PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi
William J. Deane [1853-1943] · 63,204 words · 70 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 1
THE PULPIT COMMENTARY, EDITED DY TilB VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN OF OLOUOmBTmB; AND BY THIii REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.1. MALACHI. @xposftfoft BY REV. W. J. DE.A.NE, M.A., 'j11omflrtfe1 BY REV. E. S. PROUT, M.A. ~omflies by 'Vatious 9utbors. REV. B. TUCK, B.A. REV. D. THOMAS, D.D. NEW EDITION, F…
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but the Judge shall oome at a time when they look not for him, and shall punish evil-doers, exeouting swift judgment upon those who violate their duty to God and their neighbour, and separating from them the righteous, that the land may be purified and refined. Did the people complain that God was tardy in executing hi…
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to make suoh offerings to a governor, without any special reference to a p1utioular personage. But although we cannot build any theory of date on t.his expression of the prophet, there ie other internal evidence which ie more determinate. The great point ie that the abuses rebuked by him are just those against which Ne…
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CHAPTER I. of their history. Wherein haat thou loved us l This we.s the inward feeling of the Ver. 1-ch. ii. 9,-Part I. REPROOF OF people at this 'Iii.me. They doubted God's 'lHE PRIESTS FOB NEGLEOT OF DIVINE SEB• love e.nd faithfulness. Events he.d not 1'JOE, turned out as they expected. They had, indeed, returned …
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per damnRtionem, in Rliis Rdimit per jus- brother, ye sho.11 experience the goodness ot tificationem." But Malachi is not speak- God towards you." ing of the predestination of the one brother Ver. 5.-Your eye, 1hall see. Jaoob is and the reprobRtion of the other; he is con- addressed. When you see these proofs of t…
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regarded ne the food of God, and to be be translated, Will he accept any beca11~~ eaten by tho fire (Ezek. xii. 22; xliv. 16). of you? They showed that they desp!Md the o.ltar Ver. 10. - The prophet continues his by fancying tbatnnything wae good enough severe reprobation of the priests. Who is for offering thereon…
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prepared the way for hie universal reception? which eate" the offering to bo the tire whioh The LXX. lr('Rt.e this circum~tance Be consumes it, as" liok up" (1 Kings xviii, 38). already occurring at this time, Tb lli,oµd. Others explain the Vulgato to mean that" µ,,v ~.~&{,un·a,. "My Name hath been and ie the priests …
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HOMILETICS. Ver. 1.-MalacM and hi8 burden, I. MALACHI, THE LAST OF THE PROPHETS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. He may be compared to: 1. A late evening closing a long day of light and blessing, and which is itself: 2. A midsummer twilight in some northern latitude, bearing on its bosom the new and still brighter day of the gos…
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instructive though imperfect. Neither the most absolute master nor the moat affectionate father can adequat.ely represent God. Yet God reminds us o[ the reveronce due to himself from the fear and h6riour expected by them. The appeal should be mosL pvwerful to those who, like the priests here appealed to, are i-n any …
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worship of God, tho table of the Lord, the most sacred acts a.nd objects may be observed and resorted to without the slightest expectation of gaining good. They might be means of groce, but familiarity makes them contemptible. 3. The indolence which shrinks from ths effort needed to stir up ourselves to take hold of…
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of the reign of Christ would allure e.H cl!l.sses to accept his dominion (Ps. lxxii. 8-14, <·specially ver. 12, "For," etc.). Thus the Name of God would be glorified in his Son. Apply this truth: 1. To those who refuse to give to God the glory due unto bis Name, So did t.he Jews in the days of Christ. But God's hono…
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is the IMt prophet-voice of the Old Testament times. After him II great prophrtic silence fell on the land. No direct utterance came from God for some three hundred years, until John the Baptist appeared. Nothing is certainly known concerning this Prophet Malachi. He is, indeed, only II name, and our interest lies enti…
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t,,_ iudividuals, hut, to bis pr~vidential dealings with. na~ion_s. Still, it, stands out pro- mmeotly that Gods ways with Israel had been the rnd1cat1on of selectmg love for her. I. Gon's LOYE FOR lsRAEL WAS A DISTINGt;ISHING LOVE. Of lsrael, as of Christ's ap11stles, it could be said, "Ye have not chosen me, but I h…
