THE BOOK
OF MALACHI
Lesson 2: Oracles 3-6 and the Epilogue
Chapters 2:10-3:24/4:6
Mixed Marriages
The Day of Yahweh
Failures to Support the Temple
Yahweh's Book of Remembrance
Epilogue
Almighty God and Father,
You prepared your covenant people for the advent of Your
Son, the Redeemer-Messiah, in your revelations to the prophets. They faithfully
delivered your words to the people, so when the Son of God appeared on the
stage of human history, they would remember those writings and recognize the
fulfillment of their prophecies. Malachi foretold the coming of a messenger in
the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah who would announce the beginning of
the Messiah's mission. He also gave your promise of a pure sacrifice that would
forgive sins and offer a new life for the faithful. In our study of the Book of
Malachi help us also to recognize the signs and connect them to the mission of
Jesus Christ. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
+ + +
"In the end, he (Malachi)
speaks of the coming of our Savior (cf. 3:1-2): a pure sacrifice will be
offered to God (cf. 1:11), which will wipe away the guilt of all and cancel all
debts; sin will be cast out, and man made new for a new life."
St. Cyril of Alexandria,
Commentarius in Malachiam, 1, 1, 2-5
Chapter 2:10-16
Malachi 2:10-16 ~ Oracle 3: Mixed Marriage and Divorce
10Is there not one Father of us all? Did not one God create us? Why, then, do we break faith with one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors? 11Judah has broken faith; a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned Yahweh's beloved sanctuary; he has married the daughter of an alien god. 12May Yahweh deprive such an offender of witness and advocate in the tents of Jacob among those who present offerings to Yahweh Sabaoth! 13 And here is something else you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping and wailing, because he now refuses to consider the offering or to accept it from you. 14And you ask, "Why?" Because Yahweh stands as witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have broken faith, even though she was your partner and your wife by covenant. 15Did he not create a single being, having flesh and the breath of life? And what does this single being seek? God-given offspring! Have respect for your own life then, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. 16For I hate divorce, says Yahweh, God of Israel, and people concealing their cruelty under a cloak, says Yahweh Sabaoth. Have respect for your own life then, and do not break faith.
This oracle divides into two parts concerning two issues that profane worship at God's Sanctuary by the offenders who take part in these practices:
Question: In the third oracle and its indictment,
what three accusations does the prophet make against the citizens of Judah in
verses 10-12?
Answer: The prophet accuses them of:
Malachi condemns the Jews for their failures linked to contracting
marriages with pagans within the context of God's covenant.
Question: In Deuteronomy 7:1-6, Joshua 23:12-13,
and Judges 2:2-6, what are the reasons Yahweh gave for forbidding marriages
with pagans? Did this prohibition extend to all pagans? See the Book of Ruth,
especially Ruth 4:22 and Matthew 1:5-6.
Answer:
The prohibition against marriages with pagans only referred to pagan men or women who refused to convert and become part of Yahweh's covenant with Israel. Ruth the Moabitess converted, married Boaz, became a full member of the Sinai Covenant, the great-grandmother of King David, and an ancestor of Jesus Christ listed in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus.
Question: After the covenant people's return from
the Babylonian exile, what did Ezra, the Zadokite priest, who was an expert in
Mosaic Law, decide about the marriages between Jews and pagans? See Ezra 9:1-10:44.
Answer: Ezra expressed deep sorrow that many
Jewish men had married pagan wives. Many of the men swore an oath to end the
practice (Ezra 10:5). They gave up their wives that refused conversion and even
the children who remained pagan. Those who refused to divorce their wives
separated themselves from the covenant and returned to Persian lands.
13"And here is something else you do: you
cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping and wailing, because he now
refuses to consider the offering or to accept it from you. 14And
you ask, Why?' Because Yahweh stands as witness between you and the wife of
your youth, with whom you have broken faith, even though she was your partner
and your wife by covenant. 15Did he not
create a single being, having flesh and the breath of life? And what does this
single being seek? God-given offspring! Have respect for your own life then,
and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. 16For I
hate divorce," says Yahweh, God of Israel, "and people concealing their cruelty
under a cloak," says Yahweh Sabaoth. "Have respect for your own life then, and
do not break faith."
