9 You are bound for judgment because you are robbing me– this whole nation is guilty. 3:10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord who rules over all, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all. 3:11 Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest,” says the Lord who rules over all. 3:12 “All nations will call you happy, for you indeed will live in a delightful land,” says the Lord who rules over all.
Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency
3:13 “You have criticized me sharply,” says the Lord, “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’ 3:14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord who rules over all? 3:15 So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil are successful. In fact, those who challenge God escape!’” 3:16 Then those who respected the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name. 3:17 “They will belong to me,” says the Lord who rules over all, “in the day when I prepare my own special property. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 3:18 Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Dictionary Themes and Topics: Window | Tithe | TRADE | Malachi, Prophecies of | Malachi | LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT | JOEL (2) | JEWEL | HEREWITH | GOD, 3 | Firmament | FATHER | DISCERN | DELIGHTSOME | DAY | Condescension of God | CRIME; CRIMES | CONVERSION | BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE | ASTRONOMY, III | more
Table of Contents

Word/Phrase Notes
Wesley , JFB , Clarke , Calvin , Defender , TSK

Word/Phrase Notes
Barnes , Poole , Haydock , Gill

Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes , Geneva Bible

Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis , Maclaren , MHCC , Matthew Henry , Keil-Delitzsch , Constable , Guzik

Other
Evidence

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: Mal 3:7 - -- Which either directed my worship, or your dealings one with another.

Which either directed my worship, or your dealings one with another.

Wesley: Mal 3:9 - -- Are greatly cursed.

Are greatly cursed.

Wesley: Mal 3:10 - -- Make a punctual and full payment of all tithes; about this did Nehemiah contend with the rulers, and made them comply, and then all Judah obeyed and d...

Make a punctual and full payment of all tithes; about this did Nehemiah contend with the rulers, and made them comply, and then all Judah obeyed and did the like, Neh 13:10-13.

Wesley: Mal 3:10 - -- house - This was one or more large rooms, built on purpose for this use.

house - This was one or more large rooms, built on purpose for this use.

Wesley: Mal 3:10 - -- For the priests and Levites to live upon.

For the priests and Levites to live upon.

Wesley: Mal 3:10 - -- Make the experiment.

Make the experiment.

Wesley: Mal 3:10 - -- A kind of proverbial speech, to express great abundance.

A kind of proverbial speech, to express great abundance.

Wesley: Mal 3:10 - -- First of rain to water the earth, next a blessing of corn, wine and oil, and all other products of the earth.

First of rain to water the earth, next a blessing of corn, wine and oil, and all other products of the earth.

Wesley: Mal 3:11 - -- All kind of devourers, the locusts, the canker - worm, and the caterpillar, which though they are in incredible multitudes, yet a rebuke from God will...

All kind of devourers, the locusts, the canker - worm, and the caterpillar, which though they are in incredible multitudes, yet a rebuke from God will check them all at once, as if they were but one.

Wesley: Mal 3:11 - -- For your good.

For your good.

Wesley: Mal 3:11 - -- Your vine shall carry their fruit 'till they are fully ripe.

Your vine shall carry their fruit 'till they are fully ripe.

Wesley: Mal 3:12 - -- All that are about you.

All that are about you.

Wesley: Mal 3:12 - -- The revival of religion in a land, will make it delight - some, both to God, and to all good men.

The revival of religion in a land, will make it delight - some, both to God, and to all good men.

Wesley: Mal 3:15 - -- You say, we see before our eyes, that the proud contemners of God and his law, are the flourishing ones.

You say, we see before our eyes, that the proud contemners of God and his law, are the flourishing ones.

Wesley: Mal 3:15 - -- Escape all punishment.

Escape all punishment.

Wesley: Mal 3:16 - -- When contempt of God was grown so high.

When contempt of God was grown so high.

Wesley: Mal 3:16 - -- Those that were truly religious.

Those that were truly religious.

Wesley: Mal 3:16 - -- Conversed together the more frequently.

Conversed together the more frequently.

Wesley: Mal 3:16 - -- All this is spoken after the manner of men.

All this is spoken after the manner of men.

Wesley: Mal 3:16 - -- On their behalf.

On their behalf.

Wesley: Mal 3:17 - -- This shall be fully made good in the last great day, and in heaven to eternal ages.

This shall be fully made good in the last great day, and in heaven to eternal ages.

Wesley: Mal 3:17 - -- In the mean time they shall be spared, pitied, preserved, and loved.

In the mean time they shall be spared, pitied, preserved, and loved.

Wesley: Mal 3:18 - -- Ye contemners of God and religion, return to your reason, forced by the convincing power of God's judgments.

Ye contemners of God and religion, return to your reason, forced by the convincing power of God's judgments.

Wesley: Mal 3:18 - -- Clearly see the happiness of the righteous, and your own misery, who perish in your wickedness.

Clearly see the happiness of the righteous, and your own misery, who perish in your wickedness.

JFB: Mal 3:7-12 - -- Reproof for the non-payment of tithes and offerings, which is the cause of their national calamities, and promise of prosperity on their paying them.

Reproof for the non-payment of tithes and offerings, which is the cause of their national calamities, and promise of prosperity on their paying them.

JFB: Mal 3:7-12 - -- Ye live as your fathers did when they brought on themselves the Babylonian captivity, and ye wish to follow in their steps. This shows that nothing bu...

Ye live as your fathers did when they brought on themselves the Babylonian captivity, and ye wish to follow in their steps. This shows that nothing but God's unchanging long-suffering had prevented their being long ago "consumed" (Mal 3:6).

JFB: Mal 3:7-12 - -- In penitence.

In penitence.

JFB: Mal 3:7-12 - -- In blessings.

In blessings.

JFB: Mal 3:7-12 - -- (Mal 3:16). The same insensibility to their guilt continues: they speak in the tone of injured innocence, as if God calumniated them.

(Mal 3:16). The same insensibility to their guilt continues: they speak in the tone of injured innocence, as if God calumniated them.

JFB: Mal 3:8 - -- Literally, "cover": hence, defraud. Do ye call defrauding God no sin to be "returned" from (Mal 3:7)? Yet ye have done so to Me in respect to the tith...

Literally, "cover": hence, defraud. Do ye call defrauding God no sin to be "returned" from (Mal 3:7)? Yet ye have done so to Me in respect to the tithes due to Me, namely, the tenth of all the remainder after the first-fruits were paid, which tenth was paid to the Levites for their support (Lev 27:30-33): a tenth paid by the Levites to the priests (Num 18:26-28): a second tenth paid by the people for the entertainment of the Levites, and their own families, at the tabernacle (Deu 12:18): another tithe every third year for the poor, &c. (Deu 14:28-29).

JFB: Mal 3:8 - -- The first-fruits, not less than one-sixtieth part of the corn, wine, and oil (Deu 18:4; Neh 13:10, Neh 13:12). The priests had this perquisite also, t...

The first-fruits, not less than one-sixtieth part of the corn, wine, and oil (Deu 18:4; Neh 13:10, Neh 13:12). The priests had this perquisite also, the tenth of the tithes which were the Levites perquisite. But they appropriated all the tithes, robbing the Levites of their due nine-tenths; as they did also, according to JOSEPHUS, before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. Thus doubly God was defrauded, the priests not discharging aright their sacrificial duties, and robbing God of the services of the Levites, who were driven away by destitution [GROTIUS].

JFB: Mal 3:9 - -- (Mal 2:2). As ye despoil Me, so I despoil you, as I threatened I would, if ye continued to disregard Me. In trying to defraud God we only defraud our...

(Mal 2:2). As ye despoil Me, so I despoil you, as I threatened I would, if ye continued to disregard Me. In trying to defraud God we only defraud ourselves. The eagle who robbed the altar set fire to her nest from the burning coal that adhered to the stolen flesh. So men who retain God's money in their treasuries will find it a losing possession. No man ever yet lost by serving God with a whole heart, nor gained by serving Him with a half one. We may compromise with conscience for half the price, but God will not endorse the compromise; and, like Ananias and Sapphira, we shall lose not only what we thought we had purchased so cheaply, but also the price we paid for it. If we would have God "open" His treasury, we must open ours. One cause of the barrenness of the Church is the parsimony of its members [MOORE].

JFB: Mal 3:10 - -- (Pro 3:9-10).

JFB: Mal 3:10 - -- (2Ch 31:11, Margin; compare 1Ch 26:20; Neh 10:38; Neh 13:5, Neh 13:12).

JFB: Mal 3:10 - -- With this; by doing so. Test Me whether I will keep My promise of blessing you, on condition of your doing your part (2Ch 31:10).

With this; by doing so. Test Me whether I will keep My promise of blessing you, on condition of your doing your part (2Ch 31:10).

JFB: Mal 3:10 - -- Literally, "empty out": image from a vessel completely emptied of its contents: no blessing being kept back.

Literally, "empty out": image from a vessel completely emptied of its contents: no blessing being kept back.

JFB: Mal 3:10 - -- (2Ki 2:7).

(2Ki 2:7).

JFB: Mal 3:10 - -- Literally, "even to not . . . sufficiency," that is, either, as English Version. Or, even so as that there should be "not merely" "sufficiency" but su...

Literally, "even to not . . . sufficiency," that is, either, as English Version. Or, even so as that there should be "not merely" "sufficiency" but superabundance [JEROME, MAURER]. GESENIUS not so well translates, "Even to a failure of sufficiency," which in the case of God could never arise, and therefore means for ever, perpetually: so Psa 72:5, "as long as the sun and moon endure"; literally, "until a failure of the sun and moon," which is never to be; and therefore means, for ever.

JFB: Mal 3:11 - -- (See on Mal 2:3). I will no longer "rebuke (English Version, 'corrupt') the seed," but will rebuke every agency that could hurt it (Amo 4:9).

(See on Mal 2:3). I will no longer "rebuke (English Version, 'corrupt') the seed," but will rebuke every agency that could hurt it (Amo 4:9).

JFB: Mal 3:12 - -- Fulfilling the blessing (Deu 33:29; Zec 8:13).

Fulfilling the blessing (Deu 33:29; Zec 8:13).

JFB: Mal 3:12 - -- (Dan 8:9).

(Dan 8:9).

JFB: Mal 3:13-18 - -- He notices the complaint of the Jews that it is of no profit to serve Jehovah, for that the ungodly proud are happy; and declares He will soon bring t...

He notices the complaint of the Jews that it is of no profit to serve Jehovah, for that the ungodly proud are happy; and declares He will soon bring the day when it shall be known that He puts an everlasting distinction between the godly and the ungodly.

JFB: Mal 3:13-18 - -- Hebrew, "hard"; so "the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jud 1:15) [HENDERSON].

Hebrew, "hard"; so "the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jud 1:15) [HENDERSON].

JFB: Mal 3:13-18 - -- The Hebrew expresses at once their assiduity and habit of speaking against God [VATABLUS]. The niphal form of the verb implies that these things were ...

The Hebrew expresses at once their assiduity and habit of speaking against God [VATABLUS]. The niphal form of the verb implies that these things were said, not directly to God, but of God, to one another (Eze 33:20) [MOORE].

JFB: Mal 3:14 - -- (See on Mal 2:17). They here resume the same murmur against God. Job 21:14-15; Job 22:17 describe a further stage of the same skeptical spirit, when t...

(See on Mal 2:17). They here resume the same murmur against God. Job 21:14-15; Job 22:17 describe a further stage of the same skeptical spirit, when the skeptic has actually ceased to keep God's service. Psa 73:1-14 describes the temptation to a like feeling in the saint when seeing the really godly suffer and the ungodly prosper in worldly goods now. The Jews here mistake utterly the nature of God's service, converting it into a mercenary bargain; they attended to outward observances, not from love to God, but in the hope of being well paid for in outward prosperity; when this was withheld, they charged God with being unjust, forgetting alike that God requires very different motives from theirs to accompany outward observances, and that God rewards even the true worshipper not so much in this life, as in the life to come.

JFB: Mal 3:14 - -- Literally, what He requires to be kept, "His observances."

Literally, what He requires to be kept, "His observances."

JFB: Mal 3:14 - -- In mournful garb, sackcloth and ashes, the emblems of penitence; they forget Isa 58:3-8, where God, by showing what is true fasting, similarly rebukes...

In mournful garb, sackcloth and ashes, the emblems of penitence; they forget Isa 58:3-8, where God, by showing what is true fasting, similarly rebukes those who then also said, Wherefore have we fasted and Thou seest not? &c. They mistook the outward show for real humiliation.

JFB: Mal 3:15 - -- Since we who serve Jehovah are not prosperous and "the proud" heathen flourish in prosperity, we must pronounce them the favorites of God (Mal 2:17; P...

Since we who serve Jehovah are not prosperous and "the proud" heathen flourish in prosperity, we must pronounce them the favorites of God (Mal 2:17; Psa 73:12).

JFB: Mal 3:15 - -- Literally, "built up": metaphor from architecture (Pro 24:3; compare Gen 16:2, Margin; Gen 30:3, Margin.)

Literally, "built up": metaphor from architecture (Pro 24:3; compare Gen 16:2, Margin; Gen 30:3, Margin.)

JFB: Mal 3:15 - -- Dare God to punish them, by breaking His laws (Psa 95:9).

Dare God to punish them, by breaking His laws (Psa 95:9).

JFB: Mal 3:16 - -- "Then," when the ungodly utter such blasphemies against God, the godly hold mutual converse, defending God's righteous dealings against those blasphem...

"Then," when the ungodly utter such blasphemies against God, the godly hold mutual converse, defending God's righteous dealings against those blasphemers (Heb 3:13). The "often" of English Version is not in the Hebrew. There has been always in the darkest times a remnant that feared God (1Ki 19:18; Rom 11:4).

JFB: Mal 3:16 - -- Reverential and loving fear, not slavish terror. When the fire of religion burns low, true believers should draw the nearer together, to keep the holy...

Reverential and loving fear, not slavish terror. When the fire of religion burns low, true believers should draw the nearer together, to keep the holy flame alive. Coals separated soon go out.

JFB: Mal 3:16 - -- For their advantage, against the day when those found faithful among the faithless shall receive their final reward. The kings of Persia kept a record...

For their advantage, against the day when those found faithful among the faithless shall receive their final reward. The kings of Persia kept a record of those who had rendered services to the king, that they might be suitably rewarded (Est 6:1-2; compare Est 2:23; Ezr 4:15; Psa 56:8; Isa 65:6; Dan 7:10; Rev 20:12). CALVIN makes the fearers of God to be those awakened from among the ungodly mass (before described) to true repentance; the writing of the book thus will imply that some were reclaimable among the blasphemers, and that the godly should be assured that, though no hope appeared, there would be a door of penitence opened for them before God. But there is nothing in the context to support this view.

JFB: Mal 3:17 - -- (Isa 62:3). Literally, "My peculiar treasure" (Exo 19:5; Deu 7:6; Deu 14:2; Deu 26:18; Psa 135:4; Tit 2:14; 1Pe 2:9; compare Ecc 2:8). CALVIN transla...

(Isa 62:3). Literally, "My peculiar treasure" (Exo 19:5; Deu 7:6; Deu 14:2; Deu 26:18; Psa 135:4; Tit 2:14; 1Pe 2:9; compare Ecc 2:8). CALVIN translates more in accordance with Hebrew idiom, "They shall be My peculiar treasure in the day in which I will do it" (that is, fulfil My promise of gathering My completed Church; or, "make" those things come to pass foretold in Mal 3:5 above [GROTIUS]); so in Mal 4:3 "do" is used absolutely, "in the day that I shall do this." MAURER, not so well, translates, "in the day which I shall make," that is, appoint as in Psa 118:24.

JFB: Mal 3:17 - -- (Psa 103:18).

JFB: Mal 3:18 - -- Then shall ye see the falseness of your calumny against God's government (Mal 3:15), that the "proud" and wicked prosper. Do not judge before the time...

Then shall ye see the falseness of your calumny against God's government (Mal 3:15), that the "proud" and wicked prosper. Do not judge before the time till My work is complete. It is in part to test your disposition to trust in God in spite of perplexing appearances, and in order to make your service less mercenary, that the present blended state is allowed; but at last all ("ye," both godly and ungodly) shall see the eternal difference there really is "between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not" (Psa 58:11).

JFB: Mal 3:18 - -- Ye shall turn to a better state of mind on this point.

Ye shall turn to a better state of mind on this point.

Clarke: Mal 3:7 - -- Gone away from mine ordinances - Never acting according to their spirit and design

Gone away from mine ordinances - Never acting according to their spirit and design

Clarke: Mal 3:7 - -- Return unto me - There is still space to repent

Return unto me - There is still space to repent

Clarke: Mal 3:7 - -- Wherein shall we return? - Their consciences were seared, and they knew not that they were sinners.

Wherein shall we return? - Their consciences were seared, and they knew not that they were sinners.

Clarke: Mal 3:8 - -- Will a man rob God? - Here is one point on which ye are guilty; ye withhold the tithes and offerings from the temple of God, so that the Divine wors...

Will a man rob God? - Here is one point on which ye are guilty; ye withhold the tithes and offerings from the temple of God, so that the Divine worship is neglected.

Clarke: Mal 3:9 - -- Ye are cursed with a curse - The whole nation is under my displeasure. The curse of God is upon you.

Ye are cursed with a curse - The whole nation is under my displeasure. The curse of God is upon you.

Clarke: Mal 3:10 - -- Bring ye all the tithes - They had so withheld these that the priests had not food enough to support life, and the sacred service was interrupted. S...

Bring ye all the tithes - They had so withheld these that the priests had not food enough to support life, and the sacred service was interrupted. See Neh 13:10

Clarke: Mal 3:10 - -- And prove me now herewith - What ye give to God shall never lessen your store. Give as ye should, and see whether I will not so increase your store ...

And prove me now herewith - What ye give to God shall never lessen your store. Give as ye should, and see whether I will not so increase your store by opening the windows of heaven - giving you rain and fruitful seasons - that your barns and granaries shall not be able to contain the abundance of your harvests and vintage.

