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INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY:BOOK OF MALACHI

By Dennis Schmidt 4/2003

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This paper discusses the book of Malachi. Malachi is the last prophetical book of the Old Testament. during the absence of governor Nehemiah. Nehemiah was another prophet of the time which discusses many of the same subjects. Both Malachi and Nehemiah were written to Jerusalem in Judah.

MALACHI THEME:

EXHORT ISRAEL PEOPLE OF JUSTICE AND GOD’S FUTURE LOVE BY THE COMING OF ELIJAH AND THE MESSIAH.

Malachi 2:17 "Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?"

Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts"

CHAPTER THEMES & ELEMENTS

OVERVIEW	OUTLINE	TOPICS	CHAPTER(S) THEMES
I) Prophet Zechariah	Introduction	Introduction	{1:1} Prophet Malachi
II) Look Up (Past)	Love – Privilege of Nations	Unconditional God’s Sovereign	{1:2-1:5} God loves Israel
III) Look Within (Present)	Rebuke - to Nation	Against Priests	{1:6-2:9} Priests despise God’s name
"	Historical in nature	Against People – Wrong Marriages	{2:10-2:17} Judah has sinned in evil marriages
"	"	Against People - Tithes	{3:7-3:18} Rob God in tithes & offerings
IV) Look Ahead (Future)	Hope - Promise to the Nation	Coming Messiah Jesus	{3:1-3:6} Lord will come to his temple
"	"	Israel’s remnant shall trust God	{4:1-4:6} Elijah comes before day of the Lord

AUTHOR: Prophet Malachi DATE: 433 BC FROM: Judah TO: Judah

PURPOSE:

REBUKE ISRAEL’S INDIFFERENCE TO GOD

Malachi 3:14 "Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?"

KEY WORD(S)/VERSES:

Malachi 3:10-11 "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 open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. {11} And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts."

[ messenger ] (2:7, 3:1); [ priest ] (1:6, 2:1, 2:7); [ righteousness ] (3:3, 3:18, 4:2); [ judgment ] (2:17, 3:5, 4:4); [ tithes ] (3:8, 3:10); [ wife ] (2:14, 2:15); [ covenant ] (2:4, 2:5, 2:8, 2:10, 2:14, 3:1)

OUTLINE FOR MALACHI

I) INTRODUCTION: {MALACHI 1:1}

II) LOOK UP (PAST): {MALACHI 1:2-1:5}

III) LOOK WITHIN (PRESENT): {MALACHI 1:6-3:18}

A) AGAINST PRIESTS: {MALACHI 1:6-2:9}

B) AGAINST PEOPLE FOR MARRIAGE: {MALACHI 2:10-2:17}

C) COMING OF MESSIAH JESUS {MALACHI 3:1-3:6}

D) AGAINST PEOPLE FOR TITHES {MALACHI 3:7-3:18}

IV) LOOK AHEAD (FUTURE): {MALACHI 4:1-4:6}

I) INTRODUCTION: {MALACHI 1:1}

WHO: God WHOM: Malachi

Malachi 1:1 "The burden of the word of the /\ LORD /\ to Israel by Malachi."

Burden of the word of the Lord to Israel:Only used in three places.

Zechariah 9:1 "The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus <shall be> the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, <shall be> toward the LORD."

Zechariah 12:1 "The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him."

See my papers: "God’s Word/Bible/Scriptures" for more information on this subject.

See my papers: "Bible Study & Interpretation Guideline" for more information on this subject.

Malachi: His name means my messenger (Malachi 3:1). Both priests and prophets were called messengers of the Lord (Malachi 2:7, Haggai 1:13). The name appears nowhere else in scripture and nothing is know of his family of background.

II) LOOK UP (PAST): {MALACHI 1:2-1:5}

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LIST: REPENTANCE REQUIRED FOR SINS {MALACHI 1:2 – 3:8}

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1) Rejecting God's love {Malachi 1:2}

2) Dishonoring God's name {Malachi 1:6}

3) Evil priests {Malachi 1:6, 2:1-2}

4) Inter-marriage with heathens {Malachi 2:11}

5) Divorcement {Malachi 2:14-16}

6) Robbing God of tithes {Malachi 3:8}

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WHAT: I have loved you (Israel), saith the LORD

Malachi 1:2 "/\ I /\ have loved you, saith the /\ LORD /\. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? <Was> not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,"

WHY: Says the LORD: yet I loved Jacob

I have loved you, saith the Lord wherein has thou loved you:

See my papers: "Man’s Greatest Need – Relationship with God" for more information on this subject.