In part two of the second Oracle, Yahweh (through
Malachi) takes the men of Judah to task for divorcing their wives to whom they
were joined in covenant marriage. Their sins against marriage make their altar
sacrifices at Yahweh's Temple profane and unacceptable
Question: What is Yahweh's stand on divorce in
verses 15-16? See Genesis 2:24 and Malachi 2:16.
Answer: God hates divorce! He is the author of
marriage. Malachi refers to Genesis 2:24 in which God said that because of
covenant marriage, "a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached
to his wife and they become one flesh."
Jewish men were using Moses's decree in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 that allowed divorce as a "cloak" of legality for their "cruelty" in dismissing their elderly wives. Bible scholars, ancient and modern, have debated why Moses allowed divorce under such an easy excuse as "unseemly behavior" (pornea in Greek). Some have suggested Moses' leniency was to avoid an even greater sin; perhaps elderly wives were dying under strange circumstances/accidents. It wasn't that older husbands couldn't take a younger wife, but they did not want to support the elderly wife.
In Matthew Chapter 19:3-9, some Pharisees questioned
Jesus if it was against Mosaic Law for a man to divorce his wife on any
pretext. They also asked why Moses allowed a writ of dismissal in divorce.
Jesus's answer may give credence to the theory that Moses was trying to avoid
greater sins.
Question: What was Jesus' answer, and what was His
stand on divorce? See Matthew 19:3-9.
Answer: Jesus corrected them on their
understanding of Scripture, and in verse 4, He quoted from Genesis 2:24, "Have
you not read that the Creator from the beginning made them male and female and
that he said: This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes
attached to his wife, and the two become one flesh?" He also told them Moses
only allowed divorce because of the hard hearts of the Israelites, but it was
not so from the beginning (verse 8). Then in verse 9, Jesus said that anyone
who divorced his wife to marry someone else was committing adultery except in
cases of an illicit marriage.
In Acts 15:20 and 29, the Apostles listed illicit marriages as the only reason for divorce. "Illicit marriages" probably refers to the Sinai Covenant's laws concerning marriage within too close a kinship relationship (see Leviticus 18:6-30; 20:11-21).
15a Did he not create a single being,
having flesh and the breath of life? And what does this single being seek?
God-given offspring!
St. Cyril of Alexandria noted the strength of Malachi's
argument against divorce. He wrote: "It seems to me that the verse, Has not
the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? (v. 15), means
that the man became one, body and soul, with the woman who was given to him
according to the Law. As they became one body, to too they became one soul; for
love drew them together and bound them by the unity of the divine Law. It is as
if the woman became part of the man's spirit, part of his soul, when they
became one body in love" (Cyril of Alexandria, Commentarius in
Malachiam, 28).
15bHave respect for your own
life then, and do not break faith. 16For I hate divorce,"
says Yahweh, God of Israel, "and people concealing their cruelty under a cloak,"
says Yahweh Sabaoth. "Have respect for your own life then, and do not
break faith." Underlining was added for emphasis.
Notice the repetition of the phrase, Have respect for
your own life then in verse 15b and16b (underlined). Yahweh's warning was
that breaking the Law and God's covenant by an unlawful divorce was not worth
risking someone's eternal salvation.
Malachi 2:17-3:5 ~ The Fourth Oracle: The Day of
Yahweh's Divine Judgment
17You have wearied Yahweh with your talk.