Clarke: Mal 3:11 - -- I wilt rebuke the devourer - The locusts, etc., shall not come on your crops; and those that are in the country I will disperse and destroy

I wilt rebuke the devourer - The locusts, etc., shall not come on your crops; and those that are in the country I will disperse and destroy

Clarke: Mal 3:11 - -- Neither shall your vine cast her fruit - Every blossom shall bear fruit, and every bunch of grapes come to maturity.

Neither shall your vine cast her fruit - Every blossom shall bear fruit, and every bunch of grapes come to maturity.

Clarke: Mal 3:12 - -- All nations shall call you blessed - They shall see that a peculiar blessing of God rests upon you, and your land shall be delightsome; like Paradis...

All nations shall call you blessed - They shall see that a peculiar blessing of God rests upon you, and your land shall be delightsome; like Paradise, the garden of the Lord.

Clarke: Mal 3:13 - -- Your words have been stout against me - He speaks here to open infidels and revilers

Your words have been stout against me - He speaks here to open infidels and revilers

Clarke: Mal 3:13 - -- What have we spoken - They are ready either to deny the whole, or impudently to maintain and defend what they had spoken!

What have we spoken - They are ready either to deny the whole, or impudently to maintain and defend what they had spoken!

Clarke: Mal 3:14 - -- Ye have said, It is vain to serve God - They strove to destroy the Divine worship; they asserted that it was vanity; that, if they performed acts of...

Ye have said, It is vain to serve God - They strove to destroy the Divine worship; they asserted that it was vanity; that, if they performed acts of worship, they should be nothing the better; and if they abstained, they should be nothing the worse. This was their teaching to the people

Clarke: Mal 3:14 - -- Walked mournfully - Even repentance they have declared to be useless. This was a high pitch of ungodliness; but see what follows; behold the general...

Walked mournfully - Even repentance they have declared to be useless. This was a high pitch of ungodliness; but see what follows; behold the general conclusions of these reprobates: -

Clarke: Mal 3:15 - -- And now we call the proud happy - Proud and insolent men are the only happy people, for they domineer everywhere, and none dares to resist them

And now we call the proud happy - Proud and insolent men are the only happy people, for they domineer everywhere, and none dares to resist them

Clarke: Mal 3:15 - -- They that work wickedness are set up - The humble and holy are depressed and miserable; the proud and wicked are in places of trust and profit. Too ...

They that work wickedness are set up - The humble and holy are depressed and miserable; the proud and wicked are in places of trust and profit. Too often it is so

Clarke: Mal 3:15 - -- They that tempt God are even delivered - Even those who despise God, and insult his justice and providence, are preserved in and from dangers; while...

They that tempt God are even delivered - Even those who despise God, and insult his justice and providence, are preserved in and from dangers; while the righteous fall by them.

Clarke: Mal 3:16 - -- They that feared the Lord - There were a few godly in the land, who, hearing the language and seeing the profligacy of the rebels above, concluded t...

They that feared the Lord - There were a few godly in the land, who, hearing the language and seeing the profligacy of the rebels above, concluded that some signal mark of God’ s vengeance must fall upon them; they, therefore, as the corruption increased, cleaved the closer to their Maker. There are three characteristics given of this people, viz.: -

1.    They feared the Lord. They had that reverence for Jehovah that caused them to depart from evil, and to keep his ordinances

2.    They spake often one to another. They kept up the communion of saints. By mutual exhortation they strengthened each other’ s hands in the Lord

3.    They thought on his name. His name was sacred to them; it was a fruitful source of profound and edifying meditation. The name of God is God himself in the plenitude of his power, omniscience, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth. What a source for thinking and contemplation! See how God treats such persons: The Lord hearkened to their conversation, heard the meditations of their hearts; and so approved of the whole that a book of remembrance was written before the Lord - all their names were carefully registered in heaven. Here is an allusion to records kept by kings, Est 6:1, of such as had performed signal services, and who should be the first to be rewarded.

Clarke: Mal 3:17 - -- They shall be mine - I will acknowledge them as my subjects and followers; in the day, especially, when I come to punish the wicked and reward the r...

They shall be mine - I will acknowledge them as my subjects and followers; in the day, especially, when I come to punish the wicked and reward the righteous

Clarke: Mal 3:17 - -- When I make up my jewels - סגלה segullah , my peculium, my proper treasure; that which is a man’ s own, and most prized by him. Not jewels...

When I make up my jewels - סגלה segullah , my peculium, my proper treasure; that which is a man’ s own, and most prized by him. Not jewels; for in no part of the Bible does the word mean a gem or precious stone of any kind. The interpretations frequently given of the word in this verse, comparing saints to jewels, are forced and false

Clarke: Mal 3:17 - -- I will spare them - When I come to visit the wicked, I will take care of them. I will act towards them as a tender father would act towards his most...

I will spare them - When I come to visit the wicked, I will take care of them. I will act towards them as a tender father would act towards his most loving and obedient son.

Clarke: Mal 3:18 - -- Then shall ye return - To your senses, when perhaps too late; and discern - see the difference which God makes, between the righteous and the wicked...

Then shall ye return - To your senses, when perhaps too late; and discern - see the difference which God makes, between the righteous and the wicked, which will be most marked and awful

Clarke: Mal 3:18 - -- Between him that serveth God - Your obedience to whom, ye said, would be unprofitable to you

Between him that serveth God - Your obedience to whom, ye said, would be unprofitable to you

Clarke: Mal 3:18 - -- And hits that serveth him not - Of whom ye said, his disobedience would be no prejudice to him. You will find the former received into the kingdom o...

And hits that serveth him not - Of whom ye said, his disobedience would be no prejudice to him. You will find the former received into the kingdom of glory; and the latter, with yourselves, thrust down into the bitter pains of an eternal death. Reader, ponder these things

In the great day of the Lord, at least, if not long before, it will be fully discovered who have been the truly wise people; those who took up their cross and followed Christ; or those who satisfied the flesh, with its affections and desires, following a multitude to do evil.

Calvin: Mal 3:7 - -- The Prophet expands more fully what he had referred to — that it was a wonder that the Jews had not perished, because they had never ceased to prov...

The Prophet expands more fully what he had referred to — that it was a wonder that the Jews had not perished, because they had never ceased to provoke God against themselves. He then sets this fact before them more clearly, From the days 252 of your fathers, he says, ye have turned aside from my statutes. He increases their condemnation by this circumstance — that they had not lately begun to depart from the right way, but had continued their contumacy for many ages, according to what the apostles, as well as the Prophets in various places, have testified:

“Ye uncircumcised in heart, ye have ceased not to resist the Holy Spirit like your fathers.†(Act 7:51.)

“Harden not your hearts as your fathers did; in the righteousness of your fathers walk not.†(Psa 95:8.)

But I will not multiply proofs, which very often are to be met with, and must be well known.

We now understand the Prophet’s intention — that the Jews for many ages had been notorious for their impiety and wickedness, and that they had not been dealt with by God as they had deserved, because he had according to his ineffable goodness and forbearance suspended his rigour, so as not to visit them according to their demerits. It hence appears how unreasonable they were, not only in being morose and proud, but especially in being furious against God, when they accused him of tardiness, while yet he had proved himself to be really a God towards them by his continued forbearance.

The words, And ye have not kept them, are added for amplification; for he expresses more fully their contempt of his law, as though he had said, that they were not only transgressors, but had also with gross wilfulness so departed from the law as to regard it as nothing to tread God’s precepts under their feet.

He then exhorts then to repentance, and kindly addresses them, and declares that he would be propitious and reconcilable to them, if they repented. He has hitherto sharply reproved them, because their necks being hard they had need of such correction; for had the Prophet gently and kindly exhorted them, they would either have kicked or have set on him with their horns; be now mitigates his sharpness, not indeed with respect to all, but if there were any healable among the people he meant to try them; and hence he offers them reconciliation with God, as though he had said, “Though God has been in various ways wantonly offended by you, and though you have repudiated his favor, and have become wholly unworthy of being regarded by him, yet return, and he will meet you.â€

We have said elsewhere that all exhortations would be in vain without a hope of pardon; for when God commands us to return to the right way, our hearts would never be touched, nay, they would on the contrary turn away, had we no hope that he would be reconciled to us. This course the Prophet now pursues, when in the person of God himself he promises pardon, provided the Jews repented.

God is said to return to us, when he ceases to demand the punishment of our sins, and when he lays aside the character of a judge, and makes himself known to us as a Father. We indeed know that God neither returns nor departs; for he who fills all places never moves here and there; and we also know that we exist and live in him, but he shows by outward evidences that he is alienated from us, and by the same he shows that he is propitious to us; for when he favors us with fruitful seasons, with peace and with other blessings, he is said to be near us; but when he lets loose the reins of his wrath, or exposes us to the assaults of Satan and to the wanton power of men, he is said to be far removed from us. But this is so well known that I need not dwell longer on the point.

The promise which the Prophet states serves to show, that God would manifest tokens of his paternal favor to the Jews, provided only they were submissive; but that it would be their own fault, if they did not find through his blessings that he was their Father. It would be on account of their sins, which, as Isaiah says, hinder the course of that beneficence to which he is of his own self inclined, (Isa 59:2.) And he bids them to return. Hence the Papists very foolishly conclude, that repentance is in the power of man’s free-will. But God requires what is above our strength; and yet there is no reason why we should complain that there is a too heavy burden laid on us; for he regards not what we can, or what our ability admits, but what we owe to him and what our duty requires. Though then no one can of his own self turn to God, he is not on this account excusable, because we must consider whence comes the defect; and how much soever, as I have already said, a man may pretend his own impotency, he cannot yet escape from being bound to God, though more is required of him than he of himself can perform. But this subject has often been discussed elsewhere. The import of what is said here is, — that men are not miserable through the unjust rigour of God, but always through their own sins.

It follows, Ye have said, In what shall we return? It is an evidence of perverseness, when men answer that they see not that they have erred, and that hence conversion is to no purpose required of them; for this is the meaning of these words, Whereby shall we return? that is, “What dost thou require from us? for we are not conscious of any defection; we worship God as we ought: now if our duties are repudiated by him, we see not why he should so expressly blame us; let him show in what we have offended; for conversion to him is superfluous, until we be proved guilty of apostasy, or of those sins which God determines to punish in us.†To this the Prophet answers —

Calvin: Mal 3:8 - -- Will a man defraud the gods? Some give this version, “Will a man defraud God?†But it is strained and remote from the Prophet’s design; and they...

Will a man defraud the gods? Some give this version, “Will a man defraud God?†But it is strained and remote from the Prophet’s design; and they pervert the meaning. For I do not see what can be elicited from this rendering, “Will a man defraud God?†But there are other two meanings which may be taken. The first is, “Will a man defraud his gods?†The word ××œ×”×™× , Aleim, though it be in the plural number, is applied, as it is well known, to the true God; but it is applied also to idols; and in this place the Prophet seems to me to compare the Jews to the Gentiles, that their impiety might be made more evident. The same is the object of Jeremiah, when he says,

“Go, and survey the islands, is there a nation which has changed its gods, while yet they are no gods.†(Jer 2:10.)

Since their blindness and obstinacy held fast the Gentiles in darkness, that they continued to worship the gods to whom they had been accustomed, it was an abominable wickedness in the Jews, that having been taught to worship the true God, they were yet continually influenced by ungodly levity, and sought new modes of worship, as though they wished to devise another god for themselves. So also in this place the Prophet seems to bring forward the Gentiles as an example to the Jews; for they discharged their duty towards their gods; but the Jews despised the supreme and the only true God: “Behold,†he says, “go round the world, and ye shall not find among the nations so unbridled a liberty as prevails among you; for they render obedience to their gods, and sacrilege is abominable to them; but ye defraud me. Am I inferior to idols? or is my state worse than theirs?â€

Some take the word ××œ×”×™× , Aleim, for judges, as judges are sometimes so named; but this meaning seems not suitable on account of the word, Adam. As then this word generally means man, the Prophet, I have no doubt, intimates what I have stated, — that unbelievers, though sunk in darkness, are yet restrained by reverence and fear from changing their deity, and that they dare not to show levity when the name only of their god is pronounced. Since then such humility prevailed among unbelievers, could the impiety of that people, who had been trained up in the law, be excusable? a people too, upon whom God had ever made the doctrine of the law to shine. 253

He afterwards adds, Because ye have defrauded me; and ye have said, Thereby have we defrauded thee? In tenths and in oblations 254 Here the Prophet again proves the people guilty of perverseness: it was indeed hypocrisy, and though gross, it was yet surpassed by impudence; for they asked, whereby they had defrauded God? and yet this was evident even to children: for we know, and we have seen elsewhere, that avarice so ruled among them, that every one, bent on their own profit, neglected the temple and the priests. Since then they were openly sacrilegious, how shameless they must have been to ask whereby they had defrauded God! The thing itself was indeed manifest and commonly known, so that children could see it. God however deemed it enough to convict them by one sentence, — that they defrauded him in the tenths and in the first-fruits; not that any advantage accrued to him from oblations, as he had no need of any such things; but he rightly calls and counts that his own which he had appointed for his own service. Since then he had instituted that order among the Jews, that they might by the tenths support the priests, and a part also was required for the poor, since God designed the firstfruits and other things to be offered to him, that men might thereby be continually reminded, that all things were his, and that whatever they received from his hand was sacred to him, he had previously called the bread laid on the table his own, and had called the sacrifices his own food, as though he did eat and drink. But as I have already said, we ought to regard the object in view, because his will was to be thus worshipped, and at the same time to keep as his own whatever belonged to his service. This then is the reason why he now complains of being defrauded of the tenths.

But we know that other sacrifices are now prescribed to us; and after prayer and praises, he bids us to relieve the poor and needy. God then, no doubt, is deprived by us of his right, when we are unkind to the poor, and refuse them aid in their necessity. We indeed thereby wrong men, and are cruel; but our crime is still more heinous, inasmuch as we are unfaithful stewards; for God deals more liberally with us than with others, for this end — that some portion of our abundance may come to the poor; and as he consecrates to their use what we abound in, we become guilty of sacrilege whenever we give not to our brethren what God commands us; for we know that he engages to repay, according to what is said in Pro 19:17, “He who gives to the poor lends to God.â€

Calvin: Mal 3:9 - -- Malachi pursues the same subject; for he answers the Jews in the name of God — that they unjustly complained of his rigour as being immoderate, sin...

Malachi pursues the same subject; for he answers the Jews in the name of God — that they unjustly complained of his rigour as being immoderate, since they themselves were the cause of all their evils. He says that they were cursed, but he adds that this happened to them deservedly, as though he had said — “Be that granted what you say, (for lamentations were continually made,) why is it that God afflicts us without end or limits?†God seems to grant what they were wont reproachfully to declare; but he says in answer to this — “ But ye have defrauded Me; what wonder then that my curse consumes you? As then I have been robbed by you, as far as ye could, I will render to you your just recompense; for it is not right that I should be bountiful and kind to you, while ye thus defraud me, and take from me what is my own.â€

The meaning then is this — that it was indeed true that the Jews lamented that they were under a curse, but that the cause ought to have been searched out. They indeed wished their rapines and sacrileges to be forgiven, by which they defrauded God; but God declares that he punished them justly in consuming them with poverty and want, since they so sparingly rendered to him what they owed.

He mentions the whole nation, 255 and thus aggravates the wickedness of the Jews; for not a few were guilty of the sacrilege mentioned, but all, from the least to the greatest, they all plundered the tenths and the oblations. It hence follows that God’s vengeance did not exceed due limits, since there was as it were a common conspiracy; there were not ten or a hundred implicated in this sin, but, as he says, the whole people. It follows —

Calvin: Mal 3:10 - -- He at length declares that they profited nothing by contending with God, but that a better way was open to them, that is, to return into favor with h...

He at length declares that they profited nothing by contending with God, but that a better way was open to them, that is, to return into favor with him. After having then repelled their unjust accusations, he again points out the remedy which he had already referred to — that if they dealt faithfully with God, he would be bountiful to them, and that his blessing would be promptly extended to them. This is the sum of the passage. They had been sufficiently proved guilty of rapacity in withholding the tenths and the oblations; as then the sacrilege was well known, the Prophet now passes judgement, as they say, according to what is usually done when the criminal is condemned, and the cause is decided, so that he who has been defrauded recovers his right.

So also now God deals with the Jews. Bring, he says, to the repository 256 (for this is the same as the house of the treasury, or of provisions) all the tenths, or the whole tenths. We hence learn that they had not withholden the whole of the tenths from the priests, but that they fraudulently brought the half, or retained as much as they could; for it was not without reason that he said, Bring all, or the whole. They then so paid the tenths as to supply the priests with a part only, and thus they trifled with God, according to what hypocrites do, who ever claim to themselves high honor, and try to perform their duty in such a way as not to discover their own perfidy, and yet they are not ashamed of the liberty they take to illude God; and of this we have here a remarkable example. We then see that it is no new or unusual thing for men to pretend to do the duties they owe to God, and at the same time to take away from him what is his own, and to transfer it to themselves, and that manifestly, so that their impiety is evident, though it be covered by the veil of dissimulation.

He then adds, Let there be meat in my house. We have elsewhere explained this form of speaking, and in the last lecture the Prophet spoke also of the meat of God, not that God needs meat and drink, but that whatever he has given us ought to be deemed his. We have already stated, that it has been recorded for our sake, that the Jews offered bread, and victims, and things of this kind, and that they feasted at Jerusalem in the presence of God: for what is more desirable than that God should dwell in the midst of us? and this is often repeated in the law. But this could not have been set forth to us in a way so familiar, as when God is represented as in a manner sitting at table with us, as though he were our guest, eating of the same bread and of the other provisions: and hence it is said in the law, “Thou shalt feast and rejoice before thy God.†(Deu 2:18.) Now as God needs not meat and drink, as it has been said, and as men in their grossness are ever prone to superstitions, he substituted the priests and the poor in his own place, to prevent the Jews from entertaining earthly notions respecting him. And this kind of modification or correction deserves to be noticed: for the Lord on the one hand intended to draw men in a kind manner to himself; but, on the other hand, he proposed to raise their minds upward to heaven, lest they should ascribe to him anything unworthy of himself, as is wont to be done, and is very common.