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Ver. 8.-The law of acceptable sar:rifice. It must be such as would be acceptable if offered to any earthly official. This, indeed, is but t11kiug low ground, but that the 12 THE BOOK OF .MALAOBI. [on. r. 1-14. prophet should take this position, and use this argument., is in itself a revelation of the sad condition in…
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relBtions with God. No mf1tter what our office may be, if there is not at the hea.rt nf It B right ste.to of mind and heart, the acceptance of the ministry of that office cannot be o.ssurecl.-R. T. Ver. 10.-Self-serving religion. "One of the works on which Nehemiah looked back with most satisfaction was that ho had se…
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Ver. I3.-Re7i_gion a weariness. "Ye said also, Behold, what a weal'iness is It I" It is clenrly a bad sign when the people find the worship of God to be _a weariness; but it is a much worse sign when the ministers of religion 'both feel the worship to be 'a weariness, and show that they feel it to be such. • L JN T…
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Vers. 1-5.-The sovereignty of God in relation to man's secular conditi= of life. "Tho burden of the word of the Lord," etc. Malachi-which means "Messenger"- the last of the Hebrew prophets, is a man whose personal history is wrapped in utter obscurity. He is supposed to have lived after Haggai and Zechariah, and to …
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they who hRve most and suffer lel\St." The permauent Vl\lue of all things depends on tl,e use which is made of them: the first often becoming last, and the last first. But no argun,Pnt cnn be drawn from differences in men's condition as to which will be the rn"st mornlly adYant.ageous or disadvantageous according to…
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between our profession and our practice is morally unnatural. Our concluct should accord with our creed, our deeds with our doctrines. II. 'l'm; PROFESSION AND THE PRAOTJ.OE ARE OFTENTTMES AT VARIANOE. The priests to whom these words were addressed practically contradicted their professi,m. '!'hey called him Father…
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No one in the whole congregation seemed more hearty in shoutin,,. out those words wit.h his voice than she. Meanwhile the deacon held the plate riuht under her eye but she let it pass without enriching it by even a coppcr.-D. T. "' ' 'Vc>rs. 10-14.-Wrong worship. "Who is there evc>n among you that would shut the doors…
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As if they hnd said, "The reward which we have for our services at the altar is truly contemptible." But this view can sc!Lrcely be adopted, inasmuch as they tbem~elve~ accepted those worthless animals for sacrifice. H rather means that they bad rnarle worship appear contemptible to others, that their services had brou…
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tn rn- the.t they should be deprived of their Vere. !i-9.-§ 5. In contrn~r. ,cith tl1e,~ e.llnUed portion of thE' saorificc-the bree.st Rnd shoulder (Lev. vii. 31, 32), or the ei-il ministers, the cl,aracter nf the true pricRt shnulder, lbs two oheeks, and the me.w u slcetched, and thus Che faults of the former (Deut. …
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and tho note on Ha.g. ii, 11), He is the was at this time no question about mar, meeeunger of the Lord. Ho nnnonnces ringe with thesA nations, but with Ce.naan• God'R will to men, explaining thl'l Law to ites, Moabites, Egyptians, and so on. But meet the vo.ried circnmstancos which occur the parallelism with the follow…
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either led by ouriOBity or introduoed by The sn,me punishnieut shall fnll on one who their profane husbands. But we have no offers even a.n obla.tion of nwnl for men who k1ww le<l!:e that this was the O&BO, It is arc guilty of this sin. This sin would better to take "t.hl' Ranctuary," or that appertain specie.Hy to tho…
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11rnl pcirouls, cine! confirmed by Oftt,hs. 'fho nationo quam explice.tione opus Rit acl eUJU notn11l m1tl'l'i11go seems to hcive been ciccom- eruendum." It may also be remo.rke,l the.t 10.nled by cel'triin solemn promises und the reference to the patriarch would not 1 ,lessi11gs (seo Prov. ii. 17; Ezek. xvi. 8; have …
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HOMILETICS. Ver. 2.-0ur 'blessi'111!s oorsed. The cursing of blessings is e." strange work" to the blessed God," the Father of mercies," who rather delights to turn curses into blessings. We may note- I. THE CAUSES OF TBIS CURSE. It me.v be traced to two things. 1. A disreuard of the great end of life, " to glorify G…