You ask, "How have we wearied him?" When you say, "Any evil-doer is good as far
as Yahweh is concerned; indeed he is delighted with them"; or when you say,
"Where is the God of fair judgment now?" 3:1"Look, I shall send my messenger [mal'ak]
to clear a way before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his
Temple; yes, the angel [mal'ak = messenger] of the covenant, for whom you long,
is on his way, says Yahweh Sabaoth. 2Who will be able to resist the
day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he will be
like a refiner's fire, like fullers' alkali. 3He
will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and
refine them like gold and silver, so that they can make the offering to Yahweh
with uprightness. 4The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be
acceptable to Yahweh as in former days, as in the years of old. 5"I
am coming to put you on trial, and I shall be a ready witness against
sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, and against those who oppress the
wage-earner, the widow and the orphan, and who rob the foreigner of his rights
and do not respect me," says Yahweh Sabaoth.
[...] Hebrew word, Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English,
vol. III, page 2183. The word for "messenger" in Greek is angelos, translated
as "angel." However, the Hebrew word is mal'ak, as it is in verse 3. In Greek,
angelos/messenger can refer to a spirit messenger or a human, as it is in the
New Testament:
The force of the fourth oracle and covenant lawsuit accusation lies not so much in the promise of divine judgment (verses 2-3:5) as in its announcement in verses 3:1-2. The description of the Day of Yahweh's Judgment recalls Ezekiel's description of the Lord God coming Himself to bring justice and retribution to His covenant people in Ezekiel Chapter 34. God tells Ezekiel: "Look, I am against the shepherds. I shall take my flock out of their charge and henceforth not allow them to feed my flock. And the shepherd will stop feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths to stop them from being food for them." For the Lord Yahweh says this: "Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it" (Ez 34:10-11; also see Zeph 1:14; Joel 2:11 and Rev 6:17).
In verse 17, Malachi wrote that the people have "wearied Yahweh" by complaining, "what was the point of keeping the Law if those who break it and practice evil are the ones who seem to be successful in life?" It is a question raised by every generation in salvation history. The problem is that the question focuses on benefits and rewards in the present without considering what lies beyond earthly life. The prophet's response is to turn our attention to what extends beyond one's present life (cf. 2:17).
Question: What does Yahweh's prophet announce in
answer to the question of the benefit of adhering to the Law of God? What will
God do to make things "right?" See verses 3-5.
Answer: He announces Yahweh's Day of Divine
Judgment when God will set everything right:
3:2Who will be able to resist the day of
his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he will be like a
refiner's fire, like fullers' alkali. 3He will take his seat as
refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold
and silver, so that they can make the offering to Yahweh with uprightness.
4The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be acceptable to Yahweh as
in former days, as in the years of old.
The prophet describes a purifying fire that will cleanse
the covenant people. St. Paul also wrote of God purifying His people with holy
fire in 1 Corinthians 3:10-17. He wrote on "the Day that dawns in fire" that all
bad works (hay and straw) would be destroyed in God's fiery love, and only the
good deeds (sliver and gold) would remain. Some undergoing this purification
will suffer complete loss with no good deeds surviving; however, they will
still be saved. Paul was not writing about the Hell of the damned from which
there is no escape, but the purifying fire of what the Church calls Purgatory
(see CCC 1030-32). However, Purgatory, as a place of purification for those
destined for Heaven, would not exist until after Christ descended to
Sheol/Hades, the abode of the dead, to preach the Gospel of salvation to all
the souls there since the time of Adam and Eve and including those who perished
in the Great Flood (Apostles' Creed, 1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:6).
Malachi is anticipating the reckoning at the end of the Age of the Messiah. Jesus spoke about when He would return in glory as humanity's Divine Judge in Matthew 25:31-46. He began His Last Judgment discourse by saying: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats."
Question: In His discourse, Jesus spoke of two
different outcomes: one for those who were obedient to His Law of love of God
and neighbor and another for those who ignored His commandments. What will
happen to the righteous, and what will happen to those who failed in obedience?
Answer: The righteous "sheep" will be granted
eternal life, and those "goats" who failed in covenant obedience will go away
to eternal punishment.
3:1"Look, I shall send my messenger to clear a way
before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple; yes,
the Angel [Mal'ak = messenger] of the Covenant, for whom you long, is on his
way, says Yahweh Sabaoth.