But, at the same time, he again accuses them of sacrilege, for he complains that he was deprived of meat; Let there then be meat in my house; and prove me by this, saith Jehovah, if I wily not open, etc. He confirms what he said before, and yet proceeds with his promise, for by subjecting himself to a proof, he boldly repels their calumny in saying that they were without cause consumed with want, and that God had changed his nature, because he had not given a large supply of provisions. God then briefly shows, that wrong had been done to him, for he admits of a proof or a trial, as though he had said, “If you choose to contest the point, I will soon settle it, for if you bring to me the tenths and them entire, there will immediately come to you a great abundance of all provisions: it will hence be evident, that I am not the cause of barrenness, but that it is your wickedness, because ye have sacrilegiously defrauded me.â€

Then he adds, If I will not open to you the windows of heaven. It is the first thing as to fertility that the heavens should water the earth, according to what Scripture declares: and hence God threatens in the law that the heaven would be iron and the earth brass, (Deu 28:23,) for there is a mutual connection between the heaven and the earth, and he says elsewhere by a Prophet,

“The heaven will hear the earth, and the earth will hear the corn and wine, and the corn and wine will hear men.â€
(Hos 2:22.)

For when famine urges us, we cry for bread and wine, as our life seems in a manner to be dependent on these supplies. When there is no wine nor corn, we meet with a denial; but the wine and the corn cry to the earth, and why? because according to the order fixed by God, they seek as it were to break forth; for when the bowels of the earth are closed, neither the corn nor the vine can come forth, and then they in vain call on the earth. The sense is the case with the earth; for when it is dry and as it were famished, it calls on the heavens, but if rain be denied, the heavens seem to reject its prayer. Then God in this place shows that the earth could not produce a single ear of corn, except the heavens supplied moisture or rain. God indeed could from the beginning have watered the earth without rain, as Moses relates he did at first, for a vapor then supplied the want of rain. Though then rain descends naturally, we are yet reminded here that God sends it. This is the first thing.

But as rain itself would not suffice, he adds, I will unsheath, etc. ; for רק , rek, means properly to unsheath; but as this metaphor seems unnatural, some have more correctly rendered it, “I will draw out†Unnatural also is this version, “I will empty out a blessing,†and it perverts the meaning. Let us then follow what I have stated as the first — that a blessing is drawn out from God when the earth discharges its office, and becomes fertile or fruitful. 257 We hence see that God is not only in one way bountiful to us, but he also intends by various processes to render us sensible of his kindness: he rains from heaven to soften the earth, that it may in its bosom nourish the corn, and then send it forth from its bowels, as though it extended its breast to us; and further, God adds his blessing, so as to render the rain useful.

He subjoins the words עד-בלי-די , od-beli-di, which some render, “that there may not be a sufficiency,†that is, that granaries and cellars might not be capable of containing such abundance. They then elicit this meaning — that so great would be the fruitfulness of the earth, and so large would be its produce, that their repositories would not be sufficiently capacious. But others give this version, “Beyond the measure of sufficiency.†The word די , di, means properly sufficiency, or what is needful, as by inverting the letters it יד , id 258 With regard to the general meaning there is but little difference. Suitable also is this version, “Beyond sufficiency;†that is, I will not regard what is needful for you, as though it were measured, but the abundance shall be overflowing. It follows —

Calvin: Mal 3:11 - -- God now again confirms the truth, that he would not in one way only be bountiful to them. He might indeed distribute to us daily our food, as we know...

God now again confirms the truth, that he would not in one way only be bountiful to them. He might indeed distribute to us daily our food, as we know that he thus fed his people in the wilderness; but his will is that the seed should rot in the earth, that it should then germinate, and in course of time grow, until it shoots into ears of corn; but it is still in no small danger, nay the corn is subject to many evils before it be gathered into the garner; for the locusts, the worms, the mildew, and other things may destroy it. God therefore, in order to set forth his kindness to men, enumerates here the ways and the means by which food is preserved; for it would not be enough that the seed should germinate, and that there should appear evidences of a great produce, the ears being fine and abundant, but it is necessary that the ears of corn themselves, before they become ripe, should be preserved from above; for on the one hand the chafers, the locusts, the worms, and other grubs, may suddenly creep in and devour the corn while in the field, and on the other hand, storms, and hail, and mildew, and oilier pestilential things, as I have said, may prove ruinous to the corn.

Hence God shows here, that he takes constant care of us, and every day and every night performs the office of a good and careful head of a family, who always watches for its benefit.

In the word devourer, I include all the evils to which we see that corn is subject; he therefore says, he shall not destroy the fruit of the earth; nor bereaved shall be the vine for you in the fields. The verb שכל , shecal, properly means to bereave or to deprive; but as this version, “bereaved shall not be vine,†would be harsh, some have rendered the words thus, “Miscarry shall not vine,†which I do not disapprove: Miscarry then shall not the vine for you in the fields, saith Jehovah of hosts 259 It follows —

Calvin: Mal 3:12 - -- This verse is taken from the law, in which among other things God promises so happy a state to his chosen people, that the nations themselves would a...

This verse is taken from the law, in which among other things God promises so happy a state to his chosen people, that the nations themselves would acknowledge in them the blessing of God. There is yet a contrast to be understood, — that having fallen into such misery, they were become as it were detestable to all nations, according to what the law also declares concerning them,

“If thou shalt keep my precepts, all nations shall call thee blessed; but if thou wilt despise me, thou shalt be a sport to all nations, all shall shake the head and move the lips; yea, they shall be astonished at the sight of thy misery, and whosoever shall hear his ears will tingle.†(Deu 28:1.)

As then the Jews were consumed as it were in their miseries, the Prophet says, “If you turn to God, that happiness which he has promised you shall not be withheld; he has it as it were ready in his hand, like a treasure that is hidden, according to what is said in Psa 31:19, ‘How great is the abundance of thy goodness! but it is laid up for them who fear thee.’†God then means, that he will not prostitute his blessing to dogs and swine, but that it is always in reserve for his children, who are teachable and obedient. The nations then shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a land of desire

This promise also is taken from the law, in which God says, that he had not in vain separated that land from the rest, because it was to be an example or a representation of his kindness through the whole world. We indeed know that God has ever been bountiful even to all nations, so as to satisfy them abundantly with provisions; but the land of Israel is called the land of desire, or a desirable land, because it was the special scene of God’s bounty, not only as to meat and drink, but also as to other more excellent blessings. He now adds —

Calvin: Mal 3:13 - -- Here again God expostulates with the Jews on account of their impious and wicked blasphemy in saying, that he disappointed his servants, and that he ...

Here again God expostulates with the Jews on account of their impious and wicked blasphemy in saying, that he disappointed his servants, and that he made no difference between good and evil, because he was kind to the unfaithful and the faithful indiscriminately, and also that he overlooked the obedience rendered to him.

He says now that their words grew strong; by which he denotes their insolence, as though he had said, Vous avez gagné le plus haut; for חזק , chezak, is to be strong. He means that such was the waywardness of the Jews that it could not by any means be checked; they were like men whom we see, who when once seized by rage and madness, become so vociferous that they will not listen to any admonitions or sane counsels. At first they murmur and are only heard to whisper; but when they have attained full liberty, they then send forth, as I have said, their furious clamours against heaven. This is the sin which the Prophet now condemns by saying, that the Jews grew strong in crying against God. 260 They again answer and say, In what have we spoken against thee? 261 It appears from these so many repetitions that the hypocrisy, which was united with great effrontery, could not be easily corrected in a people so refractory: it ought indeed to have come to their minds that they had wickedly accused God. But they acknowledge here no fault, “What meanest thou?†as though they wished to arraign the Prophet for having falsely charged them, inasmuch as they were conscious of no wrong.

Calvin: Mal 3:14 - -- He then gives the reason why he said, that their words grew strong against God, that is, that they daringly and furiously spoke evil of God; and the ...

He then gives the reason why he said, that their words grew strong against God, that is, that they daringly and furiously spoke evil of God; and the reason was, because they said, that God was worshipped in vain. They thought that they worshipped God perfectly; and this was their false principle; for hypocrites ever lay claim to complete holiness, and cannot bear to confess their own evils; even when their conscience goads them, they deceive themselves with vain flatteries, and always endeavor to draw over them some veil that their disgrace may not appear before men. Hence hypocrites seek to deceive themselves, God, angels, and men; and when they are inflated with the confidence that they worship God purely, rightly, and without any defect, and that they are without any blame, they will betray the virulence which lies within, whenever God does not help them as they wish, whenever he submits not to their will: for when they are prosperous, God is hauntingly blessed by them; but as soon as he withdraws his hand and begins to prove their patience, they will then show, as I have said, what sort of worshippers of God they are. But in the service of God the chief thing is this — that men deny themselves and give themselves up to be ruled by God, and never raise a clamor when he humbles them.

We hence see how it was that the Jews found fault with God; for they were persuaded that they fully performed their duty, which was yet most false; and then, they were not willing to submit to God, and to undertake his yoke, because they did not consider in how many ways they had provoked God’s wrath, and what just and multiplied reasons he has for chastising his people, even when they do nothing wrong. As then they did not seriously consider any of these things, they thought that he was unjust to them, In vain then do we serve God. These thoughts, as we have said, sometimes come across the minds of the faithful; but they, as it becomes them, resist such thoughts: the Jews, on the contrary, as though they were victorious, vomited forth these blasphemies against God.

In vain we serve God; what benefit? they said: for we have kept has charge, we have walked obscurely, or humbly, before Jehovah of hosts; 262 and yet we are constrained to call the proud, or the impious, happy. Here they bring a twofold accusation against God, that they received no reward for their piety when they faithfully discharged their duty towards God, — and also that it was better with the ungodly and the despisers of God than with them. We hence see how reproachfully they exaggerated what they deemed the injustice of God, at least how they themselves imagined that he disappointed the just of their deserved reward, and that he favored the ungodly and the wicked as though he was pleased with them, as though he intended the more to exasperate the sorrow of his own servants, who, though they faithfully worshipped, yet saw that they did so in vain, as God concealed himself and did not regard their services.

That the good also are tempted, as we have said, by thoughts of this kind, is no wonder, when the state of things in the world is in greater confusion. Even Solomon says,

“All things happen alike to the just and to the unjust, to him who offers sacrifices, and to him who does not sacrifice,â€
(Ecc 9:2,)

hence the earth is full of impiety and contempt. There is then an occasion for indignation and envy offered to us; but as God designedly tries our faith by such confusions, we must remember that we must exercise patience. It is not at the same time enough for us to submit to God’s judgement, except we also consider that we are justly distressed; and that though we may be attentive to what is just and upright, many vices still cleave to us, and that we are sprinkled with many spots, which provoke God’s wrath against us. Let us then learn to form a right judgement as to what our life is, and then let us bear in mind how many are the reasons why God should sometimes deal roughly with us. Thus all our envying will cease, and our minds will be prepared calmly to obey. In short, these considerations will check whatever perverseness there may be in us, so that neither our wicked thoughts nor our words will be so strong as to rise in rebellion against God.

Calvin: Mal 3:15 - -- This verse is connected with the last, for the force of these words, “We have walked sorrowfully before God and have carefully kept his precepts,â€...

This verse is connected with the last, for the force of these words, “We have walked sorrowfully before God and have carefully kept his precepts,†does not fully appear, except this clause be added — that they saw in the meantime that the proud flourished and had their delights, as though they said, “We strive to deserve well of God by our services; he overlooks all our religious acts, and pours as it were all his bounty on our enemies, who are yet ungodly and profane.†We now see how these verses are connected together, for God disappointed the Jews of the reward they thought due to them, and in the meantime bestowed on the impious and undeserving his kindness.

To call any one blessed, as we have before seen, is to acknowledge that God’s blessing is upon him, according to what God had promised, “Behold, all nations shall call thee blessed.†So a changed state of things is here set forth, for the Jews, when they were miserable, called others blessed; not that they willingly declared this, but envy forced them to complain of the cheerful and hamper state of the Gentiles, who were yet ungodly. And by the proud they meant all the despisers of God, a part being mentioned for the whole; and they were so called, because faith alone humbles us. Many unbelievers are indeed lauded for their humility, but no one becomes really humble without being first emptied of every conceit as to his own virtues. Some rise up against God, and rob him of what is his own, and then it is no wonder that they act insolently towards their neighbors, since they dare even to raise up their horns against God himself. And in many parts of Scripture the unbelieving are called proud, in order that we may know that we cannot be formed and habituated to humility until we submit to the yoke of God, so that he may turn us wherever he wishes, and until we cast aside every confidence in ourselves. 264

As well as, they said; for ×’× , gam, is here repeated, and must be rendered “as well as,†that is, “All who do iniquity as well as all who tempt God, are built up and are delivered. In the first place what is general is stated, and then what is particular, and yet the Prophet speaks of the same persons, for he first calls God’s despisers iniquitous, and he afterwards says, that the same tempted God, which is more special. The sum of the whole is, — that God’s favor was conspicuous towards the despisers of the law, for they lived prosperously, and were also delivered, and found God their helper in adversity.

The verb, to build, is taken in Hebrew in the sense of prospering, and is applied to many things. When therefore any one grows and increases in honors or in riches, when he accumulates wealth, or when he is raised as it were by degrees to a higher condition, he is said to be built up. It is also added that they were delivered, for it would not be enough to acquire much wealth, except aid from God comes in adversity, for no one, even the most fortunate, is exempt from every evil. Hence to building up the Prophet adds this second clause, — that God delivered the wicked from all evils, as though he covered them under his shadow, and as though they were his clients. With regard to the second verb, when he says that the ungodly tempted God, it is, we know, the work of unbelief to contend with God. The Prophet used the same word shortly before, when he said, “Prove me in this:†but God then, after the manner of men, submitted to a trial; here, on the contrary, the Prophet condemns that insolence which very commonly prevails in the world, when men seek to confine God, and to impose on him a law, and to inquire into his judgements: it is in short as though they had a right to prescribe to him according to their own caprice, so that he should not do this or that, and which if he did, to call on him to plead his own cause. We now then perceive what it is to prove or tempt God. It follows —

Calvin: Mal 3:16 - -- In this verse the Prophet tells us that his doctrine had not been without fruit, for the faithful had been stimulated, so that they animated one anot...

In this verse the Prophet tells us that his doctrine had not been without fruit, for the faithful had been stimulated, so that they animated one another, and thus restored each other to a right course. They who explain the words — that the faithful spoke, indefinitely, pervert the meaning of the Prophet, and they also suppress the particle ××– , az, then. The very subject proves that a certain time is denoted, as though the Prophet had said, that before he addressed the people and vehemently reproved their vices, there was much indifference among them, but that at length the faithful were awakened.

We are hence taught that we are by nature slothful and tardy, until God as it were plucks our ears; there is therefore need of warnings and stimulants. But let us also learn to attend to what is taught, lest it should become frigid to us. We ought at the same time to observe, that all were not moved by the Prophet’s exhortations to repent, but those who feared God: the greater part no doubt securely went on in their vices, and even openly derided the Prophet’s teaching. As then the truth profited only those who feared God, let us not wonder that it is despised at this day by the people in general; for it is given but to a few to obey God’s word; and the conversion of the heart is the peculiar gift of the Holy Spirit. There is therefore no reason for pious teachers to despond, when they do not see their doctrine received everywhere and by all, of when they see that but a few make any progress in it; but let them be content, when the Lord blesses their labor and renders it profitable and fruitful to some, however small their number may be.

But the Prophet not only says that individuals were Touched with repentance, but also that they spoke among themselves; 265 by which he intimates, that our efforts ought to be extended to our brethren: and it is an evidence of true repentance, when each one endeavors as much as he can to unite to himself as many friends as possible, so that they may with one consent return to the way from which they had departed, yea, that they may return to God whom they had forsaken. This then is what we are to understand by the words spoken mutually by God’s servants, which the Prophet does not express.

He says that Jehovah attended and heard, and that a book of remembrance was written before him. He proves here that the faithful had not in vain repented, for God became a witness and a spectator: and this part is especially worthy of being noticed; for we lose not our labor when we turn to God, because he will receive us as it were with open arms.

Our Prophet wished especially to show, that God attended; and hence he uses three forms of speaking. One word would have been enough, but he adds two more; and this is particularly emphatical, that there was a book of remembrance written. His purpose then was by this multiplicity of words to give greater encouragement to the faithful, that they might be convinced that their reward would be certain as soon as they devoted themselves to God, for God would not be blind to their piety.

The Prophet at the same time seems to point it out as something miraculous, that there were found then among the people any who were yet capable of being healed, since so much wickedness had prevailed among the people, nay, had become hardened, as we have seen, to an extreme obstinacy; for there was nothing sound or upright either among the priests or the common people. As then they had long indulged with loose reins in all kinds of wickedness, it was incredible, that any could be converted, or that any piety and fear of God could be found remaining among them. This then is the reason why the Prophet says, that God attended and heard, and that a book was written; he speaks as though of a thing unusual, which could not but appear as a miracle in a state of things so confused and almost past hope. The design of the whole is to show, that the faithful ought not to doubt, but that their repentance is ever regarded by God, and especially when the utmost despair lays hold on their minds; for it often distresses the godly, when they see no remedy to be hoped for; then they think that their repentance will be useless: hence it is that the Prophet dwells so much on this point, in order that they might feel assured, that though no hope appeared, yet repentance availed for their salvation before God; and for this reason he adds, that this book was written for those who feared God 266

With regard to the participle ×—×©×‘×™× , cheshebim, the verb חשב , chesheb, means to reckon or to count, and also to think; and so some render it here, “Who think of his name.†And doubtless this is a rare virtue; for we see that forgetfulness easily creeps over us, which extinguishes the fear of God, so that we take such a liberty, as though they who forget God can sin with impunity: and hence it is said often in the Psalms, that the fear of God is before the eyes of the godly. This seems frigid at the first view; but he who remembers God has made much progress in his religious course; and we also find by experience that the mere remembrance of God, when real, is a bridle to us sufficiently strong to restrain all our depraved lusts. But as the price of a thing is attained by reckoning, the other version is appropriate, — that the faithful value or esteem the name of God. 267 It follows —

Calvin: Mal 3:17 - -- He shows by the issue itself why a book of remembrance was written — that God in due time would again undertake to defend and cherish his Church. T...