Deuteronomy 7:6 "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."

I loved Jacob:

See my papers: "Romans Inductive Bible Study" for more information on this subject.

Psalms 47:4 "He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah."

See my papers: "Is Free Will Biblical?" for more information on this subject.

WHILE: I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste

Malachi 1:3 "And /\ I /\ hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness."

I hated Esau:

See my papers: "Some Saved and Some Lost God’s Sovereignty" for more information on this subject.

Romans 9:10-13 "And not only <this>; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, <even> by our father Isaac; {11} (For <the children> being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) {12} It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. {13} As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."

See my papers: "God Plans for His Purpose. Who Harden Pharaoh’s Heart?" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 1:4 "Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts, They shall build, but /\ I /\ will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the /\ LORD /\ hath indignation for ever."

WAY: The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel

Malachi 1:5 "And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The /\ LORD /\ will be magnified from the border of Israel."

See my papers: "Israel & Jewish People in God’s Plan" for more information on this subject.

III) LOOK WITHIN (PRESENT): {MALACHI 1:6-3:18}

A) AGAINST PRIESTS): {MALACHI 1:6-2:9}

WHAT: Saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name.

Malachi 1:6 "A son honoureth <his> father, and a servant his master: if then /\ I /\ <be> a father, where <is> /\ mine /\ honour? and if /\ I /\ <be> a master, where <is> /\ my /\ fear? saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts unto you, O [ priests ], that despise /\ my /\ name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised /\ thy /\ name?"

A son honoureth his father, a servant his master: I am a father, where is mine honour?

Exodus 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

See my papers: "Man’s Relationship with his Wife, Family, & Friends" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 1:7 "Ye offer polluted bread upon /\ mine /\ altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted /\ thee /\? In that ye say, The table of the /\ LORD /\ <is> contemptible."

Ye offer polluted bread upon mine alter: See Malachi 1:12

WAY: If ye offer the lame and sick, <is it> not evil

Malachi 1:8 "And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, <is it> not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, <is it> not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

See my papers: "Triunity – Father, Son, & Holy Spirit" for more information on this subject.

See my papers: "Names of God" for more information on this subject.

If ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, <which is> your reasonable service."

Malachi 1:9 "And now, /\ I /\ pray you, beseech /\ God /\ that /\ he /\ will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will /\ he /\ regard your persons? saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

See my papers: "Prayer" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 1:10 "Who <is there> even among you that would shut the doors <for nought>? neither do ye kindle <fire> on mine altar for nought. /\ I /\ have no pleasure in you, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts, neither will /\ I /\ accept an offering at your hand."

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LIST: BLESSINGS PROMISED {MALACHI 1:11 – 3:6}

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1) Promise to heathens of relationship with God {Malachi 1:11}

2) Coming of Messiah {Malachi 3:1-2}

3) Coming of Elijah {Malachi 4:5}

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Malachi 1:11 "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same /\ my /\ name <shall be> great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense <shall be> offered unto /\ my /\ name, and a pure offering: for /\ my /\ name <shall be> great among the heathen, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to my name, a pure offering: my name be

Zephaniah 2:11 "The LORD <will be> terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and <men> shall worship him, every one from his place, <even> all the isles of the heathen."

Malachi 1:12 "But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the /\ LORD /\ <is> polluted; and the fruit thereof, <even> /\ his /\ meat, <is> contemptible." See Malachi 1:7

Malachi 1:13 "Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness <is it>! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts; and ye brought <that which was> torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should /\ I /\ accept this of your hand? saith the /\ LORD /\."

Malachi 1:14 "But cursed <be> the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the /\ Lord /\ a corrupt thing: for /\ I /\ <am> a great King, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts, and /\ my /\ name <is> dreadful among the heathen."

Malachi 2:1 "And now, O ye [ priests ], this commandment <is> for you."