In verse 3:1, Malachi appears to be speaking about three
different personages:
The first is a messenger who will clear the way to prepare the people for the Lord's coming. In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus will resolve the identity of God's messenger who prepares the way as St. John the Baptist who came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Mt 11:7-15; Mk 1:2; cf. Lk 7:24-20), making Jesus the Lord who came suddenly to His Temple. The Church has always interpreted this "messenger" as a prophecy of the mission of John the Baptist. God sent him to purify the covenant people in a baptism of repentance to prepare the way for God the Son and His mission of redemption and salvation. Jesus quoted Malachi 3:1 in Matthew 11:10, identifying "the messenger" as St. John the Baptist.
The second personage is the Lord Himself, who will come unannounced to His Jerusalem Temple. The Liturgy of the Mass reads Malachi 3:1-4 on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord because the Church sees Jesus as the Lord who first came to the Temple for His dedication ritual as Mary's firstborn son according to Mosaic Law (Ex 13:2; 13:1) and for Mary's purification 40 days after childbirth (Lev 12:2-4). During His ministry, God the Son will also come three other times, suddenly, to His Temple to cleanse it of impurity. He came to the Temple in John 2:13-22, at the beginning of his ministry, then a second time immediately after entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Mt 21:12-13), and a third time the next day (Mk 11:11, 15-19). Each time He cleansed His Father's House of profane practices and prepared the people for New Covenant worship. See the chart on three Temple cleansings in the handout section of the lesson.
Christians have always viewed the third person, the "Messenger of the Covenant," also as Jesus Christ, the God Himself of Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 34, who came to establish the New and Eternal Covenant promised by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34; 32:40; and 50:5) and announced by Jesus at the Last Supper (Lk 22:20).
The Church has always seen "the Lord Himself" and the "Messenger of the Covenant" as a two-fold coming of the Lord: first in the flesh of His Incarnation and again when He returns in glory at the end of the Age. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (born 315, died 386) wrote: "We proclaim the coming of Christ: he comes not once, but twice, and the second coming will be more glorious than the first. The first was a time of suffering; in the second, however, he will wear the crown of divine kingship. Almost everything in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ has two meanings. He was born twice: once, of the Father, from all eternity; and then, of the Virgin, in the fullness of time. He comes twice, too: he came first in silence, like rain falling on wool; and he will come again in glory. First, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, when he comes again, he will be robed in light. First, he shouldered the cross without fear of suffering; when he comes again, he will come in glory, surrounded by the hosts of angels. Let us consider not only the life of the Lord but also his future coming [...]. Because of his great mercy, he was made man to teach men and persuade them; when he comes again, all men, whether they want to or not, will be made subject to the power and authority of the King. The words of the prophet Malachi refer to both of these events" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catecheses ad Illuminandos, 15:1-2).
5"I am coming to put you on trial, and I
shall be a ready witness against sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, and against
those who oppress the wage-earner, the widow and the orphan, and who rob the
foreigner of his rights and do not respect me," says Yahweh Sabaoth.
Question: How many sins are listed as deserving
divine judgment, and who is the prosecution witness?
Answer: There are six faults listed in the
covenant lawsuit against the covenant people, and God Himself will witness
against these offenders at their trial:
Sorcerers practice occultism, which is the theory and practice of involving superhuman, but not divine powers, to obtain results beyond mere nature and apart from the works of God. This category includes Satanism, fetishism, black and white magic, spiritism, theosophy, divination, and witchcraft (Ex 22:18; Dt 18:10; 2 Chron 33:6; Wis 12:4; Is 57:3; Gal 5:20; Rev 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15).
Adulterers engage in sexual relations with a married person who is not their wife or husband. The 6th of the Ten Commandments forbids adultery (Ex 20:14 and Dt 5:18). It is also condemned by Jesus in His discussion of divorce when He said that anyone who divorced his wife to marry another is guilty of adultery (Mt 19:9; also, see Rom 13:9 and James 2:11).