He shows by the issue itself why a book of remembrance was written — that God in due time would again undertake to defend and cherish his Church. Though then for a time many troubles were to be sustained by the godly, yet the Prophet shows that they did not in vain serve God; for facts would at length prove that their obedience has not been overlooked. But the two things which he mentions ought to be noticed; for a book of remembrance is first written before God, and then God executes what is written in the book. When therefore we seem to serve God in vain, let us know that the obedience we render to him will come to an account, and that he is a just Judge, though he may not immediately stretch forth his hand to us.

In the first place then the Prophet testifies that God knows what is done by every one; and in the second place he adds that he will in his own time perform what he has decreed. So also in judgements, he preserves the same order in knowing and in executing. For when he said to Abraham that the cry of Sodom came up to heaven, (Gen 18:20,) how great and how supine was the security of the city. How wantonly and how savagely they despised every authority to the very last moment! But God had long before ascended his tribunal, and had taken an account of their wickedness. So also in the case of the godly, though he seems to overlook their obedience, yet he has not his eyes closed, or his ears closed, for there is a book of memorial written before him.

Hence he says, They shall be in the day I make. The verb is put by itself, but we may easily learn from the context that it refers to the restoration of the Church. In the day then in which I shall make, that is, complete what I have already said; for he had before promised to restore the Church. As then he speaks of a known thing, he says shortly, In the day I shall make, or complete my work, they shall be to me a peculiar treasure 268 This phrase confirms what I have already stated — that God has his season and opportunity, in order that there may be no presumption in us to prescribe to him the time when he is to do this or that. In the day then when he shall gather his Church, it will then appear that we are his peculiar treasure.

Thus the Prophet in these words exhorts us to patience, lest it should be grievous to us to groan under our burden, and not to find God’s help according to our wishes, and lest also it should be grievous to us to bear troubles in common with the whole Church. Were one or two of us subject to the cross, and doomed to sorrow and grief in this world, our condition might seem hard; but since the godly, from the first to the last, are made to be our associates in bearing the cross of Christ, and to be conformed to his example, there is no reason for any one of us to shun his lot; for we are not better than the holy patriarchs, apostles, and so many of the faithful whom God has exercised with the cross. Since then the common restoration of the Church is here set before us, let us know that a reason is here given for constancy and fortitude; for it would be disgraceful for us to faint, when we have so many leaders in this warfare, who by their examples stretch forth as it were their hands to us; for as Abraham, David, and other Patriarchs and Prophets, as well as Apostles, have suffered so many and so grievous troubles, ought not this fact to raise up our spirits? and if at any time our feet and our legs tremble, ought it not to be sufficient to strengthen us, that so many excellent chiefs and leaders invite us to persevere by their example? We then see that this has not been laid down for nothing, when I shall make, or complete my work.

By the words peculiar treasure, God intimates that the lot of the godly will be different from that of the world; as though he had said, “Ye are now so mixed together, that they who serve me seem not to be peculiar any more than strangers; but they shall then be my peculiar treasure.†This is to be taken, as I have already mentioned, for the outward appearance; for we know that we have been chosen by God, before the foundation of the world, for this end — that we might be to him a peculiar treasure. But when we are afflicted in common with the wicked, or when we seem to be even rejected, and the ungodly, on the other hand, seem to have God propitious to them, then nothing seems less true than this promise. I therefore said that this ought to be referred to the outward appearance — that the faithful are God’s peculiar treasure, that they are valued by him, and that he shows to them peculiar love, as to his own inheritance.

And this mode of speaking occurs in many parts of scripture; for God is often said to repudiate his people; the word separation, or divorce, is often mentioned; he is said to have destroyed his inheritance. Grievous is the trial, when God cherishes as it were in his bosom the ungodly, and we at the same time are exposed to every kind of miser; but we see what happened to the ancient Church: let us then arm ourselves for this contest, and be satisfied with the inward testimony of the Spirit, though outward things do not prosper.

He adds, And I will spare them as a man spares, etc. He states here a promise which ought especially to be observed: it contains two clauses; the first is, that the Jews who remained alive would render obedience to God, by which they would prove themselves to be children indeed, and not in name only: and the second is, that God would forgive them, that is, that he would exercise pardon in receiving their services, which could not otherwise please him. And there is no doubt but that the Spirit of regeneration is included in the words, the son who serves him; not that the faithful addressed here were wholly destitute of the fear of God; but God promises an increase of grace, as though he had said, “I will gather to myself the people who faithfully and sincerely worship me.†Though then he speaks not here of the beginning of a religious and holy life, it is yet the same as though he had said, that the faithful would be under his government, that they might denote themselves to his service.

The second promise refers to another grace, — that God in his mercy would approve of the obedience of the godly, though in itself unworthy to come to his presence. How necessary this indulgence is to us, they who are really and truly acquainted with the fear of God, fully know. The sophists daringly prattle about merits, and fill themselves and others with empty pride; but they who understand that no man can stand before God’s tribunal, do not dream of any merits, nor do they believe that they can bring anything before God, by which they can conciliate his favor. Hence their only refuge is what the Prophet here teaches us, that God spares them.

And it must be observed, that the Prophet does not speak simply of the remission of sins: our salvation, we know, consists of two things — that God rules us by his Spirit, and forms us anew in his own image through the whole course of our life, — and also that he buries our sins. But the Prophet refers here to the remission of sins, of which we have need as to our good works; for it is certain, that even when we devote ourselves with all possible effort and zeal to God’s service there is yet something always wanting. Hence it is that no work, however right and perfect before men, deserves this distinction and honor before God. It is therefore necessary, even when we strive our utmost to serve God, to confess that without his forgiveness whatever we bring deserves rejection rather than his favor. Hence the Prophet says, that when God is reconciled to us, there is no reason to fear that he will reject us, because we are not perfect; for though our works be sprinkled with many spots, they will yet be acceptable to him, and though we labor under many defects, we shall yet be approved by him. How so? Because he will spare us: for a father is indulgent to his children, and though he may see a blemish in the body of his son, he will not yet cast him out of his house; nay, though he may have a son lame, or squint-eyed, or singular for any other defect, he will yet pity him, and will not cease to love him: so also is the case with respect to God, who, when he adopts us as his children, will forgive our sins. And as a father is pleased with every small attention when he sees his son submissive, and does not require from him what he requires from a servant; so God acts; he repudiates not our obedience, however defective it may be. 269

We hence see the design and meaning of the Prophet, — that he promises pardon from God to the faithful, after having been reconciled to him, because they serve God as children willingly, — and that God also, though their works are unworthy of his favor, will yet count them as acceptable, even through pardon, and not on the ground of merit or worthiness.

Calvin: Mal 3:18 - -- This verse at the first view seems to be addressed to the faithful; for there never has been a turning as to the reprobate: but as the word has a wid...

This verse at the first view seems to be addressed to the faithful; for there never has been a turning as to the reprobate: but as the word has a wide meaning, the passage may be suitably applied to the whole people, according to what we find in Zechariah, “They shall see him whom they have pierced;†for we have said that this might be understood both of the good and of the bad. So also the whole people might be viewed as addressed in these words. But when we more minutely examine all circumstances, it seems that Malachi more particularly addressed the ungodly, and checked again their furious blasphemies; for we find almost the same sentiment expressed here, as when he said, “The Lord whom ye expect shall come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant whom ye seek;†and at the same time he showed that the coming of Christ, which they said was advancing too slowly, would not be such as they desired or looked for. “Let not this delay,†he says, “be grievous to you; for everything terrible which his majesty possesses will be turned on your heads; for he will come as an angry judge and an avenger: ye therefore in vain hope for any comfort or alleviation from his presence.â€

So also he says in this place, Ye shall see this difference between the just and the unjust; that is, “Ye shall find that God does not sleep in heaven, when the ungodly grow wanton on the earth and abandon themselves to every kind of wickedness: experience then will at length teach you, that men shall not thus with impunity become insolent against God, but that all your wickedness must come to a reckoning.†When therefore he says, that they would find the difference between the godly and the ungodly, he means that they would find by the punishments which God would inflict, that men are not permitted to indulge their own depraved desires, as though God slept in heaven, forgetful of his office. Their blasphemy was, “In vain is God worshipped; what is the benefit? for we have kept his charge, and yet the proud are more happy than we are.†As then they accused God of such a connivance, as though he disregarded and cast away his own servants, and showed favor to the wicked, Malachi returns them an answer and says, “Ye shall see how much the good differ from the evil; God indeed spares the wicked, but he will at length rise to judgement, and come armed suddenly upon them, and then ye shall know that all the deeds of men are noticed by him, and that wickedness shall not go unpunished, though God for a time delays his vengeance.â€

We now then perceive the Prophet’s meaning — that the ungodly who clamor against God, as though he made no account either of the just or of the unjust, shall find, even to their own loss, that he is one who punishes wickedness.

As to the verb turn, I have already said that it has a wide meaning, and does not always mean repentance or the renovation of man: it may therefore be taken as signifying only a different state of things; as though he had said, “The dice shall be turned, and such will be your condition when God shall begin to execute his judgement, that he will then manifestly show that he has not forgotten his office, though he does not immediately hasten to execute his judgements.†Ye shall return then and see. Yet if any one prefers to regard returning as the feeling of God’s judgements, by which even the ungodly shall be touched, though without repentance, the view will not be unsuitable, and I am disposed to embrace it, that is, that the Lord will shake off the stupidity in which they were sunk, and will correct their madness, so that they will not dare to vomit forth so insolently their blasphemies, as they had been wont to do: Ye then shall return; that is, “I will make my judgement known to you, and ye shall not rush on headlong as wild beasts, for being taught by facts, ye shall learn the difference between the good and the bad.†270

The just, and he who serves God, mean the same person. We hence learn that there is no justice where there is no obedience rendered to God. The first thing then in a good and an upright life, is to serve God; for it would be but of little benefit to be harmless towards men, when his right is denied: and we know that God is not rightly served but according to what his law prescribes. We must then always come to this, — that men must obey God, if they desire to form their life aright. Now follows —

Defender: Mal 3:8 - -- This rebuke suggests that Malachi's prophecies were given during the days of Nehemiah's second stay in Jerusalem (Neh 13:10-12)."

This rebuke suggests that Malachi's prophecies were given during the days of Nehemiah's second stay in Jerusalem (Neh 13:10-12)."

Defender: Mal 3:10 - -- This verse, the text for innumerable stewardship sermons, actually applies in context only to the one treasury in the one house of God in Jerusalem. T...

This verse, the text for innumerable stewardship sermons, actually applies in context only to the one treasury in the one house of God in Jerusalem. The New Testament contains many references to our stewardship responsibilities, involving more than tithing, but contains no references to this passage. The principle, of course, does always apply. God's people have the responsibility to support the work of God, rather than to heap luxuries on themselves (Hag 1:4-11; 2Co 8:6-13)."

Defender: Mal 3:16 - -- In heaven, God keeps records of not just the actions of His people but even of their thoughts. This verse indicates His particular pleasure when His p...

In heaven, God keeps records of not just the actions of His people but even of their thoughts. This verse indicates His particular pleasure when His people truly fear the Lord, and He occupies both their conversations and their inward thoughts, even (perhaps especially) when most of their contemporaries ignore or reject Him."

Defender: Mal 3:17 - -- The word translated "jewels" this one time is translated "peculiar treasure" three other times. The connotation is that of no ordinary jewels, but of ...

The word translated "jewels" this one time is translated "peculiar treasure" three other times. The connotation is that of no ordinary jewels, but of certain very special treasures. To God, those who fear Him, think on His name, and often speak to one another about Him, are very special people, as dear to Him as a faithful only son of a loving father."

TSK: Mal 3:7 - -- from the : Deu 9:7-21, Deu 31:20,Deu 31:27-29; Neh 9:16, Neh 9:17, Neh 9:26, Neh 9:28-30; Psa 78:8-10; Eze 20:8, Eze 20:13, Eze 20:21, Eze 20:28; Luk ...

TSK: Mal 3:8 - -- a man : Psa 29:2; Pro 3:9, Pro 3:10; Mat 22:21; Mar 12:17; Luk 20:25; Rom 13:7 In : Mal 1:8, Mal 1:13; Lev 5:15, Lev 5:16, 27:2-34; Num 18:21-32; Jos ...

TSK: Mal 3:9 - -- Mal 2:2; Deu 28:15-19; Jos 7:12, Jos 7:13, Jos 22:20; Isa 43:28; Hag 1:6-11, Hag 2:14-17

TSK: Mal 3:10 - -- all : 2Ch 31:4-10; Neh 10:33-39; Pro 3:9, Pro 3:10 the storehouse : 1Ch 26:20; 2Ch 31:11-19; Neh 10:38, Neh 12:44, Neh 12:47, Neh 13:5, Neh 13:10-13 a...

TSK: Mal 3:11 - -- rebuke : Joe 2:20; Amo 4:9, Amo 7:1-3; Hag 2:17 destroy : Heb. corrupt neither : Deu 11:14; Jer 8:13; Joe 1:7, Joe 1:12, Joe 2:22; Hab 3:17; Zec 8:12

rebuke : Joe 2:20; Amo 4:9, Amo 7:1-3; Hag 2:17

destroy : Heb. corrupt

neither : Deu 11:14; Jer 8:13; Joe 1:7, Joe 1:12, Joe 2:22; Hab 3:17; Zec 8:12

TSK: Mal 3:12 - -- all : Deu 4:6, Deu 4:7; 2Ch 32:23; Psa 72:17; Isa 61:9; Jer 33:9; Zep 3:19, Zep 3:20; Zec 8:23; Luk 1:48 a delightsome : Deu 8:7-10, Deu 11:12; Dan 8:...

TSK: Mal 3:13 - -- Your : Mal 2:17; Exo 5:2; 2Ch 32:14-19; Job 34:7, Job 34:8; Psa 10:11; Isa 5:19, Isa 28:14, Isa 28:15; Isa 37:23; 2Th 2:4 What : Mal 3:8, Mal 1:6-8, M...

TSK: Mal 3:14 - -- It is : Job 21:14, Job 21:15, Job 22:17, Job 34:9, Job 35:3; Psa 73:8-13; Isa 58:3; Zep 1:12 ordinance : Heb. observation and that : Isa 58:3; Joe 2:1...

It is : Job 21:14, Job 21:15, Job 22:17, Job 34:9, Job 35:3; Psa 73:8-13; Isa 58:3; Zep 1:12

ordinance : Heb. observation

and that : Isa 58:3; Joe 2:12; Zec 7:3-6; Jam 4:9

mournfully : Heb. in black

TSK: Mal 3:15 - -- we call : Mal 4:1; Est 5:10; Psa 10:3, Psa 49:18, Psa 73:12; Dan 4:30,Dan 4:37, Dan 5:20-28; Act 12:21; 1Pe 5:5 yea : Mal 2:17; Job 12:6, Job 21:7-15,...

TSK: Mal 3:16 - -- that feared : Mal 3:5, Mal 4:2; Gen 22:12; 1Ki 18:3, 1Ki 18:12; Job 28:28; Psa 33:18, Psa 111:10, Psa 112:1; Psa 147:11; Isa 50:10; Act 9:31, Act 10:2...

TSK: Mal 3:17 - -- they shall : Son 2:16; Jer 31:33, Jer 32:38, Jer 32:39; Eze 16:8, Eze 36:27, Eze 36:28; Zec 13:9; Joh 10:27-30, Joh 17:9, Joh 17:10,Joh 17:24; 1Co 3:2...

TSK: Mal 3:18 - -- shall : Mal 3:14, Mal 3:15, Mal 1:4; Job 6:29, Job 17:10; Jer 12:15; Joe 2:14; Zec 1:6 discern : Gen 18:25; Psa 58:10,Psa 58:11; Isa 3:10,Isa 3:11; Da...

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Mal 3:7 - -- Even from the days of your fathers - Back to those days and from them ye are gone away from My ordinances. "I am not changed from good; ye ar...

Even from the days of your fathers - Back to those days and from them ye are gone away from My ordinances. "I am not changed from good; ye are not changed from evil. I am unchangeable in holiness; ye are unchangeable in perversity."

Return unto Me - The beginning of our return is from the preventing grace of God. Jer 31:18; Lam 5:21, "turn Thou me, and I shall be turned, for Thou art the Lord my God,"is the voice of the soul to God, preparing for His grace; Psa 85:4, "turn us, O God of our salvation."For, not in its own strength, but by His grace can the soul turn to God. "Turn thou to Me and I will return unto you,"is the Voice of God, acknowledging our free-will, and promising His favor, if we accept His grace in return.

And ye say, Wherein shall we return? - Strange ignorance of the blinded soul, unconscious that God has aught against it! It is the Pharisaic spirit in the Gospel. It would own itself doubtless in general terms a sinner, but when called on, wholly to turn to God, as being wholly turned from Him, it asks, "In what? What would God have of me?"as if ready to do it.

Barnes: Mal 3:8 - -- Shall a man rob or cheat - , defraud God? God answers question by question, but thereby drives it home to the sinner’ s soul, and appeals ...