WHY: if you will not lay <it> to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD

Malachi 2:2 "If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay <it> to heart, to give { glory } unto /\ my /\ name, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts, /\ I /\ will even send a curse upon you, and /\ I /\ will curse your blessings: yea, /\ I /\ have cursed them already, because ye do not lay <it> to heart."

I will even send a curse upon you, I will curse your blessing:

Numbers 6:23-27 "Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

{24} The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: {25} The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: {26} The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. {27} And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them." Aaron (Priest family);

Malachi 2:3 "Behold, /\ I /\ will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, <even> the dung of your solemn feasts; and <one> shall take you away with it."

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KEYWORD: COVERNANT {MALACHI 2:4 – 3:1}

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1) My covenant might be with Levi {Malachi 2:4}

2) My covenant was with him of life and peace {Malachi 2:5}

3) You have caused many to stumble at the law & have corrupted the covenant of Levi {Malachi 2:8}

4) Have we not all one father & one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers {Malachi 2:10}

5) She thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant {Malachi 2:14}

6) Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: he shall come {Malachi 3:1}

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Malachi 2:4 "And ye shall know that /\ I /\ have sent this commandment unto you, that /\ my /\ [ covenant ] might be with Levi, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

My covenant might be with Levi:

Numbers 3:12 "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;" Levites' were the priest tribe. They had no land.

Malachi 2:5 "/\ My /\ [ covenant ] was with him of life and peace; and /\ I /\ gave them to him <for> the fear wherewith he feared /\ me /\, and was afraid before /\ my /\ name."

See my papers: "God’s Dispensation & Covenant Plans" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 2:6 "The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with /\ me /\ in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity."

The law of truth was in his month:

Zechariah 8:16 "These <are> the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:"

Ephesians 4:25 "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another."

See my papers: "Grace" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 2:7 "For the [ priest’s ] lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he <is> the [ messenger ] of the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

See my papers: "Jesus as Prophet, Priest, & King" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 2:8 "But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the [ covenant ] of Levi, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

Malachi 2:9 "Therefore have /\ I /\ also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept /\ my /\ ways, but have been partial in the law."

B) AGAINST PEOPLE FOR MARRIAGE: {MALACHI 2:10-2:17}

Malachi 2:10 "Have we not all one father? hath not one /\ God /\ created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the [ covenant ] of our fathers?"

Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?

See my papers: "Godhead Relationship" for more information on this subject.

See my papers: "Just Who is God"; Godhead Relationship"; and Born with Sin/Father is the Devil (Prior to Re-birth)" for more details on this subject.

John 8:44 "Ye are of <your> father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." Non-christians have the devil as their father.

See my papers: "Born with Sin / Father is the Devil (Prior to Re-birth)" for more information on this subject.

John 20:17 "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and <to> my God, and your God." Christians have a common father in God.

WHAT: Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD

Malachi 2:11 "Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the /\ LORD /\ which /\ he /\ loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god."

WAY: Hath married the daughter of a strange god

Judah has dealt treacherously...profaned Lord's holiness:

Jeremiah 3:9-10 "And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. {10} And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD."

See my papers: "Apostasy" for more information on this subject.

Hath married the daughter of a strange god: Ezra condemned this.

Nehemiah 10:30 "And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:"

See my papers: "Unpardonable Sin" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 2:12 "The /\ LORD /\ will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

See my papers: "Entry Into the Holy of Holies" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 2:13 "And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the /\ LORD /\ with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth <it> with good will at your hand."

Malachi 2:14 "Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the /\ LORD /\ hath been witness between thee and the [ wife ] of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet <is> she thy companion, and the [ wife ] of thy [ covenant ]."

The Lord hath been witness between thee & the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously,the wife of thy covenant

See my papers: "Marriage, Divorce, & Re-marriage" for more information on this subject.

Proverbs 5:18 "Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth."

Ezekiel 16:8 "Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time <was> the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine."

See my papers: "Mary" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 2:15 "And did not /\ he /\ make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That /\ he /\ might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the [ wife ] of his youth."

Take heed to your spirit, deal treacherously against wife of youth:

See my papers: "Man’s Relationship with his Wife, Family, & Friends" for more information on this subject.

1 Peter 3:7 "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with <them> according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."

WHY: God hates putting away: for <one> covers violence with his garment

Malachi 2:16 "For the /\ LORD /\, the /\ God /\ of Israel, saith that /\ he /\ hateth putting away: for <one> covereth violence with his garment, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously."