Perjurers are guilty of breaking the 8th of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20). They subvert the truth with their lies, bearing false witness.
Oppressors limit the economic health of the poor, including widows and orphans, who in ancient times did not have any other help other than the generosity of their neighbors and countrymen and women. The Law of Moses had safeguards to help them survive (Lev 19:9-10, 13; 22:21-23; Dt 24:19-22; The Book of Ruth).
According to Mosaic Law, foreigners were to enjoy the same protections under the Law as covenant members (Ex 22:20; Lev 19:12-24).
Failing to show respect for the Lord includes violations of the 2nd of the Ten Commandments, using the Lord's name in vain/misusing the Lord's name by swearing or disparaging the Lord and His commands. God's warning is "for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name" (Ex 20:7; Lev 19:12; Dt 5:11). In ancient times, one's "name" represented the entire essence of the person. We should all fear offending God. Ben Sira wrote: Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Sir 1:14), and in her prayer of praise (the Magnificat), the Virgin Mary said, "Holy is his name, and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him" (Lk 1:50, quoting from Ps 103:17). The list also recalls what St. James wrote: Whoever acts without mercy will be judged without mercy, but mercy can afford to laugh at judgment (Jam 2:13).
Malachi 3:6-12 ~ The Fifth Oracle: The Failure to
Provide Temple Tithes
6"No; I, Yahweh, do not change; and you
have not ceased to be children of Jacob! 7Ever since the days of
your ancestors, you have evaded my statutes and not observed them. Return to me,
and I will return to you, says Yahweh Sabaoth. You ask, "How are we to return?
8Can a human being cheat God?" Yet you try to cheat me! You ask,
"How do we try to cheat you?" Over tithes and contributions. 9A
curse lies on you because you, this whole nation, try to cheat me. 10Bring
the tithes in full to the treasury, so that there is food in my house; put me
to the test now like this, says Yahweh Sabaoth, and see if I do not open the
floodgates of Heaven for you and pour out an abundant blessing for you.
11For your sakes, I shall forbid the locust to destroy the produce of your
soil or prevent the vine from bearing fruit in your field, says Yahweh Sabaoth,
12all the nations will call you blessed,
for you will be a land of delights, says Yahweh Sabaoth.
In these verses, Yahweh reminds the covenant people that they are still His covenant children even though they have continually failed to uphold His Laws, the purpose of which is to bless and benefit them. Yahweh encourages them to return in obedience to Him, and He will return His blessings to them.
You ask, "How are we to return? 8Can a
human being cheat God?" Yet you try to cheat me! You ask, "How do we try to
cheat you?" Over tithes and contributions.
Again, God frames their abuses within rhetorical
questions to which He provides the answer. They cheat Him in their tithes and
contributions outlined in the Law. According to Mosaic Law, the people were to
set aside a tenth part of the harvest and animals from the flocks and herds for
the Temple's upkeep and to support the Levitical ministers (Lev 27:30-34;
Num 18:20-32; Dt 14:22-27).
Verse 11 may suggest that the descendants of the returned exiles experienced a poor harvest because of an insect infestation. But Yahweh challenges them to test Him by being faithful in their tithes despite natural disasters. And if they are courageous enough to trust Him, He will reward them to the point that all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delights, says Yahweh Sabaoth.
Question: Under the New Covenant in Christ Jesus,
are we still expected to support God's household of the Church and her
priesthood?
Answer: Yes. Our covenant obligation is to support
the Church and to show our thanks to God for His generosity in His blessings in
our lives.
Being faithful in our obligations is a message that continues down through the generations of the covenant family. St. Josemaria Escriva wrote: "Don't fall into a vicious circle. You are thinking: when this is settled one way or another, I'll be very generous with my God. Can't you see that Jesus is waiting for you to be generous without reserve so that he can settle things far better than you imagine? A firm resolution, as a logical consequence is: in each moment of each day, I will try generously to carry out the will of God" (The Way, 776).