Shall a man rob or cheat - , defraud God? God answers question by question, but thereby drives it home to the sinner’ s soul, and appeals to his conscience. The conscience is steeled, and answers again, "In what?"God specifies two things only, obvious, patent, which, as being material things, they could not deny. "In tithes and offerings."The offerings included several classes of dues to God:

(a) the first fruits ;

(b) the annual half-shekel Exo 30:13-15;

© the offerings made for the tabernacle Exo 25:2-3; Exo 35:5, Exo 35:21, Exo 35:24; Exo 36:3, Exo 36:6 and the second temple Ezr 8:25 at its first erection; it is used of ordinary offerings;

(d) of the tithes of their own tithes, which the Levites paid to the priests Num 18:26, Num 18:28-29;

(e) of the portions of the sacrifice which accrued to the priests Lev 7:14.

Barnes: Mal 3:9 - -- Ye have been cursed with the curse - (not "with a curse"). The curse threatened had come upon them: but, as fore-supposed in Leviticus by the r...

Ye have been cursed with the curse - (not "with a curse"). The curse threatened had come upon them: but, as fore-supposed in Leviticus by the repeated burden, "If ye still walk contrary to Me,"they had persevered in evil. God had already shown His displeasure. But they, so far from being amended by it, were the more hardened in their sin. Perhaps as men do, they pleaded their punishment, as a reason why they should not amend. They defrauded God, under false pretences. They were impoverished by His curse, and so they could not afford to pay the tithes; as men say, "the times are bad; so we cannot help the poor"of Christ. "And Me ye still are defrauding"Me, ye; man, God. And that not one or other, but this whole people. It was a requital as to that, in which they had offended. "Because ye have not rendered tithes and first-fruits, therefore ye are cursed in famine and penury.""Because the people did not render tithes and first-fruits to the Levites, the Lord saith, that He Himself suffered fraud, whose ministers, constrained by hunger and penury, deserted the temple. For, if He is visited by others in prison, and sick, is received and cared for, and, hungry and athirst, receives food and drink, why should He not receive tithes in His ministers, and, if they are not given, be Himself deprived of His portion?"

Barnes: Mal 3:10 - -- Bring the whole tithes - , not a part only, keeping back more or less, and, as he had said, defrauding God, offering, like Ananias, apart, as i...

Bring the whole tithes - , not a part only, keeping back more or less, and, as he had said, defrauding God, offering, like Ananias, apart, as if it had been the whole; into the treasury, where they were collected in the time of Hezekiah and again, at this time, by the direction of Nehemiah, "so that there shall be food,"not superfluity, in My house "for those who minister in the house of My sanctuary."Neh 13:10-23. "The Levites and singers had, before the reformation, fled every one to his field, because the portion of the Levites had not been given them."On Nehemiah’ s remonstrance, aided by Malachi, "the tithe of corn and the wine and the new oil were brought into the treasuries."

Bring the whole tithes - o "Thou knowest that all things which come to thee are God’ s, and dost not thou give of His own to the Creator of all? The Lord God needeth not: He asketh not a reward, but reverence: He asketh not anything of thine, to restore to Him. He asketh of thee "first-fruits and tithes."Niggard, what wouldest thou do, if He took nine parts to Himself, and left thee the tenth? What if He said to thee; ‘ Man, thou art Mine, Who made thee; Mine is the land which thou tillest; Mine are the seeds, which thou sowest; Mine are the animals, which thou weariest; Mine are the showers, Mine the winds, Mine the sun’ s heat; and since Mine are all the elements, whereby thou livest, thou who givest only the labor of thine hands, deservest only the tithes.’ But since Almighty God lovingly feeds us, He gives most ample reward to us who labor little: claiming to Himself the tithes only, He has condoned us all the rest."

And prove Me now herewith, in or by this thing - God pledges Himself to His creatures, in a way in which they themselves can verify. "If you will obey, I will supply all your needs; if not, I will continue your dearth."By whatever laws God orders the material creation, He gave them a test, of the completion of which they themselves could judge, of which they themselves must have judged. They had been afflicted with years of want. God promises them years of plenty, on a condition which He names. What would men think now, if anyone had, in God’ s name, promised that such or such a disease, which injured our crops or our cattle, should come at once to an end, if any one of God’ s laws should be kept? We should have been held as finatics, and rightly, for we had no commission of God. God authenticates those by whom He speaks; He promises, who alone can perform.

"There are three keys which God hath reserved in His own hands, and hath not delivered to any to minister or substitute, the keys of life, of rain, and of the resurrection. In the ordering of the rain they look on His great power, no less than in giving life at first, or afterward raising the dead to it; as Paul saith Act 14:17, "God left not Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave rain, from heaven and fruitful seasons."

If I will not open the windows of heaven - o In the time of the flood, they were, as it were, opened, to man’ s destruction: now, God would rain abundantly for you, for their sakes. "And pour you out, literally empty out to you,"give to them fully, holding back nothing. So in the Gospel it is said, that the love of God is "shed abroad poured out and forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us."

"That there is not room enough to receive it; literally until there is no sufficiency."(In Psa 72:7 (quoted by Ges. Ros. etc.) "there shall be abundance of peace ירח בלי עד , literally, "until there be no moon,"has a literal meaning, that the peace should last until the end of our creation, without saying anything of what lies beyond.) The text does not express what should not suffice, whether it be on God’ s part or on man’ s. Yet it were too great irony, if understood of God. His superabundance, "above all which we can ask or think,"is a first principle in the conception of God, as the Infinite Source of all being. But to say of God. that He would pour out His blessing, until man could not contain it, is one bliss of eternity, that God’ s gifts will overflow the capacity of His creatures to receive them. The pot of oil poured forth the oil, until, on the prophets saying 2Ki 4:6, "Bring me yet a vessel,"the widows son said, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed."God’ s gifts are limited only by our capacity to receive them.

Barnes: Mal 3:11 - -- And I will rebuke the devourer - , the locust, caterpillar, or any like scourge of God. It might be, that when the rain watered the fields, the...

And I will rebuke the devourer - , the locust, caterpillar, or any like scourge of God. It might be, that when the rain watered the fields, the locust or caterpillar etc. might destroy the grain, so that the labors of man should perish; wherefore he adds, "I will rebuke the devourer. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time,"holding out a fair promise, but cut off by the frost-wind or the hail; the blossoms or the unripe fruit strewing the earth, as a token of God’ s displeasure.

Barnes: Mal 3:12 - -- All nations shall call you blessed - The promise goes beyond the temporal prosperity of their immediate obedience. Few could know or think much...

All nations shall call you blessed - The promise goes beyond the temporal prosperity of their immediate obedience. Few could know or think much of the restored prolificalness of Judaea; none could know of its antecedents. A people, as well as individuals, may starve, and none know of it. Had the whole population of Judah died out, their Persian masters would not have cared for it, but would have sent fresh colonists to replace them and pay the tribute to the great king. The only interest, which all nations could have in them, was as being the people of God, from whom He should come, "the Desire of all nations, in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed."Of this, God’ s outward favor was the earnest; they should have again the blessings which He had promised to His people.

And ye shall be called a delightsome land - , literally "a land of good pleasure."It was not so much the land as the people; ye shall be called. The land stands for the people upon it, in whom its characteristics lay. The river Jordan was not so bright as Abana and Pharpar: "the aspect of the shore"is the same, when the inhabitants are spiritually or morally dead; only the more beautiful, in contrast with the lifeless "spirit of man."So Isaiah says Isa 62:2-4, "The nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shrill be called by a name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name Thou shalt no more be called Forsaken, nor shall thy land be called Desolate, but thou shalt be called My-delight-is-in-her, and thy land Married: for the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land shall be married."God and man should delight in her.

Barnes: Mal 3:13 - -- Your words have been stout against Me - , probably "oppressive to Me,"as it is said, the famine was strong upon the land. And ye have said, "W...

Your words have been stout against Me - , probably "oppressive to Me,"as it is said, the famine was strong upon the land. And ye have said, "What have we spoken among ourselves against Thee?"Again, the entire unconsciousness of self-ignorance and self-conceit! They had criticized God, and knew it not. "Before, he had said Mal 2:17. ‘ Ye have wearied the Lord with your words, and ye said, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye said, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord’ "etc.

Now he repeats this more fully. For the people who returned from Babylon seemed to have a knowledge of God, and to observe the law, and to understand their sin, and to offer sacrifices for sin; to pay tithes, to observe the sabbath, and the rest, commanded in the law of God, and seeing all the nations around them abounding in all things, and that they themselves were in penury, hunger and misery, was scandalized and said, ‘ What does it benefit me, that I worship the One True God, abominate idols, and, pricked with the consciousness of sin, walk mournfully before God?’ A topic, which is pursued more largely in Ps. 73."Only the Psalmist relates his temptations to God, and God’ s deliverance of him from them; these adopted them and spake them against God. They claim, for their partial and meagre service, to have fulfilled God’ s law, taking to themselves God’ s words of Abraham, "he kept My charge".

Barnes: Mal 3:14 - -- Ye have said, It is vain to serve the God - o "as receiving no gain or reward for their service. This is the judgment of the world, whereby wo...

Ye have said, It is vain to serve the God - o "as receiving no gain or reward for their service. This is the judgment of the world, whereby worldlings think pious, just, sincere, strict men, vain, i. e., especially when they see them impoverished, despised, oppressed, afflicted, because they know not the true goods of virtue and eternal glory, but measure all things by sight, sense and taste. Truly, if the righteous had not hope of another and better life, in vain would they afflict themselves, and bear the afflictions of others. For, as the Apostle says 1Co 15:19. ‘ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.’ But now, hoping for another blessed and eternal life for the slight tribulations of this, we are the happiest of all men."

And we have walked mournfully - o Again they take in their mouths the words of Psalmists, that they took the garb of mourners, going about mourning before God for their country’ s afflictions.

Barnes: Mal 3:15 - -- And now we call the proud happy (blessed) - This being so, they sum up the case against God. God had declared that all nations should "call the...

And now we call the proud happy (blessed) - This being so, they sum up the case against God. God had declared that all nations should "call them blessed"Mal 3:12. if they would obey. They answer, using His words; And "now we (they lay stress on the word we,) pronounce blessed,"in fact, those whom God had pronounced cursed: Psa 119:21. "Thou hast rebuked the proud, who are cursed."Their characteristic, among other bad men, is of insolence Pro 21:24. arrogance, boiling over with self-conceit, and presumptuous toward God. The ground of Babylon’ s sentence was "she hath been proud toward the Lord, the Holy One of Israel;"Jethro says of the Egyptians, as a ground of his belief in God (Exo 18:11. It is used of Egypt toward Israel. Neh 9:16.) "for, in the thing that they dealt proudly,"He was "above them."It describes the character of the act of Israel, when God bade them "not go up, neither fight, and they would not hear, and went up presumptuously into the battle"Deu 1:41, Deu 1:43 the contumacious act of those, who, appealing to the judgment of God, afterward refused it: Deu 17:12-13. of Johanan’ s associates, who accuse Jeremiah of speaking falsely in the name of God; Jer 43:2. they are persons who rise up Psa 86:14. forge lies against Psa 119:69. dig pits for Psa 119:85. deal perversely with, Psa 119:78. hold in derision Psa 119:51. oppress Psa 119:122. the pious. Whether or no, they mean specifically the pagan, those, whom these pronounced blessed, were those who were contemptuous toward God.

Yea, the workers of wickedness - , those who habitually work it, whose employment it is, "are built up; yea, they have tried God and have escaped."God had promised that, if Jer 12:16, "they will diligently learn the ways of My people, they shall be built up in the midst of My people;"these say, the workers of wickedness "had been built up:"God had bidden themselves Jer 3:10, "make trial of Me in this;"these answer, the wicked had made trial of Him, and had been unpunished.

Barnes: Mal 3:16 - -- Then they that feared the Lord spake often among themselves - The proud-speaking of the ungodly called out the piety of the God-fearing. "The ...

Then they that feared the Lord spake often among themselves - The proud-speaking of the ungodly called out the piety of the God-fearing. "The more the ungodly spake against God, the more these spake among themselves for God."Both went on until the Great Day of severance. True, as those said, the distinction between righteous and wicked was not made yet, but it was stored up out of sight. They "spake among themselves,"strengthening each other against the ungodly sayings of the ungodly.

And the Lord hearkened and heard it - God, whom these thought an idle looker-on, or regardless, all the while (to speak after the manner of men) was "bending the ear"from heaven "and heard."Not one pious loyal word for Him and His glory, escaped Him.

And a book of remembrance was written before Him - Kings had their chronicles written wherein people’ s good or ill deeds toward them were recorded. But the image is one of the oldest in Scripture, and in the self-same words , "the Lord said to Moses, Write this, a memorial in a book."God can only speak to us in our own language. One expression is not more human than another, since all are so. Since with God all things are present, and memory relates to the past, to speak of God as "remembering"is as imperfect an expression in regard to God, as to speak of "a book.", "Forgetfulness hath no place with God, because He is in no way changed; nor remembrance, because He forgetteth not."Both expressions are used, only to picture vividly to our minds, that our deeds are present with God, for good or for evil; and in the Day of Judgment He will make them manifest to men and angels, as though read out of a book, and will requite them. So Daniel had said Dan 7:10, "the judgment was set, and the books were opened."And John says Rev 20:12, "The books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."So Moses says to God, Exo 32:32, "If not, blot me out of Thy book which Thou hast written;"and David, prophesying, prays Psa 69:28, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written among the righteous;"and our Lord bids His discipies Luk 10:20, "Rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven."

And that thought upon His name - Rather, "esteemed, prized,"it, in contrast with those who Mal 1:6. "despised;"as, of Christ, when He should come, it is said Isa 53:3, "He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.""The thinking on His Name imports, not a bare thinking of, but a due esteem and awful regard of, so as with all care to avoid all things which may tend to the dishonor of it, as always in His presence and with respect to Him and fear of Him.""Those are meant who always meditate on the ways of the Lord and the knowledge of His Godhead, for His name is Himself, and He is His Name;""the wise in heart who know the mystery of the awful glorious Name."

Barnes: Mal 3:17 - -- And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels - o the recurrence of the words, עשה ×× ×™ ×ש...

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels - o the recurrence of the words, עשה ×× ×™ ×שר ×™×•× , Mal. 3:21. Hebrew (Mal 4:3 in English), and the סגלה לי ×•×”×™×™×ª× Exo. 19:5; so that we have both phrases elsewhere. In Deu 7:6, there is the equivalent ×œ×¢× ×œ×• להיות סגלה , and the like, Deu 14:2; Psa 135:4.) or perhaps better, "And they shall be to Me, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day which I make (or, in which I do this) a special treasure.""In the day of judgment, those who fear Me and believe and maintain My providence shall be to Me a special treasure, i. e., a people uniquely belonging and precious to Me, blessed in the vision and fruition of Me. For as in the old law, Israel was a special treasure a special people and inheritance of God, chosen out of all nations, so in the new law, Christians, and those who are righteous through grace, are the special treasure of God, and in heaven shall be His special treasure in glory, possessed by God and possessing God.’ The "special treasure,"is something, much prized, made great store of, and guarded. Such are Christians, bought at a great price, even by the precious Blood of Christ; but much more evidently such shall they be, Malachi says, in all eternity, which that day of final retribution shall decide , "joying in the participation of their Creator, by Whose eternity they are fixed, by Whose truth they are assured, by Whose gift they are holy."

And I will spare them - It is a remarkable word, as used of those who should be to Him a "special treasure,"teaching that, not of their own merits, they shall be such, but by His great mercy. It stands in contrast with the doom of the wicked, whom that day shall sentence to everlasting less of God. Still, the saved also shall have needed the tender mercy of God, whereby He pardoned their misdeeds and had compassion upon them Psa 130:3, "If Thou, Lord, shalt lay up iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"Among those whom God will spare on that day, will be countless, whom the self-righteous despised as sinners. "I will spare them, although formerly sinners; I will spare them, repenting, and serving Me with the service of a pious confession, as a man spareth his own son which served him."For our Lord saith of the son, who refused to go work in his Father’ s vineyard, and afterward repented and went, that he Mat 21:31, "did the will of his Father."

Barnes: Mal 3:18 - -- Then shall ye return, or turn - , not, "return"in the sense of returning to God, for in that day will be the time of judgment, not of repentanc...

Then shall ye return, or turn - , not, "return"in the sense of returning to God, for in that day will be the time of judgment, not of repentance; nor yet, "then shall ye again see;"for this is what they denied; and, if they had ceased to deny it, they would have been converted, not in that day, but before, when God gave them grace to see it. They shall turn, so as to have other convictions than before; but, as Judas. The Day of Judgment will make a great change in earthly judgment. Last shall be first and first last; this world’ s sorrow shall end in joy, and worldly joy in sorrow; afflictions shall be seen to be God’ s love: Psa 119:75, "Thou in very faithfulness hast afflicted me;"and the unclouded prosperity of the ungodly to be God’ s abandonment of them. The picture of the surprise of the wicked in the Day of Judgment, in the Wisdom of Solomon, is a comment on the prophet (Wisdom 5:1-5), "Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labors; when they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed with the strangeness of his salvation, so far beyond all they looked for: and they, repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit, shall say within themselves, This was he whom we had sometimes in derision and a proverb of reproach: we fools counted his life madness and his end to be without honor: how is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints!"

Poole: Mal 3:7 - -- Even from the days of your fathers: we need not fix a particular time or age wherein this apostacy began; it is an old apostacy that is here charged ...

Even from the days of your fathers: we need not fix a particular time or age wherein this apostacy began; it is an old apostacy that is here charged on them, and they were notoriously guilty of it.

Ye are gone away ; are turned away by the examples and by the corrupt doctrines of your fathers and false teachers; yea, you have voluntarily and of choice gone away.

From mine ordinances which either directed my worship, or your dealings one with another; so that you have sinned greatly by polluting my temple with your own additions or diminutions, with idolatry, or corrupt manner of performing my service; and you have sinned against one another by injustice, unfaithfulness, and cruelty, since you have gone away from my laws, which direct the way of righteousness and equity.