The Lord, he hateth putting away:

See my papers: "Marriage, Divorce, & Re-marriage" for more information on this subject.

Matthew 19:4-6 "And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made <them> at the beginning made them male and female, {5} And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain s hall be one flesh? {6} Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

Malachi 2:17 "Ye have wearied the /\ LORD /\ with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied </\ him /\>? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil <is> good in the sight of the /\ LORD /\, and /\ he /\ delighteth in them; or, Where <is> the /\ God /\ of [ judgment ]?"

Ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord:

See my papers: "Judgment of Believers & Unbelievers" for more information on this subject.

Isaiah 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Also Proverbs 17:15, 24:24

C) COMING OF MESSIAH JESUS {MALACHI 3:1-3:6}

WHAT: I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple

Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send /\ my /\ [ messenger ], and M he M shall prepare the way before /\ me /\: and the M Lord M, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to M his M temple, even the [ messenger ] of the [ covenant ], whom ye delight in: behold, M he M shall come, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts"

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MISC: COMING MESSIAH LORD JESUS {MALACHI 3:1 – 3:6}

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1) I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts {Malachi 3:1}

2) He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness {Malachi 3:3}

3) I am the LORD, I change not; the sons of Jacob are not consumed {Malachi 3:6}

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I will send my messenger. He shall prepare the way before me:

See my papers: "Jesus Two Comings as King" for more information on this subject.

Matthew 11:10-11 "For this is <he>, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. {11} Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Luke 1:76 "And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;"

The Lord ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in saith the Lord:

See my papers: "Messianic Prophecies that Jesus Fulfilled" for more information on this subject.

Luke 2:27 "And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,"

The Lord of hosts (Lord Almighty): See my paper: "Names of God" for more information on this subject. The name only occurs in the Old Testament starting at 1 Samuel to Malachi over 25 times.

See my papers: "Jesus Life, Events, & Identity" for more information on this subject.

1 Samuel 1:3 "And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, <were> there."

See my papers: "The One God - The Shama" for more information on this subject.

WHY: Who may abide the day of his coming for he <is> like a refiner's fire

Malachi 3:2 "But who may abide the day of M his M coming? and who shall stand when M he M appeareth? for M he M <is> like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:" See also Malachi 4:5-6

Who may abide the day of his coming? stand when he appeareth?

Isaiah 1:31 "And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench <them>."

Matthew 3:10-12 "And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {11} I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and <with> fire: {12} Whose fan <is> in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

WAY: He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver

Malachi 3:3 "And M he M shall sit <as> a refiner and purifier of silver: and M he M shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the /\ LORD /\ an offering in [ righteousness ]."

See my papers: "True Gospel for Salvation by the Imputed Righteousness of Jesus" for more information on this subject.

See my papers: "Imputed/Reckoned/Counted Righteousness of Jesus" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 3:4 "Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the /\ LORD /\, as in the days of old, and as in former years."

See my papers: "Former & Latter Rains" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 3:5 "And I will come near to you to [ judgment ]; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in <his> wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger <from his right>, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts."

Malachi 3:6 "For /\ I /\ <am> the /\ LORD /\, /\ I /\ change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

I am the Lord, I change not:

See my papers: "Godhead Relationship" for more information on this subject.

Numbers 23:19 "God <is> not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do <it>? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

Psalms 102:27 "But thou <art> the same, and thy years shall have no end."

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

See my papers: "Just Who Is God?" for more information on this subject.

James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

See my papers: "Jesus Life, Events, & Identity" for more information on this subject.

D) AGAINST PEOPLE FOR TITHES {MALACHI 3:7-3:18}

Malachi 3:7 "Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from /\ mine /\ ordinances, and have not kept <them>. Return unto /\ me /\, and /\ I /\ will return unto you, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?"

WHAT: Will a man rob God?

Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob /\ God /\? Yet ye have robbed /\ me /\. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed /\ thee /\? In [ tithes ] and offerings."

WAY: Yet ye have robbed me in tithes and offerings

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. How? Tithes & offering.

See my papers: "What Does God Really Want?" for more information on this subject.

Nehemiah 10:31 "And <if> the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, <that> we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and <that> we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt."

Malachi 3:9 "Ye <are> cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed /\ me /\, <even> this whole nation."