Malachi 3:13-21/4:3 ~ The Sixth Oracle: Yahweh's Book
of Remembrance and the Triumph of the Upright on the Day of Yahweh
13"You have said harsh things about me,"
says Yahweh. "And yet you say, What have we said against you?' 14You
have said, It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his
commands or of walking mournfully before Yahweh Sabaoth? 15In fact,
we now call the proud the happy ones; the evil-doers are the ones who prosper;
they put God to the test, yet come to no harm!'" 16Then those who
feared Yahweh talked to one another about this, and Yahweh took note and
listened, and a book of remembrance was written in his presence recording those
who feared him and kept his name in mind. 17"On the day when I
act," says Yahweh Sabaoth, "they will be my most prized possession, and I shall
spare them in the way a man spares the son who serves him. 18Then
once again you will see the difference between the upright person and the wicked
one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.
19/4:1For look, the Day is coming, glowing like a furnace. All the proud and
all the evil-doers will be the stubble, and the Day, when it comes, will set
them ablaze," says Yahweh Sabaoth, "leaving them neither root nor branch.
20/4:2But for you who fear my name, the Sun of
justice will rise with healing in his rays, and you will come out leaping like
calves from the stall, 21/4:3and trample on the wicked, who will be
like ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act," says Yahweh
Sabaoth.
The accusation of covenant disloyalty in this passage is
similar to the fourth Oracle's "dispute" in 2:17-3:5. Verses 14-15 ask why someone
should obey God's commandments if things go well for the wicked or those who
refuse to serve God?
Question: What is the reply, and how is it similar
to Malachi 3:2? See verse 19.
Answer: The oracle announces a Day of Divine
Judgment when the wicked and those who have no fear of the Lord will face
judgment and destruction.
However, the answer is more in-depth than it was previously regarding the reward of the righteous and faithful. God is aware of the struggles and fears of those who fear offending Him. To calm their fears, He assures them that like a human king who records the progress of his kingdom (cf. Esther 6:1-3), He records the good deeds of the just (3:16). Therefore, for them, the day of Divine Judgment will be a day of splendor and joy, and in the meantime, they can expect God's special protection (3:17).
18Then once again you will see the
difference between the upright person and the wicked one, between the one who
serves God and the one who does not serve him. 19For look, the Day
is coming, glowing like a furnace. All the proud and all the evil-doers will be
the stubble, and the Day, when it comes, will set them ablaze," says Yahweh
Sabaoth, "leaving them neither root nor branch.
However, the fate of those who reject or neglect God will
be far different because they will experience the destruction of God's fiery
justice. St. Peter warned the faithful to persevere in their suffering: but
if any one of you should suffer for being a Christian, then there must be no
shame but thanksgiving to God for bearing this name. The time has come for the
judgment to begin at the household of God, and if it begins with us, what will
be the end for those who refuse to believe God's Gospel? If it is bad for the
upright to be saved, what will happen to the wicked and to sinners? So even
those whom God allows to suffer should commit themselves to a Creator who is
trustworthy, and go on doing good (1 Pt 4:16-19). God assures the people
through His prophet to persevere in faith and hope; while evil-doers seem to
prosper and the good sometimes suffer, God's judgment will prevail, and
wrong-doers will be brought to justice (CCC 309, 678).
20But for you who fear my name, the Sun of
justice will rise with healing in his rays, and you will come out leaping like
calves from the stall, 21and trample on the wicked, who will be
like ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act," says Yahweh
Sabaoth.
Christians have interpreted verses 18- 21 as a
description of the Second Advent of Christ. Reading these verses should recall
St. Peter's description of the end of the Age when Christ returns in fiery
glory: The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar, the
sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and melt away, the earth and all
that it contains will be burned up (2 Pt 3:10).
Question: Where have you heard the Lord described
as "Sun," as in Malachi 3:20/4:2, applied to the coming of the Lord in the New
Testament? See Luke 1:57-79, paying particular attention to verses 76-79.
Answer: It is echoed in Zechariah's Benedictus,
his canticle of praise to God upon the birth of his son, John.