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thus become curses to ue, 88 were the Christian profession of Ananias and the apostle- ship of J udn.s. Even Obrist may become "a stone of et urn bliog and a rock of offence" (1 Pet. ii. 6-6; John ix. 40), and bis ministers "a savour from death unto death" (2 Cor. ii. 16). As John Howe says," When the gospel becomes de…
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directed along a wrong track rather than in "the way everlasting." The sin of unfaithfulness is exposed in vers. 8, 9. Ministers may be "partial in the Law," e.g. winking at follies and sins fashionable among the rich, while severely condemning the ~ins of the poor, etc. But fidelity needs to be combined with discrirul…
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"unfo.ithfulacas" iu its widest sense, extending far beyond the aiu of unchastity. We note- ' J. UNFAITHFULNESS TO Goo 18 THE ROOT-SIN OF ALL OTHEil FORMS OF INFIDELITY. 'l'he sins denounced in the earlier verses of this bOQk are quite sufficient to account for the, criminality here exposed, Those who profane the "cov…
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God who created them. The revela.tion of that Creator 11.s " the Father of spirits" constitutes those created spirits into a brotherhood. From this fraternal relation the claim to liberty and more than liberty follows. I. Somm ETHICS MUST BE BASED ON A TRUE THEOLOGY. Our relations to men depend on our relation to G…
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the pooplc's unworthy sacrifices, without attempting to reprove them, QI' endeavourinrr tQ nwnken t.hem to worthier and more spiritual views of sacrifice. When the mini;try hn~ become e. fountain e.nd a support of religious negligence and formality, the nation is placed in extreme peril, e.nd severe providentie.l deali…
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,ers. 5, 6.-The double .feature o.f a Jehovah-covetiant. The covenant was made with the tribe of Levi; and the precise terms here refuri'Cd to occur iu the -.renewal of covenant with Phinehas, "Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace c• and he ~ball have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everla…
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II. THE BTEADFABT MAN EXEnTB 1'HE ACTIVE POWER OF EXAMPLE. The imitativo faculty of m,iu is more influential than we are wont to think. Everybody is disposed to make models, And all persons are materially helped by having high models of virtue in their spheres. Every individual has a sphere of influence. Within that sp…
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Ver. 11.- Worship spoiled by the tears of the injured. The divorced and abandoned wives went to tbe courts of the temple "with tea.rs, with weeping, and .with crying." "Their wail of lamentation mingled with the prayers and hymas of the sacrificing priests. How could the Lord • regard the offering any more, or accept i…
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Vers. 1-3.-Spiritual reformation. "And now, 0 ye priests, this corn mandmen t is for you," etc. The grand subject we gather from these words is spiritual reformatign, "Now, 0 ye priests.'' The priests are specially addressed and reproved, for they, whose mission it was to raise the people to true worship and to holines…
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I\D!l npprccinto the wonderful messl\ge, and give it from his own mouth to the peop!F!, Such is whnt Levi, 11s nn ideBl priest was and did, and every minister of Divine truth must be and do the same. What a high 1tandard to aim at I How its light condemn~ and abashes most of us! II, Tm: MINISTER OF DIVI':'IE TRUTH AS …
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moral beings bear a resemNa.ncc to the Infinite. They are spiritual in r~sence, moral in sentiment., free in action; they are formed in his image. 2. The existence of parental sympathy. \Vhile a human father has the ordioary ~ensibilities of a man, he has the 11cctiliar a!f,•~tions of a. parent, a tender interest in…
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u My coat is a coRrse ane e.n' yours me.y be floe, And I me.un drink water while you me.on drink wine; But we both he.'e a lee.I heart, unspotted to sbe,w, 'Sae gi'e me yonr he.nd-we're brethren e.'.' " Ye would ecoru to do fe,usel y by woman or me.n ; I he.ud by the right, a.ye, as well as I ce.n. We a.re n.ne i…
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Others suppose it means the pretext they employed for doing so by the permission of Moses (Deut. xxiv. 1). Others suppose the garment means man's reputation, and that he would damage his influence by it. Whatever the particular meaning of the passage is, it is certain that the outr&,ge of the institution of matTiage is…
