Adulterers Alien Aliens Almighty Armies Aside Child Defraud Deprive Draw Drawn Earner Falsehood Falsely Fatherless Fear Foreigner Haste Hire Hired Hireling Hosts Judging Judgment Justice Laborers Making Married Oaths Oppress Oppressors Orphan Payment Perjurers Quick Quickly Rights Says Servant Sojourner Sorcerers Strange Stranger Swear Swearers Swift Testify Thrust Turn Turning Untrue Wage Wages Widow Widows Witness Wonder-workers
3:5 I will come near - You have spoken as if you thought I was far off, but you shall see I am near. To you - O Jews, not those very persons Malachi preached to, but those who were living when the Messiah came.
3:1-6 The first words of this chapter seem an answer to the scoffers of those days. Here is a prophecy of the appearing of John the Baptist. He is Christ's harbinger. He shall prepare the way before him, by calling men to repentance. The Messiah had been long called, He that should come, and now shortly he will come. He is the Messenger of the covenant. Those who seek Jesus, shall find pleasure in him, often when not looked for. The Lord Jesus, prepares the sinner's heart to be his temple, by the ministry of his word and the convictions of his Spirit, and he enters it as the Messenger of peace and consolation. No hypocrite or formalist can endure his doctrine, or stand before his tribunal. Christ came to distinguish men, to separate between the precious and the vile. He shall sit as a Refiner. Christ, by his gospel, shall purify and reform his church, and by his Spirit working with it, shall regenerate and cleanse souls. He will take away the dross found in them. He will separate their corruptions, which render their faculties worthless and useless. The believer needs not fear the fiery trial of afflictions and temptations, by which the Saviour refines his gold. He will take care it is not more intense or longer than is needful for his good; and this trial will end far otherwise than that of the wicked. Christ will, by interceding for them, make them accepted. Where no fear of God is, no good is to be expected. Evil pursues sinners. God is unchangeable. And though the sentence against evil works be not executed speedily, yet it will be executed; the Lord is as much an enemy to sin as ever. We may all apply this to ourselves. Because we have to do with a God that changes not, therefore it is that we are not consumed; because his compassions fail not.
Adulterers Armies Deprive Fatherless Fear Foreigner Hireling Judgment Justice Oppress Perjurers Right Sorcerers Stranger Swift Turn Wages Widow Witness
Adulterers Armies Deprive Fatherless Fear Foreigner Hireling Judgment Justice Oppress Perjurers Right Sorcerers Stranger Swift Turn Wages Widow Witness