And have not kept them: it is a further asseveration, confirming the truth of the charge, and added to make them more sensible of their sin. Some tell us that this chargeth on them their sins against negative precepts, as the other charged them with sins against positive precepts; so the whole law was now, and had long been, broken by their fathers and themselves.

Return unto me it is the only course you can take, repent ere it is too late, return whilst there is hope.

And I will return unto you I will yet pardon, accept you, establish, and bless you; amend your ways and doings, and I will soon amend the state of your affairs.

But ye said, Wherein shall we return? as to other, so now to this advice, they return a proud, shameless, and self-justifying question; Wherein, or what is the evil from which we should return to thee? what is our sin?

Poole: Mal 3:8 - -- Will a man rob God? among the many deviations from God’ s law (which they do not, because they will not, see) the prophet chargeth them with thi...

Will a man rob God? among the many deviations from God’ s law (which they do not, because they will not, see) the prophet chargeth them with this kind of sacrilegious theft; they had detained his tithes, shortened him in that portion which he had reserved to himself and for his service, which is, as our version expresseth it, a robbing of God. And as the words lie in the original, they do, by arguing from the less to the greater, aggravate this sin; as they may be read, Will a man rob a great man , or, a judge ? for the word used will bear these notions. Or, Will a man rob the gods ? i.e. do not heathens abhor the foulness of such a fault, and fear the punishment of sacrilege, and therefore would not rob their idols? as another prophet asked once the question, Have any of

the nations changed their gods, which yet are no gods? Jer 2:11 ; so now, Have the nations robbed their gods? Yet ye have robbed me ; but blush, ye shameless priests and Jews, you have robbed not a great man, but the great God; not judges, but the Judge of judges; not an idol, but the living God! How great is your crime!

Wherein have we robbed thee? a question just like those Mal 1:7 2:17 3:7 , which see.

In tithes: the people robbed God not paying the full tenth, which God appointed should be paid to him. The priests robbed God in tithes, while they took too much, or it may be all, for their own particular and family use, and did not distribute them to all that by God’ s law had a right to a proportion of them.

And offerings ; either first-fruits, or other oblations and gifts, which were appointed to be brought to the temple for the service of God; in all which the people and priests had given him less than his due.

Will a man rob God? among the many deviations from God’ s law (which they do not, because they will not, see) the prophet chargeth them with this kind of sacrilegious theft; they had detained his tithes, shortened him in that portion which he had reserved to himself and for his service, which is, as our version expresseth it, a robbing of God. And as the words lie in the original, they do, by arguing from the less to the greater, aggravate this sin; as they may be read, Will a man rob a great man , or, a judge ? for the word used will bear these notions. Or, Will a man rob the gods ? i.e. do not heathens abhor the foulness of such a fault, and fear the punishment of sacrilege, and therefore would not rob their idols? as another prophet asked once the question, Have any of

the nations changed their gods, which yet are no gods? Jer 2:11 ; so now, Have the nations robbed their gods? Yet ye have robbed me ; but blush, ye shameless priests and Jews, you have robbed not a great man, but the great God; not judges, but the Judge of judges; not an idol, but the living God! How great is your crime!

Wherein have we robbed thee? a question just like those Mal 1:7 2:17 3:7 , which see.

In tithes: the people robbed God not paying the full tenth, which God appointed should be paid to him. The priests robbed God in tithes, while they took too much, or it may be all, for their own particular and family use, and did not distribute them to all that by God’ s law had a right to a proportion of them.

And offerings ; either first-fruits, or other oblations and gifts, which were appointed to be brought to the temple for the service of God; in all which the people and priests had given him less than his due.

Will a man rob God? among the many deviations from God’ s law (which they do not, because they will not, see) the prophet chargeth them with this kind of sacrilegious theft; they had detained his tithes, shortened him in that portion which he had reserved to himself and for his service, which is, as our version expresseth it, a robbing of God. And as the words lie in the original, they do, by arguing from the less to the greater, aggravate this sin; as they may be read, Will a man rob a great man , or, a judge ? for the word used will bear these notions. Or, Will a man rob the gods ? i.e. do not heathens abhor the foulness of such a fault, and fear the punishment of sacrilege, and therefore would not rob their idols? as another prophet asked once the question, Have any of

the nations changed their gods, which yet are no gods? Jer 2:11 ; so now, Have the nations robbed their gods? Yet ye have robbed me ; but blush, ye shameless priests and Jews, you have robbed not a great man, but the great God; not judges, but the Judge of judges; not an idol, but the living God! How great is your crime!

Wherein have we robbed thee? a question just like those Mal 1:7 2:17 3:7 , which see.

In tithes: the people robbed God not paying the full tenth, which God appointed should be paid to him. The priests robbed God in tithes, while they took too much, or it may be all, for their own particular and family use, and did not distribute them to all that by God’ s law had a right to a proportion of them.

And offerings ; either first-fruits, or other oblations and gifts, which were appointed to be brought to the temple for the service of God; in all which the people and priests had given him less than his due.

Poole: Mal 3:9 - -- Ye O priests, your sin, your sacrilege, of which you are guilty, hath provoked me. Are cursed with a curse are greatly cursed, and are likely still...

Ye O priests, your sin, your sacrilege, of which you are guilty, hath provoked me.

Are cursed with a curse are greatly cursed, and are likely still to be cursed, the curse shall continue whilst you continue in this your sinful course.

For ye have robbed me this brought, increased, and multiplied your curse. Or, as some, yet ye do rob me ! Strange that you dare sin, whilst I am punishing for this very sin! Or by way of question, and do ye rob me ? will you go on thus to sin when you are under the curse for it? will you, as Ahaz, sin when in distress; or, Pharaoh-like, harden under the judgment?

Even this whole nation : like priest like people; the priests and Levites did unduly employ the tithes and offerings, and the people did unduly pay: it is like the people observed how much of the tithes were laid out otherwise than the law directed, and they were ready to think they might do well enough to keep that for a use better (as they did think) than the use the priests and Levites put it to, they thought it was ill spent by the priests, and well saved by them; but this, however seemingly excuse them to themselves, it leaves them guilty before God: the whole nation is sacrilegious, and the whole nation cursed for it.

Poole: Mal 3:10 - -- Bring ye : if these persons spoken of be the priests, then they are required not to detain the tithes in their own hands, but, as was their duty, to b...

Bring ye : if these persons spoken of be the priests, then they are required not to detain the tithes in their own hands, but, as was their duty, to bring them into the public storehouse. If the people are the persons, ye, people, it requires them to make g punctual and full payment of all tithes of corn, wine, oil, &c.: about this did Nehemiah contend with the rulers, and made them honester, and all Judah obeyed and did the like, Neh 13:10-13 .

The storehouse which was one or more large rooms built on purpose for this use, to lay up the tithes, and to keep them for holy uses. It was some large and stately chamber, for we find that Eliashib had befriended Tobiah, letting him have it for an apartment to dwell in, Neh 13:5-7 , &c.

That there may be meat in mine house for the priests and Levites to live upon; that they flee not, as many had done, from the service of God in the temple, to take care of their country affairs, and by their industry provide maintenance for themselves and theirs, Neh 13:10 .

Prove me now herewith ; make the experiment. The prophet doth in the name of God offer to put it to a short trial: By doing your duty try whether I will not make good my promise, and give you a blessing instead of a curse.

Open the windows of heaven: this form of speech is used Gen 7:11 , when those mighty rains that helped to drown the world were poured forth; and now here plentiful and fruitful rains are promised in the same phrase, in a kind of proverbial speech, to express great abundance of the thing intended.

Pour you out a blessing first of rain, to water the earth, and to make it fruitful; next a blessing of corn, wine, and oil, and all other products of the earth, for the use of man and beast.

That there shall not be room enough your barns and storehouses shall not be large enough to receive it all. Your

fats shall overflow Joe 2:23,24 . Or, as it is Amo 9:13 , you shall have harvest work, and vintage work, and sowing work, as much, or more, than your labourers can well finish in their seasons.

Bring ye : if these persons spoken of be the priests, then they are required not to detain the tithes in their own hands, but, as was their duty, to bring them into the public storehouse. If the people are the persons, ye, people, it requires them to make g punctual and full payment of all tithes of corn, wine, oil, &c.: about this did Nehemiah contend with the rulers, and made them honester, and all Judah obeyed and did the like, Neh 13:10-13 .

The storehouse which was one or more large rooms built on purpose for this use, to lay up the tithes, and to keep them for holy uses. It was some large and stately chamber, for we find that Eliashib had befriended Tobiah, letting him have it for an apartment to dwell in, Neh 13:5-7 , &c.

That there may be meat in mine house for the priests and Levites to live upon; that they flee not, as many had done, from the service of God in the temple, to take care of their country affairs, and by their industry provide maintenance for themselves and theirs, Neh 13:10 .

Prove me now herewith ; make the experiment. The prophet doth in the name of God offer to put it to a short trial: By doing your duty try whether I will not make good my promise, and give you a blessing instead of a curse.

Open the windows of heaven: this form of speech is used Gen 7:11 , when those mighty rains that helped to drown the world were poured forth; and now here plentiful and fruitful rains are promised in the same phrase, in a kind of proverbial speech, to express great abundance of the thing intended.

Pour you out a blessing first of rain, to water the earth, and to make it fruitful; next a blessing of corn, wine, and oil, and all other products of the earth, for the use of man and beast.

That there shall not be room enough your barns and storehouses shall not be large enough to receive it all. Your

fats shall overflow Joe 2:23,24 . Or, as it is Amo 9:13 , you shall have harvest work, and vintage work, and sowing work, as much, or more, than your labourers can well finish in their seasons.

Poole: Mal 3:11 - -- I will rebuke lay a restraint upon, or prohibit, and the prohibition shall be effectual; if God so check, no creature is or dares be deaf to it; such...

I will rebuke lay a restraint upon, or prohibit, and the prohibition shall be effectual; if God so check, no creature is or dares be deaf to it; such a check not only quiets the unruly sea, but can dry it up.

The devourer all kinds of devourers, the locust, the canker-worm, caterpillar, &c., pests of those countries very often; though they are in mighty armies and incredible multitudes, yet a rebuke from God will check them all at once as if they were but one.

For your sakes not for merit in you, but for good to you.

He shall not destroy consume and eat it, as those vermin always did wherever they came.

The fruits of your ground corn sown by your hand, and grass springing up of its own nature, both which these locusts devour wheresoever they come, and leave penury or famine behind them.

Neither shall your vine cast her fruit no blasting or burning winds shall make them drop, no frosts or hails shall destroy your vines. This was once the plague of Egypt, Psa 105:33-36 .

Before the time your vines shall carry their fruit till they are fully ripe.

In the field where they had large vineyards and oliveyards planted, and God will make them prosper if this people will return to him.

Poole: Mal 3:12 - -- All nations all that are about you, that know you, and see God’ s dealings with you, shall call you blessed; praise the state and condition you ...

All nations all that are about you, that know you, and see God’ s dealings with you, shall call you blessed; praise the state and condition you are in, and pronounce you to be a very happy people, whose God is the Lord, and whose mercies come thus from God.

Ye shall be a delightsome land of delights, or desirable for its pleasantness; a land so good man would desire it; and when purged, it will be a land the Lord will delight in, and give it the name Hephzibah.

Saith the Lord of hosts added as an assurance that it shall be according to this promise, forasmuch as he who is Lord of hosts hath engaged his word to do it, and his word will do it, can make all creatures co-operate for that purpose.

Poole: Mal 3:13 - -- Your words ; your discourses concerning my providences over you and others, your reasonings, censures, and verdicts passed on your own ways, and on th...

Your words ; your discourses concerning my providences over you and others, your reasonings, censures, and verdicts passed on your own ways, and on the ways of your God.

Have been stout proudly justifying yourselves as deserving better usage from God, or insolently arraigning God for his kindness to others, who in your judgment are worse than yourselves, by such words as those Mal 2:17 .

Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? you think you have spoken nothing so proudly and stoutly, and challenge me to tell you wherein, or with what words you have showed such insolence.

Poole: Mal 3:14 - -- Ye ye that are the children of forefathers who had this good land given to them, and ever made fruitful while they feared and obeyed their God; you t...

Ye ye that are the children of forefathers who had this good land given to them, and ever made fruitful while they feared and obeyed their God; you that have been well rewarded for your obedience, or you priests who have tithes, sacrifices, offerings, and first-fruits given you for your services.

Have said have thought first, and next have discoursed it; unthankful to your God, you have atheistlike maintained it in disputes, that

it is vain to serve God all is lost labour, no profit to God nor any to yourselves; therefore better sit still and do nothing, than to no purpose.

What profit is it that we have kept his ordinance? while what they have before their eyes is the fruit of God’ s goodness, and what they want is punishment of their not doing it better; whilst a very unsuitable observing the ordinances of God hath so much profit for you, dare you say there is no profit? Sottish atheists ! who will not try what a more agreeable service would do.

And that we have walked mournfully: so the hypocrites and ungodly object against God, Isa 58:3 ; yet their dissembled mournings, as Ahab’ s, had their reward, and infinitely better than they

Ye ye that are the children of forefathers who had this good land given to them, and ever made fruitful while they feared and obeyed their God; you that have been well rewarded for your obedience, or you priests who have tithes, sacrifices, offerings, and first-fruits given you for your services.

Have said have thought first, and next have discoursed it; unthankful to your God, you have atheistlike maintained it in disputes, that

it is vain to serve God all is lost labour, no profit to God nor any to yourselves; therefore better sit still and do nothing, than to no purpose.

What profit is it that we have kept his ordinance? while what they have before their eyes is the fruit of God’ s goodness, and what they want is punishment of their not doing it better; whilst a very unsuitable observing the ordinances of God hath so much profit for you, dare you say there is no profit? Sottish atheists ! who will not try what a more agreeable service would do.

And that we have walked mournfully: so the hypocrites and ungodly object against God, Isa 58:3 ; yet their dissembled mournings, as Ahab’ s, had their reward, and infinitely better than they

Poole: Mal 3:15 - -- And now or now therefore; on these false reasonings of these deceived ones, they proceed to further impiety and audacious blasphemy. We call the pro...

And now or now therefore; on these false reasonings of these deceived ones, they proceed to further impiety and audacious blasphemy.

We call the proud happy we (say they) see before our eyes, and must pronounce what we see, that the proud contemners of God and his law are the flourishing ones; they are at present happiest, and there appears no sign of any change of affairs to them. They do boldly and despitefully oppose God, and yet prosper. And could this be, say they, if there were a God of judgment to call men to account, and to deal with them according to their ways?

They that work wickedness are set up who contrive, and then work wickedness; who choose it, study it, and glory in it, as the whole of their life; are built up, are advanced to honours, and filled with riches, and have fair probability that all this will last to them and theirs. And could this be, say these priests and Jews, under the eye of a just and sovereign Judge? where is the God of judgment when such disorders are every where seen?

They that tempt God are even delivered they that dare him to his very face, that do the highest affronts to God, purposely to prove whether he would or could punish the sinners amongst men. Those escape punishment though the law and prophets threaten them; and would you have us (say these men) believe there is such a God of judgment, when all is so disorderly carried in the world? Thus far the proud behaviour of these against God.

Poole: Mal 3:16 - -- Then when atheism and bold contempt of God was grown so high, and was so plainly and smartly reproved by the prophet. They that feared the Lord tho...

Then when atheism and bold contempt of God was grown so high, and was so plainly and smartly reproved by the prophet.

They that feared the Lord those that were truly religious, that knew God’ s judgments were a great deep, and that his ways were as high above our ways as heaven above the earth.

Spake often one to another discoursed aright of God’ s mercy, justice, patience, holiness, and wisdom in his government and manage of the sells of men; established one another against the assaults of such proud, contemptuous disputers; encouraged each other to wait for God in the way of his judgments. Though it is not said what they spake, we have reason to believe it was as good of God and his proceedings as the discourse of the wicked was evil. The godly spake things that did as much become the ways of God, as what the wicked spake did disparage the ways of an omniscient, holy, patient, and just God.

The Lord hearkened: after the manner of man, the Lord is represented as if he did listen to hear more distinctly, and as if he did incline his ear.

And heard it clearly, perfectly, and fully understood and observed, and what the godly spake of him and for him.

A book of remembrance was written before him a registry was made of the persons and their discourses. This is after the manner of men spoken of God, whose omniscience seeth, knoweth, and remembereth all; but this book is written before the Lord, he will have every good man, every good word of such, and every good thought such have for him, entered under his eye, that they may be assured of a comfortable reward for it.

For them on their behalf, that feared the Lord: see above.

That thought upon his name with love, esteem, and holy admiration.

Then when atheism and bold contempt of God was grown so high, and was so plainly and smartly reproved by the prophet.

They that feared the Lord those that were truly religious, that knew God’ s judgments were a great deep, and that his ways were as high above our ways as heaven above the earth.

Spake often one to another discoursed aright of God’ s mercy, justice, patience, holiness, and wisdom in his government and manage of the sells of men; established one another against the assaults of such proud, contemptuous disputers; encouraged each other to wait for God in the way of his judgments. Though it is not said what they spake, we have reason to believe it was as good of God and his proceedings as the discourse of the wicked was evil. The godly spake things that did as much become the ways of God, as what the wicked spake did disparage the ways of an omniscient, holy, patient, and just God.

The Lord hearkened: after the manner of man, the Lord is represented as if he did listen to hear more distinctly, and as if he did incline his ear.

And heard it clearly, perfectly, and fully understood and observed, and what the godly spake of him and for him.

A book of remembrance was written before him a registry was made of the persons and their discourses. This is after the manner of men spoken of God, whose omniscience seeth, knoweth, and remembereth all; but this book is written before the Lord, he will have every good man, every good word of such, and every good thought such have for him, entered under his eye, that they may be assured of a comfortable reward for it.

For them on their behalf, that feared the Lord: see above.

That thought upon his name with love, esteem, and holy admiration.

Then when atheism and bold contempt of God was grown so high, and was so plainly and smartly reproved by the prophet.

They that feared the Lord those that were truly religious, that knew God’ s judgments were a great deep, and that his ways were as high above our ways as heaven above the earth.