WHY: Bring the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house

Malachi 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 open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that <there shall> not <be room> enough <to receive it>."

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, meat in mine house:

Deuteronomy 14:27-29 "And the Levite that <is> within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. {28} At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay <it> up within thy gates:"

Nehemiah 10:37-39 "And <that> we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. {38} And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. {39} For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where <are> the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God."

Matthew 23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier <matters> of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

Prove me, if I will not open windows of heaven, pour blessing:

See my papers: "Faith" for more information on this subject.

Psalms 78:23-24 "Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, {24} And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven."

Malachi 3:11 "And /\ I /\ will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and /\ he /\ shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes:

Psalms 91:5-6 "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; <nor> for the arrow <that> flieth by day; {6} <Nor> for the pestilence <that> walketh in darkness; <nor> for the destruction <that> wasteth at noonday."

Psalms 91:10 "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."

Malachi 3:12 "And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

Malachi 3:13 "Your words have been stout against me, saith the /\ LORD /\. Yet ye say, What have we spoken <so much> against /\ thee /\?"

Malachi 3:14 "Ye have said, It <is> vain to serve /\ God /\: and what profit <is it> that we have kept /\ his /\ ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the /\ LORD /\ of hosts?" See also Malachi 2:17.

Ye said, it is vain to serve God, what profit we have to keep laws:

Job 21:15 "What <is> the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?"

See my papers: "Questions & Answers on Law, Faith, & Liberty" for more information on this subject.

Malachi 3:15 "And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, <they that> tempt /\ God /\ are even delivered."

Malachi 3:16 "Then they that feared the /\ LORD /\ spake often one to another: and the /\ LORD /\ hearkened, and heard <it>, and a book of remembrance was written before /\ him /\ for them that feared the /\ LORD /\, and that thought upon /\ his /\ name."

Malachi 3:17 "And they shall be /\ mine /\, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts, in that day when /\ I /\ make up /\ my /\ jewels; and /\ I /\ will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

Malachi 3:18 "Then shall ye return, and discern between the [ righteous ] and the wicked, between him that serveth /\ God /\ and him that serveth him not."

See my papers: "What Is a Born-Again & How to Become One?" for more information on this subject.

IV) LOOK AHEAD (FUTURE): {MALACHI 4:1-4:6}

WHEN: The day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud

Malachi 4:1 "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."

Malachi 4:2 "But unto you that fear /\ my /\ name shall the Sun of [ righteousness ] arise with healing in M his M wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise:

See my papers: "Imputed/Reckoned/Counted Righteousness of Jesus" for more information on this subject.

Isaiah 9:2 "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

Matthew 4:23 "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."

Malachi 4:3 "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do <this>, saith the /\ LORD /\ of hosts."

Malachi 4:4 "Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, <with> the statutes and [ judgments ]."

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MISC: COMING PROPHET JOHN THE BAPTIST {MALACHI 4:5 - 4:6}

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1) I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD {Malachi 4:5}

2) He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse {Malachi 4:6}

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WHAT: I will send you Elijah the prophet

Malachi 4:5 "Behold, /\ I /\ will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the /\ LORD /\:"

WHEN: Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD

I will send you Elijah the prophet: See also Malachi 3:1-3

Matthew 17:11-13 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. {12} But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. {13} Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." Also Mark 1:2-on/Luke 1:76-on

John 1:19-23 "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? {20} And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. {21} And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. {22} Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? {23} He said, I <am> the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."

Revelation 11:4 "These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth."

Revelation 11:6 "These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will."

Before the coming of the great & dreadful day of the Lord:

Also see Malachi 1:11, 3:2, 3:17, 4:1, & 4:3.

See my papers: "End Times Events – Day of the Lord" for more information on this subject.

WHY: He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children lest I smite the earth

Malachi 4:6 "And /\ he /\ shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest /\ I /\ come and smite the earth with a curse."

He shall turn hearts of the father/children to the children/father

See my papers: "Man’s Relationship with his Wife, Family, & Friends" for more information on this subject.

Genesis 18:19 "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."

See my papers: "Disciple & Others of Jesus Family" for more information on this subject.

Luke 1:17 "And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

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This page is maintained by Dennis Schmidt. Please send your questions or comments to (dennisschmidt@att.net).