Zechariah proclaimed, "And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare a way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the faithful love of our God in which the rising Sun has come from on high to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow dark as death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Lk 1:76-79; bold added for emphasis).
The connection to Luke 1:78 is why Christian tradition applies the expression "Sun of justice," in Malachi 3:20/4:2, to Jesus Christ. Origen (c. 184-253), an early Christian scholar and theologian who was the head of the Christian School of Theology and Catechesis in Alexandria, Egypt, wrote: "The Lord came in the evening to a world in decline, when the course of life was almost run; but when the Sun of justice came, he gave new life and began a new day for those who believed in him" (Origen, Homiliae in Exodum,7:8).
Malachi 3:22-24/4:6 ~ The Epilogue
22/4:4"Remember the Law of my servant
Moses to whom at Horeb I prescribed decrees and rulings for all Israel.
23/4:5Look, I shall send you the prophet
Elijah before the great and awesome Day of Yahweh comes. 24/4:6He
will reconcile parents to their children and children to their parents, to
forestall my putting the country under the curse of destruction [herem]*."
The Hebrew word "herem/cherem" means either the curse of utter destruction or consecrated/dedicated completely to God. For the wicked who came under God's judgment, like the people of Jericho in the conquest of Canaan, their lives were forfeited in judgment. However, for the innocent, like the children, who died due to the actions of the wicked, their lives became a consecration to God. For examples of the two meanings of "herem," see Joshua 6:17-19, 21 and Ezekiel 44:29.
In the conclusion of His message, Yahweh reminds the covenant people through His prophet Malachi that they are still bound to Him by the Sinai Covenant and the Law He gave Moses, a central theme of the Book of Malachi. The Sinai Covenant was the first stage of revealed Law. It served as a tutor and a guide for the people of God, teaching them about sin and holiness and preparing them for the coming of the Redeemer-Messiah. And, in the meantime, it served as a path for life (CCC 1961-64). Moses told the Israelites in his last homily before their conquest of the Promised Land: "Look, today I am offering you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I am laying down for you today, if you love Yahweh your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws and his customs, you will live and grow numerous, and Yahweh your God will bless you in the country which you are about to enter and make your own. But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live for long in the country which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. Today, I call heaven and earth to witness against you: I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of Yahweh your God, obeying his voice, holding fast to him, for in this your life consists (Dt 30:15-20a). Malachi 3:22/4:4 is to remind them of Moses' warning.
23/4:5Look, I shall send you the prophet
Elijah before the great and awesome Day of Yahweh comes.
24/4:6He will reconcile parents to their children and children to
their parents, to forestall my putting the country under the curse of
destruction [herem]."
In these last verses, the people receive a sign to look
for that will alert them to the Day of Yahweh. These verses reveal the
prophecy of Yahweh coming in judgment and the identity of the mysterious
"messenger" linked to the 9th century BC prophet, Elijah. Yeshua Ben
Sira quoted from verse 3:24/4:6 of the Epilogue of Malachi when he wrote about
the ministry of the prophet Elijah in Sirach 48:1-12. He wrote: Then the
prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch ... designated in
the prophecies of doom to ally God's wrath before the fury breaks, to turn
the hearts of fathers toward their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob
(Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 48:1, 10-11, quoting from Malachi 2:24 underlined).
St. Mark quoted Malachi 3:1 concerning the promised
"messenger" followed by Isaiah's prophecy of the prophetic voice in
Isaiah 40:3.
Question: Who was the prophet Elijah? See
1 Kings 17:1-19:18 and 2 Kings 1:1-2:13.
Answer: He was Yahweh's great 9th
century BC prophet who did not experience the suffering of physical death
because God miraculously assumed him into Heaven.
Question: When did God reveal through the Angel
Gabriel that the time for the sign of the messenger promised by Malachi was
going to be fulfilled? See Luke 1:13-17.
Answer: The Angel Gabriel revealed to the priest
Zechariah that his elderly wife would bear a son who would have the spirit and
power of Elijah. The son was John the Baptist.