Spake often one to another discoursed aright of God’ s mercy, justice, patience, holiness, and wisdom in his government and manage of the sells of men; established one another against the assaults of such proud, contemptuous disputers; encouraged each other to wait for God in the way of his judgments. Though it is not said what they spake, we have reason to believe it was as good of God and his proceedings as the discourse of the wicked was evil. The godly spake things that did as much become the ways of God, as what the wicked spake did disparage the ways of an omniscient, holy, patient, and just God.

The Lord hearkened: after the manner of man, the Lord is represented as if he did listen to hear more distinctly, and as if he did incline his ear.

And heard it clearly, perfectly, and fully understood and observed, and what the godly spake of him and for him.

A book of remembrance was written before him a registry was made of the persons and their discourses. This is after the manner of men spoken of God, whose omniscience seeth, knoweth, and remembereth all; but this book is written before the Lord, he will have every good man, every good word of such, and every good thought such have for him, entered under his eye, that they may be assured of a comfortable reward for it.

For them on their behalf, that feared the Lord: see above.

That thought upon his name with love, esteem, and holy admiration.

Poole: Mal 3:17 - -- They shall be mine though now they seem to lie unregarded, as if they were not worth the owning, they shall appear to be mine. In that day the day ...

They shall be mine though now they seem to lie unregarded, as if they were not worth the owning, they shall appear to be mine.

In that day the day wherein God will sever between men and men, and between actions and actions, which day, though ye know it not, is well known to the Lord; and beside the great day of final discrimination, God hath several other days of visitation, which are times where. in he will own his, as the good figs, &c. Jer 24 . The day that God hath appointed, and will and did bring upon this people in the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus Vespasianus.

When I make up my jewels or peculiar treasure, that which I highly value and keep most safely; now they are packed up among things of no great value, but when the casket is opened these jewels shall be laid up among the richest treasures: as when they were all sent to Pella, not one Christian left in Jerusalem; and which shall be fully made good in the last great day of final judgment, and in heaven to eternal ages.

And I will spare them in the mean time they shall be spared, pitied, preserved, and loved: now their weaknesses covered and pardoned, their good-will approved and accepted; then their worth owned, published, and rewarded.

As a man spareth his own son that serveth him as a tender father doth with his son, his own son, that serveth him, so will God spare such as in an atheistical world do speak for God, do fear God, and highly value both his law and government, and so obey him.

Poole: Mal 3:18 - -- Then when that day of the Lord punishing the Jews by the Romans shall come, and he shall do thus for his jewels, shall ye, the blasphemous scoffers, ...

Then when that day of the Lord punishing the Jews by the Romans shall come, and he shall do thus for his jewels, shall ye, the blasphemous scoffers, proud contemnors of God and. religion, return; return to your reason, enforced by the convincing power of God’ s judgments to come to yourselves, or to change your opinion of God and his government.

Discern between the righteous and the wicked ; clearly see, with envy towards them, with horror and grief in yourselves, the unexpected escape and happiness of the righteous who served God and your misery that served him not, but were wicked, and perish now in your wickedness.

Then when that day of the Lord punishing the Jews by the Romans shall come, and he shall do thus for his jewels, shall ye, the blasphemous scoffers, proud contemnors of God and. religion, return; return to your reason, enforced by the convincing power of God’ s judgments to come to yourselves, or to change your opinion of God and his government.

Discern between the righteous and the wicked ; clearly see, with envy towards them, with horror and grief in yourselves, the unexpected escape and happiness of the righteous who served God and your misery that served him not, but were wicked, and perish now in your wickedness.

Haydock: Mal 3:8 - -- Afflict. Literally, "pierce." Septuagint, "supplant," (Haydock) or kick at, 1 Kings ii. 29. But the term applied to Heli is different. Here it si...

Afflict. Literally, "pierce." Septuagint, "supplant," (Haydock) or kick at, 1 Kings ii. 29. But the term applied to Heli is different. Here it signifies to nail or irritate. (Calmet) ---

Tithes: the payment is most strictly commanded. (Worthington)

Haydock: Mal 3:9 - -- Want. Hebrew, "malediction." St. Jerome specifies the kind. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "and you obstinately turn away your eyes, and supplant me," ...

Want. Hebrew, "malediction." St. Jerome specifies the kind. (Calmet) ---

Septuagint, "and you obstinately turn away your eyes, and supplant me," &c. (Haydock)

Haydock: Mal 3:10 - -- Heaven; copious showers. --- Blessing; fertility.

Heaven; copious showers. ---

Blessing; fertility.

Haydock: Mal 3:11 - -- Devour; locusts and other vermin. (Menochius) --- Malachias came later than Aggeus, and probably speaks of a different famine, to which the Jews we...

Devour; locusts and other vermin. (Menochius) ---

Malachias came later than Aggeus, and probably speaks of a different famine, to which the Jews were exposed for neglecting to pay tithes. (Calmet) ---

How many now work on holydays, as if all depended on their labour and not on God's blessing! (Haydock)

Haydock: Mal 3:14 - -- Vain. Murmuring against God is blasphemous and unsufferable. When the Jews were punished by famine, for neglecting to pay tithes, they laid the bla...

Vain. Murmuring against God is blasphemous and unsufferable. When the Jews were punished by famine, for neglecting to pay tithes, they laid the blame on God, as if he took more care of other nations which had abundance. (Worthington) ---

Sorrowful: "humbled." Chaldean, "in mourning." (Junius) ---

But is seems to denote downcast countenances, which our Saviour orders his disciples not to affect, Matthew vi. 16. (Calmet)

Haydock: Mal 3:15 - -- Proud. Septuagint, "strange." (Haydock) --- Z has been take for u. --- Built up: have a numerous family, (Calmet) and abundance. --- Tempted...

Proud. Septuagint, "strange." (Haydock) ---

Z has been take for u. ---

Built up: have a numerous family, (Calmet) and abundance. ---

Tempted. Septuagint, "resisted."

Haydock: Mal 3:16 - -- Then. Grabe changes Greek: tauta, these things, into Greek: tote, then. The Septuagint make the pious express the former sentiments. (Haydock)...

Then. Grabe changes Greek: tauta, these things, into Greek: tote, then. The Septuagint make the pious express the former sentiments. (Haydock) ---

David, Jeremias, &c., had experienced such anxiety, Psalm lxxii. 2. (Calmet) ---

According to the Hebrew, &c., the just hearing such blasphemies, doubt not but God will mark them in the book (Haydock) of his justice, and punish them.

Gill: Mal 3:7 - -- Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances,.... Here begins an enumeration of the sins of the Jews, which were the cause...

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances,.... Here begins an enumeration of the sins of the Jews, which were the cause of their ruin; and here is first a general charge of apostasy from the statutes and ordinances of the law, which they made void by the traditions of the fathers; and therefore this word is used as referring to this evil, as well as to express their early, long, and continued departure from the ways of God; which as it was an aggravation of their sin, that they should have so long ago forsook the ordinances of God,

and have not kept them, but transgressed them by observing the traditions of men, Mat 15:3 so it is an instance of the patience and forbearance of God, that they were not as yet consumed; and of his grace and goodness, that he should address them as follows:

Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts; this message was carried to them by John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, and by Christ himself, who both preached the doctrine of repentance to this people, Mat 3:2. The Targum is,

"return to my worship, and I will look in my word to do well unto you, saith the Lord of hosts;''

and such who returned, and believed in Christ, and submitted to his ordinances, it was well with them.

But ye said, Wherein shall we return? what have we to turn from, or repent of? what evils have we done, or can be charged on us? what need have we of repentance or conversion, or of such an exhortation to it? do not we keep the law, and all the rituals of it? this is the true language of the Pharisees in Christ's time, who, touching the righteousness of the law, were blameless in their own esteem, and were the ninety and nine just persons that needed not repentance, Luk 15:7.

Gill: Mal 3:8 - -- Will a man rob God?.... Or "the gods"; the false gods, the idols of the Gentiles; the Heathens will not do that, accounting sacrilege a great sin, and...

Will a man rob God?.... Or "the gods"; the false gods, the idols of the Gentiles; the Heathens will not do that, accounting sacrilege a great sin, and yet this the Jews were guilty of: or "the judges" c, as the Targum; civil magistrates; will any dare to defraud them of their due? see Mal 1:8.

Yet ye have robbed me; keeping back from the priests and Levites, his ministers, what was due to them; and which, being no other than a spoiling or robbing of them, might be interpreted a robbing of God:

But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? as not being conscious of any such evil; or, however, impudently standing in it, that they were not guilty: to which is returned the answer,

In tithes and offerings; that is, they robbed God in not giving the tithes, and not offering sacrifices, according as the law required: but it may be objected, that the Jews in Christ's time did pay tithes, even of all things; yea, of more than the law required, Mat 23:23 to which it may be replied, that though they gave tithes, yet it was בעין רעה, "with an evil eye", as Aben Ezra says; grudgingly, and not cheerfully, and with an evil intention; not to show their gratitude to God, and their acknowledgment of him as their Lord, from whom they had their all, but in order to merit at his hands; besides, our Lord suggests that they did not give to God the things that were God's, Mat 22:21 and the apostle charges them with being guilty of sacrilege, Rom 2:22 and, moreover, the priests might not give it to the Levites, as they ought; and which is what they are charged with in Neh 13:10 and Grotius says that they were guilty of this before the destruction by Vespasian, as appears by Josephus.

Gill: Mal 3:9 - -- Ye are cursed with a curse,.... Or "with penury", as the Vulgate Latin version; which, though not a proper rendering of the word, is the meaning of t...

Ye are cursed with a curse,.... Or "with penury", as the Vulgate Latin version; which, though not a proper rendering of the word, is the meaning of the curse they were cursed with; rain was withheld from them for their sins, and the earth did not bring forth its usual increase; wherefore there was want of food in all their land; their blessings were cursed, as in Mal 2:2 for the following reason,

for ye have robbed me; because of this their iniquity, in not bringing their offerings to the Lord, and the tithes to the priests and Levites, their land was stricken with barrenness, and God gave them cleanness of teeth, and want of bread in all places: or, "but ye have robbed me" d; notwithstanding they were thus chastised of the Lord, yet were not reformed, but went on in withholding from God and the priests, what belonged to them:

even this whole nation; the sin was become general, and therefore a general judgment was inflicted on them: Grotius thinks, that the people seeing the priests withhold the tithes from the Levites, they refused to pay them to them, and so the sin became universal. Kimchi observes, that in other sins charged upon the nation, the people were not all alike guilty, but in this which respected the tithes and offerings they were.

Gill: Mal 3:10 - -- Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,.... Or "treasury" e; for there were places in the temple where the tithe was put, and from thence distrib...

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,.... Or "treasury" e; for there were places in the temple where the tithe was put, and from thence distributed to the priests and Levites, for the support of their families, as they wanted. There were the tithe or tenth part of all eatable things paid to the Levites, and out of this another tithe was paid by the Levites to the priests; and there was another tithe, which some years the owners ate themselves at Jerusalem, and in others gave them to the poor; and these were called the first tithe, the tithe out of the tithe, the second tithe, and the poor's tithe; though they are commonly reduced to three, and are called first, and second, and third, as they are by Maimonides; who says f,

"after they have separated the first tithe every year, they separate the second tithe, as it is said "thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed", &c. Deu 14:22 and in the third year, and in the sixth, they separate the poor's tithe, instead of the second tithe.''

So Tobit says; Tobit 1:7

"the first tithe I gave to the Levites, who stand before the Lord to minister to him, and to bless in his name the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the second tithe I sold (as he might, according to the law in Deu 14:24), and took the money, and went up to Jerusalem, and bought with it what I pleased; and the third tithe I gave to the repair of the temple;''

so Fagius reads: but according to Munster's edition it is, the second and third tithes I gave to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; see Deu 26:12. It appears from hence that the sin of the people was, that they did not bring in "all" their tithes; they kept back a part of them: wherefore they are called upon to bring in the whole, and which they did in Nehemiah's time; see Neh 10:38 where mention is made of the treasuries for the tithe, which were certain chambers adjoining to the temple; and besides those that were built by Solomon, there were other chambers prepared by Hezekiah in his times, when the tithes were brought in, in such plenty, that there was not room enough for them, 2Ch 31:11 and besides those in the second temple, that were in the court of the priests, there were others in the court of the people, as L'Empereur thinks g, where what the others could not contain might be put; and into which court the priests might come; and there were also receptacles underground, as well as upper rooms, where much might be laid up; add to all this, that Dr. Lightfoot h suggests, that these tithes were treasured up in the chambers by the gates of the temple, and were at least a part of the treasuries of the house of God, which the porters at the gates had the care of, 1Ch 9:26 and particularly that the house of Asuppim, at which were four porters, was a large piece of building, containing divers rooms for the treasuring up things for the use of the temple; in the Apocrypha:

" And are resolved to spend the firstfruits of the the tenths of wine and oil, which they had sanctified, and reserved for the priests that serve in Jerusalem before the face of our God; the which things it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to touch with their hands.'' Judith 11:13

that there may be food in mine house; in the temple, for the sustenance of the priests and Levites: so the Targum,

"the prophet said, bring all the tithes into the treasury, that there may be food for them that minister in the house of my sanctuary:''

and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts; by bringing in all their tithes; when they would find, by making this experiment or trial, that the curse would be removed from them, and blessings be largely and liberally bestowed upon them by him, who is the Lord of hosts, and so able to perform any promise he makes; and here one is implied, and is as follows:

if I will not open you the windows of heaven; which had been shut and stopped up, and let down no rain upon their land, which brought a scarcity of provisions among them; but now, upon a change in their conduct it is suggested that these windows or floodgates should be opened, and rain let down plentifully upon them, which only could be done by the Lord himself; for the key of rain is one of the three keys, the Jews say i, which God has reserved for himself, and never puts into the hands of a minister:

and pour you out a blessing: give abundance of rain to make the earth fruitful, and bring forth its increase in great plenty, which is a blessing; and not destroy the earth, and the fruits of it, as in the times of Noah, when the windows of heaven were opened, and a curse was poured out upon the earth:

that there shall not be room enough to receive it; and so Kimchi says his father interpreted this clause, that there would not be a sufficiency of vessels k and storehouses. Some render the words, as Junius, "so that ye shall not be sufficient"; either to gather in the increase, or to consume it. The Targum is,

"until ye say it is enough;''

and so the Syriac version. The phrase, which is very concise in the original text, and may be literally rendered, "unto not enough" l, denotes great abundance and fulness of good things, so that there should be enough and to spare; and yet, as Gussetius observes, not enough to answer and express the abundance of mercy and goodness in the heart of God.

Gill: Mal 3:11 - -- And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,.... Or "eater" m; the locust or caterpillar, or any such devouring creature, that eats up the herbage, ...

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,.... Or "eater" m; the locust or caterpillar, or any such devouring creature, that eats up the herbage, corn, and fruits of trees; every such creature is under the restraint of Providence; and by a nod, a rebuke, they are easily prevented doing the mischief they otherwise would; these are the Lord's great army, which he can send and call off as he pleases, Joe 1:4,

and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; as he has done, by eating all green things, as the locust, caterpillar, and canker worm do, grass, corn, and trees:

neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field; which some understand of the devourer or locust, that that should not cause the vine to be abortive, or cast its fruit before its time, or bereave it of it; but it seems best to interpret it of the vine itself not casting its fruit, as an untimely birth, by blighting and blasting winds:

saith the Lord of hosts; who holds the winds in his fists, and will not suffer them when he pleases, any more than the locusts, to hurt the trees of the earth, Rev 7:1.

Gill: Mal 3:12 - -- And all nations shall call you blessed,.... When they shall see the land freed from the devouring locust, and other hurtful creatures; the former and ...

And all nations shall call you blessed,.... When they shall see the land freed from the devouring locust, and other hurtful creatures; the former and the latter rains given in their season, and the earth yielding a large increase:

for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts; or a desirable n one; not only pleasant to themselves, being fruitful, but wished for by others, by their neighbouring nations, who, seeing their prosperity, could not but desire to dwell with them; or delightsome to the Lord of hosts: thus Jarchi interprets it, the land that I delight in; and so Aben Ezra; to which agrees the Targum,

"and all nations shall praise you, because you dwell in the land of the house of my Shechinah or majesty, and do my will in it;''

and the Syriac version renders it, "the land of my delight": see Isa 62:4.

Gill: Mal 3:13 - -- Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord,.... Hard and strong; they bore very hardly upon him, were exceeding impudent and insolent; murm...

Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord,.... Hard and strong; they bore very hardly upon him, were exceeding impudent and insolent; murmuring at his providence; arraigning his justice and goodness; and despising his word, worship, and ordinances. Aben Ezra says, this is a prophecy concerning the time to come, that is, the times of the Messiah; and so it describes the Jews in his times.

Yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee? or "what have we spoken against thee?" as if they were not guilty in any respect, and as if nothing could be proved against them; and as though the Lord did not know what they had said in their hearts, seeing they had not spoken it with their mouths: though the supplement of our translators, "so much", is confirmed by the Targum, which is,

"and if ye say, how (or in what) have we multiplied speech before thee?''

and so Kimchi observes, that the form in which the Hebrew word is denotes much and frequent speaking: and Abarbinel agrees with him, though he rather thinks it has this sense, "what are we spoken of to thee?" what calumny is this? what accusation do they bring against us to thee? what is it that is reported we say against thee? thus wiping their mouths, as if they were innocent and harmless.

Gill: Mal 3:14 - -- Ye have said, it is vain to serve God,.... This they said in their hearts, if not with their lips, that it was a vain thing for a man to serve God; h...