Christians believed the Malachi prophecy referred to John
the Baptist. Jesus confirmed this connection after the Transfiguration miracle
(Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36) when the Apostles Peter and James and John
Zebedee saw Jesus transformed in glory in the presence of Moses and Elijah, who
signified the Law and the Prophets in salvation history. Having seen the long-dead
Elijah, they remembered Malachi's prophecy, which they had learned from the
scribes (teachers of Scripture). They asked Jesus, "Why then do the scribes
say that Elijah must come first?"
Question: What was Jesus's answer in Matthew 17:11-12a, and what did the disciples realize in verse 13?
Answer: Jesus told them Elijah had already come,
and they realized He was speaking of John the Baptist.
The Angel Gabriel confirmed the prophecy of Malachi 3:24/4:6 to Zechariah during his announcement of John the Baptist's birth, saying, "With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him to reconcile fathers to their children" (Lk 1:17, bold added for emphasis).1
Christ's Transfiguration took place after the first prophecy of His Passion (Mt 16:21-23; Mk 8:31-33; Lk 9:22). Jesus intended to strengthen the faith of the Apostles in anticipation of that event. The ascent with them up "a high mountain" (Mt 17:1; Mk 9:2; "a mountain" in Lk 9:28) was to prepare them for His ascent to Calvary (CCC 568) and to give them a vision of His New Covenant Kingdom. In the miracle of Jesus's Transfiguration, when Peter with James and John Zebedee saw Jesus standing on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, they witnessed the complete cycle of divine revelation, with Jesus standing in the center. Moses was the first covenant mediator and giver of the Law. Elijah stood for the prophets. In Jesus' presence, they and the Apostles stood with Jesus the Redeemer-Messiah, supreme Prophet, new lawgiver, and last mediator of the New and eternal Covenant.
Both Moses and Elijah were privileged to have a private revelation of God on Mt. Sinai/Horeb (see Ex 33:19-23 and 1 Kng 19:1-14). In the Transfiguration event, they were again privileged to stand with God (the Son) and to speak with Him "about His exodus (departure) which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem" (Lk 9:30-31). The event showed the three Apostles that the Law and the prophets had found their fulfillment, Malachi's prophecy had come to pass, and the Covenant which Jesus would make in His death and Resurrection would be the New and everlasting Covenant of God with humanity.
Endnote:
1. When the chief priests and Levites from Jerusalem
asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah (Jn 1:19-21), he told them he was not.
Instead, he identified himself as Isaiah's prophetic voice from Isaiah 40:3.
His denial has confused scholars; however, he may have been denying that he was
the reincarnation of Elijah, which he was not. The concept of reincarnation is
contrary to belief in the Old and New Covenants (Heb 9:27). The Angel Gabriel
told John's father that he would be gifted with the spiritual power of Elijah,
not that he would be Elijah returned in the flesh (Lk 1:17).
Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates
Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Malachi 2:6 (CCC 217);
2:7-9 (CCC 1540*);
2:10 (CCC 238*);
2:13-17 (CCC 1611*);
3:19 (CCC 678*);
3:23-24/4:5-6 (CCC 2583*)
Matthew 25:31-46 (CCC 544*, 1033*, 1373, 2447*, 2831*); 25:31-36 (CCC 2443*); 25:31 (CCC 331, 671*, 679*, 1038); 25:32 (CCC 1038); 25:36 (CCC 1503); 25:40 (CCC 678, 1397*, 1825*, 1932, 2449*); 25:41 (CCC 1034); 25:45 (CCC 598*, 1825*, 2463); 25:46 (CCC 1038)
Purgatory (CCC 1030-32)
The Last/Final Judgment (CCC 1038-41)
Purgatory (CCC 1030-32)
Hell of the damned (CCC 1033-1037)
The hope of Heaven (CCC 1023-29, 1042-50)
The Transfiguration (CCC 554*, 555*, 556*, 568*)
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2013 Agape Bible
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