Ye have said, it is vain to serve God,.... This they said in their hearts, if not with their lips, that it was a vain thing for a man to serve God; he got nothing by it; he had no reward for it; it fared no better with him than the wicked; nay, the wicked fared better than he; and therefore who would be a worshipper of God? see Job 21:15. Abarbinel understands this also with respect to God, who is worshipped; to whom worship, say these men, is no ways profitable, nor does he regard it; see Job 35:7 and therefore it is in vain to serve him, since neither he, nor we, are the better for it:

and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance; or "his observation" n; that is, have observed that which he commanded to be observed; this respects not any single and particular ordinance, but every ordinance of God: the Sadducees of those times seem designed, who denied the resurrection of the dead, and a future state of rewards and punishments, and so might well conclude it in vain to serve God:

and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? or "in black" o; which is the habit of mourners; see Psa 38:6 with an humble spirit, as Jarchi interprets it; or with humiliation (or contrition) of spirit, as the Targum, which paraphrases the whole verse thus,

"ye have said, he gains nothing who worships before the Lord; and what mammon (or riches) do we gain because we have kept the observation of his word, and because we have walked in contrition of spirit before the Lord of hosts?''

Aben Ezra and Abarbinel seem to understand this last clause of their being afflicted and suffering for the sake of religion, and which they endured in vain, seeing they were not respected and rewarded for it; but the other sense is best, which represents them as sincere penitents, and humble worshippers of God in their own account, and yet were not taken notice of by him: it seems to describe the Pharisees, who disfigured their faces, and affected down looks and sorrowful countenances p.

Gill: Mal 3:15 - -- And now we call the proud happy,.... Or "therefore now" q; since this is the case, that the worshippers of God are not regarded, and there is nothing ...

And now we call the proud happy,.... Or "therefore now" q; since this is the case, that the worshippers of God are not regarded, and there is nothing got by serving him; they that are proud and haughty, that neither fear God nor regard men, are the happy persons; even presumptuous sinners, as the word r signifies, that stretch out their hands against God, and strengthen themselves against the Almighty; these enjoy all worldly happiness, while they that serve the Lord are mourning in sackcloth, and are in the utmost distress. The Targum explains it of the ungodly, and as it is explained in the following clause:

yea, they that work wickedness are set up: or "built up" s; or "seeing, because", or "for they that work" t, &c.; they are increased with children, by which their houses or families are built up; they are in a well settled and established condition; they abound in riches and honours; they are set in high places, and are in great esteem among men, even such who make it their constant business to commit sin:

yea, they that tempt God; or "yea, they tempt God" u; by their wicked words and actions, and try whether he will cause his judgments to fall upon them, which he has threatened to such sinners; see Isa 5:18,

are even delivered; or, "and are delivered" w; from the punishment threatened; they escape it, and go on with impunity; from which observations these persons reasoned that there was no God of judgment, or that judged in the earth; that there was no providence concerned about human affairs; and that there was nothing in religion; and these were the hard and stout words which they spoke against the Lord.

Gill: Mal 3:16 - -- Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another,.... Abarbinel thinks this is a continuation of the speech of the wicked; observing, that wh...

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another,.... Abarbinel thinks this is a continuation of the speech of the wicked; observing, that while they that work wickedness were set up, and they that tempted God escaped punishment, they that were religious, and feared God, "were destroyed one with another", particularly by the plague; so he would have the word נדברו rendered, which we translate, "spake often one to another"; in which sense he observes that root is used in Hos 13:14 but rather this is opposed unto what they said, by such, who, at the time referred to (which seems to be between the time of Christ's coming, spoken of in the beginning of the chapter Mal 3:1, and the destruction of Jerusalem after mentioned), feared the Lord, and served him; embraced the Messiah, and professed his name; for the fear of God takes in the whole of religious worship, both internal and external; and describes such, not that have a dread of the majesty of God, and of his judgments and wrath, or distrust his power, providence, grace, and goodness; but who have a filial and holy fear of God, a fiducial and fearless one, a reverential affection for him, and are true and sincere worshippers of him: these "spake often one to another"; of the unbelief, impiety, and profaneness of men, with great concern and lamentation; and of the great and good things they were led into the knowledge of; the everlasting love of the Father in the choice of them, and covenant with them in Christ; of redemption by the Son; of the glories of his person, and the fulness of his grace; of the work of the Spirit of God upon their souls; and of the various truths of the everlasting Gospel; and of the gracious experiences they were indulged with; and all this they said for the glory of God's grace, and for the comforting and strengthening, and edifying, of each other's souls: it follows,

and the Lord hearkened, and heard it; what they said one to another: this is spoken after the manner of men, and does not so much regard the omniscience of God, who hearkens and hears everything that is said by wicked men, as by good men; as his special regard unto, peculiar notice he takes of, and the approbation he has of his people, and of their words and actions, and even of their thoughts, as is afterwards intimated:

and a book of remembrance was written before him; in allusion to kings that keep registers, records, annals, and chronicles, as memorials of matters of moment and importance: see Ezr 4:15 Est 2:23, otherwise there is no forgetfulness in God; he bears in his own eternal mind a remembrance of the persons, thoughts, words, and actions of his people, and which he will disclose and make mention of another day; even our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God over all, and who will let the churches and world know that he is the searcher of hearts, and trier of the reins of the children of men:

for them that feared the Lord, as before,

and that thought upon his name; either the name of the Father; not any particular name of his, by which he is known, but him himself; for, as Kimchi observes, his name is himself, and he himself is his name; and especially as he is in Christ, and proclaimed in him; and this is expressive of faith in him, love to him, and reverence of him: or the name of Christ; and not any particular name of his, unless it be Jesus the Saviour: but rather his person as the Son of God; his office as Mediator; and his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice: and it is not a bare thinking of him that is here intended, but such a thought of him as is accompanied with esteem and value for him, because of the dignity of his person, and the riches of his grace. The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "and that reverence his name"; and the Syriac version, "that praise his name"; and the Targum is, that think of the glory of his name.

Gill: Mal 3:17 - -- And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts,.... That is, such as fear the Lord, and think of him, hereby they are known to be his; and hereafter,...

And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts,.... That is, such as fear the Lord, and think of him, hereby they are known to be his; and hereafter, in the time referred to, it will be manifest that they are his: they are Christ's already by his Father's gift of them to him; by his own purchase; by the conquests of his grace; and by the voluntary surrender of themselves: but, in the last day, they will be claimed and owned by Christ before his Father and his holy angels; and they will be known to be his, by themselves and others; and there will be no doubt about it, or questioning of it:

in that day when I make up my jewels; Christ has some, who are his jewels, or peculiar treasure, as the word x here used signifies; who are loved with an everlasting love; chosen in him; redeemed by him; justified by his righteousness; have the graces of his Spirit in them: and will be glorified: they are a peculiar people, separate from all others, and preferred unto them; for whom Christ has the strongest affection, and takes special care of: and there is a time when he will make them up; the number of them is already complete in eternal election; and there was a gathering of them together in Christ at his death; at every conversion there is an addition to them, as his regenerated and sanctified ones; and at death they are received into heaven, into his presence and bosom; and at the last day there will be a collection of them all together. The words may be rendered, even "my jewels in the day that I shall make" y; or "the day I shall make peculiar": distinct from all others; meaning either the famous Gospel day, made by him the sun of righteousness, in which so many of his jewels are picked up, and brought in; or the day of Jerusalem's destruction, when Christ took care of his jewels, and by the preservation of them showed that they were his, even all that believed in him; so that not one perished that believed in him, when he took vengeance on his enemies, that disbelieved and rejected him. Kimchi refers this to the day of judgment.

And I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him; this is a favour not granted to the apostate angels; nor to the old world; nor to the Jewish nation; nor even to the Son of God; but is vouchsafed to his special people: the lives of these are spared, until they are called by grace; and though they are sometimes afflicted and chastised, it is very gently, and in love; their services are accepted, and the imperfections in them overlooked; their sins are pardoned, and they will find mercy at the great day of account; they are used in the most tender manner, not only as a son, an own son, but as an obedient one, for whom the greatest regard is had, and affection shown.

Gill: Mal 3:18 - -- Then shall ye return,.... Either the wicked, who will be "converted" z, as some render the word, and will have a different view of things, and change ...

Then shall ye return,.... Either the wicked, who will be "converted" z, as some render the word, and will have a different view of things, and change their minds and language; or they that feared the Lord, who at the time before spoken of will have a new turn of thought, and another and clear discerning of persons and things, and better judge of the dispensations of Providence: some that refer this to the resurrection of the dead, and the last judgment, understand it, as Abarbinel does, of the returning of souls to their bodies, when indeed the difference between persons after described will be very discernible; but it seems to refer to the time of Christ's first coming, and Jerusalem's destruction:

and discern between the righteous and the wicked; the difference between such who are really and truly righteous, who are here meant, even such who believe in Christ, and are justified by his righteousness; and those that are wicked, as all by nature are: though sometimes this character designs the more profane and abandoned, and even professors of religion; the difference between these is not always easily discerned; as for the righteous, they are not known and discerned by the world; and by reason of afflictions, temptations, and sins, they are apt to judge wrong of themselves; and sometimes are so left to fall into sin, that they look like others: and there are wicked men under the appearance of righteous men, as were the Scribes and Pharisees in Christ's time; but by the destruction that came upon them, and the preservation of such as believed in Christ, it was discernible who were wicked, and who were righteous; indeed, at the last day, this difference will be more visible; in the bodies of the righteous, which will be raised glorious, when those of the wicked will not; in their souls, having on the wedding garment, the robe of Christ's righteousness, and perfectly holy; and in their situation, being set at Christ's right hand, and the wicked at his left; and by the characters that will be given of them by the Judge, and the different sentences passed and executed on them:

between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not; that is, between such persons that serve the Lord, and him only, privately and publicly, in righteousness and true holiness, in spirit and in truth, with faith and fervency, with reverence and fear, heartily and willingly, seeking his glory, without any dependence on their services; and those that are ungodly, or only outwardly serve the Lord, for sinister ends, and with selfish views, and according to their own inventions, and the traditions of men, and not the will of God, as the Scribes and Pharisees; between whom, and Christ's sincere disciples and followers, the awful day, described in the next chapter Mal 4:1, will make a manifest difference.

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Mal 3:7 Or “statutes” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “decrees”; NLT “laws.”

NET Notes: Mal 3:8 The tithes and contributions mentioned here are probably those used to sustain the Levites (see Num 18:8, 11, 19, 21-24).

NET Notes: Mal 3:9 The phrase “is guilty” is not present in the Hebrew text but is implied, and has been supplied in the translation for clarification and st...

NET Notes: Mal 3:10 The Hebrew phrase בֵּית הָאוֹצָר (bet ha’otsar, here translated &#...

NET Notes: Mal 3:11 Heb “and I will rebuke for you the eater and it will not ruin for you the fruit of the ground.”

NET Notes: Mal 3:12 Heb “will be” (so NAB, NRSV); TEV “your land will be a good place to live in.”

NET Notes: Mal 3:13 Heb “your words are hard [or “strong”] against me”; cf. NIV “said harsh things against me”; TEV, NLT “said t...

NET Notes: Mal 3:14 The people’s public display of self-effacing piety has gone unrewarded by the Lord. The reason, of course, is that it was blatantly hypocritical...

NET Notes: Mal 3:15 Or “test”; NRSV, CEV “put God to the test.”

NET Notes: Mal 3:16 The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹ...

NET Notes: Mal 3:17 The Hebrew word סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah, “special property”) is a technical term referring...

NET Notes: Mal 3:18 Heb “you will see between.” Cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT “see the difference.”

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them]. ( g ) Return unto me, and I will return unto you, ...

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:8 Will a ( h ) man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In ( i ) tithes and offerings. ( h ) There are none of the ...

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not o...

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke the ( l ) devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before...

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:13 Your words have been stout ( m ) against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken [so much] against thee? ( m ) The Prophet condemns them ...

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, [they that] tempt God are even ( n ) delivered. ( n ) They are not o...

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:16 ( o ) Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a ( p ) book of remembrance was written b...

Geneva Bible: Mal 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day ( q ) when I make up my jewels; and I will ( r ) spare them, as a man spareth his own son...

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Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Mal 3:1-18 - --1 Of the messenger, majesty, and grace of Christ.7 Of the rebellion,8 sacrilege,13 and infidelity of the people.16 The promise of blessing to them tha...

Maclaren: Mal 3:1-12 - --The Last Word Of Prophecy Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come t...

Maclaren: Mal 3:7 - --A Dialogue With God Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return! '--Malachi 3:7. (R.V.)....

Maclaren: Mal 3:13-18 - --Stout Words,' And Their Confutation' Your words have been stout against Me, saith the Lord: yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against Thee? 14....

MHCC: Mal 3:7-12 - --The men of that generation turned away from God, they had not kept his ordinances. God gives them a gracious call. But they said, Wherein shall we ret...

MHCC: Mal 3:13-18 - --Among the Jews at this time, some plainly discovered themselves to be children of the wicked one. The yoke of Christ is easy. But those who work wicke...

Matthew Henry: Mal 3:7-12 - -- We have here God's controversy with the men of that generation, for deserting his service and robbing him - wicked servants indeed, that not only ru...

Matthew Henry: Mal 3:13-18 - -- Among the people of the Jews at this time, though they all enjoyed the same privileges and advantages, there were men of very different characters (...

Keil-Delitzsch: Mal 3:7-9 - -- After the Lord has announced to the murmuring people that He will suddenly draw near to judgment upon the wicked, He proceeds to explain the reason ...

Keil-Delitzsch: Mal 3:10-12 - -- Mal 3:10. "Bring ye all the tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be consumption in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of h...

Keil-Delitzsch: Mal 3:13-15 - -- The impatient murmuring of the nation. - Mal 3:13. "Your words do violence to me, saith Jehovah; and ye say, What do we converse against Thee? Mal ...

Keil-Delitzsch: Mal 3:16-18 - -- With these foolish speeches the prophet proceeds in Mal 3:16. to contrast the conduct of those who fear God, pointing to the blessing which they der...

Constable: Mal 2:17--3:7 - --V. Oracle four: the problem of God's justice 2:17--3:6 That another oracle is in view is clear from the question and answer format that begins this pe...

Constable: Mal 3:7-12 - --VI. Oracle five: The people's sin of robbing God 3:7-12 The Lord had said that Israel's earlier history was a time when the priests and the people of ...

Constable: Mal 3:13-15 - --A. The people's arrogance 3:13-15 3:13 The people had spoken arrogantly against the Lord, yet when faced with their disrespect they asked for proof. ...

Constable: Mal 3:16 - --B. The remnant's humility 3:16 Upon hearing the Lord's rebuke through His prophet, some of Malachi's hea...

Constable: Mal 3:17--4:4 - --C. The coming judgment of Israel 3:17-4:3 3:17 Almighty Yahweh announced that He would honor those who feared Him as His own on the day He prepared Hi...

Guzik: Mal 3:1-18 - --Malachi 3 - The Messenger of the Covenant A. The coming of the two messengers. 1. (1) The two messengers are introduced. "Behold, I send My m...

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Commentary -- Other

Evidence: Mal 3:7

Evidence: Mal 3:16 Notice in these verses the importance of the fear of the Lord - a doctrine that is despised by the world and also by many who profess to be part of th...

Evidence: Mal 3:18 Are we "serving" God by seeking the lost? Or do we lift our hands in worship to God, but refuse to reach out our hands in evangelism for God? Worship ...

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Introduction / Outline

JFB: Malachi (Book Introduction) MALACHI forms the transition link between the two dispensations, the Old and the New, "the skirt and boundary of Christianity" [TERTULLIAN], to which ...

JFB: Malachi (Outline) GOD'S LOVE: ISRAEL'S INGRATITUDE: THE PRIESTS' MERCENARY SPIRIT: A GENTILE SPIRITUAL PRIESTHOOD SHALL SUPERSEDE THEM. (Mal 1:1-14) REPROOF OF THE PRI...

TSK: Malachi 3 (Chapter Introduction) Overview Mal 3:1, Of the messenger, majesty, and grace of Christ; Mal 3:7, Of the rebellion, Mal 3:8, sacrilege, Mal 3:13. and infidelity of the p...

Poole: Malachi (Book Introduction) THE ARGUMENT Concerning this prophet, some have thought (but without good and sufficient ground) that he was an angel in the form of a man; others ...

Poole: Malachi 3 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 3 The forerunner, and coming of the Messiah to cleanse his church, and to judge the wicked, Mal 3:1-6 . The people are warned to repent, an...

MHCC: Malachi (Book Introduction) Malachi was the last of the prophets, and is supposed to have prophesied B.C. 420. He reproves the priests and the people for the evil practices into ...

MHCC: Malachi 3 (Chapter Introduction) (Mal 3:1-6) The coming of Christ. (Mal 3:7-12) The Jews reproved for their corruptions. (Mal 3:13-18) God's care of his people; The distinction betw...

Matthew Henry: Malachi (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Prophecy of Malachi God's prophets were his witnesses to his church, each in his day, for several a...

Matthew Henry: Malachi 3 (Chapter Introduction) In this chapter we have, I. A promise of the coming of the Messiah, and of his forerunner; and the errand he comes upon is here particularly descr...

Constable: Malachi (Book Introduction) Introduction Title and Writer The name of the writer is the title of this book. ...

Constable: Malachi (Outline) Outline I. Heading 1:1 II. Oracle one: Yahweh's love for Israel 1:2-5 II...

Constable: Malachi Malachi Bibliography Alden, Robert L. "Malachi." In Daniel-Minor Prophets. Vol. 7 of The Expositor's Bible Comm...

Haydock: Malachi (Book Introduction) THE PROPHECY OF MALACHIAS. INTRODUCTION. Malachias, whose name signifies "the angel of the Lord," was contemporary with Nehemias, and by some ...

Gill: Malachi (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO MALACHI This book, in the Hebrew copies, is called "Sepher Malachi", the Book of Malachi; in the Vulgate Latin version, "the Prophe...

Gill: Malachi 3 (Chapter Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO MALACHI 3 This chapter begins with a prophecy of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ; and of the coming of Christ, and the e...

Advanced Commentary (Dictionaries, Hymns, Arts, Sermon Illustration, Question and Answers, etc)


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