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EXPOSITION. OHAPTER III. The Vnlgate Version,Quis •tabit ad virlendum eum? points to the brightness of his pre- Vor. 1.-Behold, I will send (I Bend) my sence, which eye of man cannot endure. messenger. God answers th11t he is coming Like a refiner's ftre, which separates the to show himsoH the God of judgment 11ncl …
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throughout the world, hut he employs the "sons of Ja.cob," to remind them of the terms with whi<'-h the Jewish people were covenant mRde with their grcot ancestor, converAAnt to t>Xpress the worship of the new which WM the portion of all true Isrnelitea covenant (comp. eh. i. 11, and note there). (comp. Jer. xxxiii.…
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ourse. Tbla whole nation, Not imlividnRls thee 1 What have we said against thee in only, but the whole nation (he doe• not any our converaatinns with one another? longer oBII them God's people) wore im- Ver. 14.-It ia vain. It brings no acknow- plicated in thia ain. The LXX., rending leclgment or rewitrd. The Le.tin…
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foll fe.ith the.t what God does is nlwe.ys goo,1; beMflt, to preserve their name for ever, and this sentiment \mS e.11 the harder to Thought upon hia Name, Prized his N'ame, cherish be<'anse they lived under a system regarded it with awe, Septun.gint, •iiA11• of tempon,l re,.-ards and pnniehment.e. The {Jovµ,vois -r…
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procese took effect especially amoog the religious people of that day (ver. 3). Judg- meut began at the house of God. Some priests believed in him; few, if any, confessed him. Of most he had to say Matt. xxi. 31; ancl see vers. 44, 45. II. 'l'o THE MANIFESTA'l'ION OF C1mI8T TO THE SOUL OF A MAN. It was not the mere fa…
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xxiii. 19). The strongest Msurance of this truth is found in the revele.tion of the Divine N11IDe in Jesus Christ, who through successive 11.ges is proving him,eif to be "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." IT. THAT THIS UNORA'NGEABLENESS OF GoD IS THE GROUND OJ.I' HOPE FOR THE GUILTY. For God bath an "etern…
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nnd 11s mntori11l as silver. If we nre not proprietors but stewards, our one duty in regard to every to.lent we 11re entrusted with should be," How will the Divine Propriet,,r wish me to uso it?" If through selfishness or criminal carelessness we use it in a way which does not bring to God the honour that he has a rhht…
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".'ers. 1_3-18.-Hard s-peeches again flt Goil. Once more God has to bring a charge a~mst his people (ver. 13). Their words were "stout," bold, loud, defiant. Reverence and reticence wpre both wanting. Once more the plea. is entered," Not guilty." They will not admit that God is just.ified when he speaketh and clear …
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communion with God, protection by Goel, e.n<'I e. high estimate in his sight. Tho ultimate iseue (ver. 18) will vindica.to the confidence of his servants and silence the murmurs of hie foes (Rom. viii. 31-39; Jude 14, 16). Ver. 16.-0hristian converse. "Then," etc. When? When ungodliness was rampant (vers. 13-15). As a…
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Yer. 17.-Thr Divine Proprietor a.nd his pec11lial' trearure. We adopt, as I\ ruoro accurate translation, the rendering, "Aud they shall be to me, saith Jehovnh, in the da_,. that I am preparing, a peculiar treasure," etc., and thus learn- I. THAT THE SERVANTS 01' GoD ARE BIB PECUJ.IAR TREASURE, lt is il joy to know …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-Preparation-wO'T'k. "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me." It is fully recognized that the allusion here is to the ministry of John the Baptist. In him was realized the fulfilment of the promise that Elijah should come again. Our Lord declared t…
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Yer.1.-The 11n1!$pededness qf the advent. "Shall suddenly come." Two messengers are spoken of in this verse. John, the messenger, prepare~ the way for Jesus; and Jesus, the Messenger, prepares the way for God. Each was a sent and ooi;nmiasioned one. The coming to the temple is a. figure of speech, and means ooming t…
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nnd children will die, as well as the saints and the rich; and there will be a judgment or forgetfulness upon those thnt study the Law. In the fourth there will be abundance for some o.nd barrenness for others. In the fifth a great abundance; and they shall eat, drink, o.nd rejoioe, a.nd the Lew shall be a.gain held in…
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Noah builde? an nltAr unto ~he Lord; and took of every clean beMt, and of every clean Jowl, and oflered burnt offermgs on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour." 'l'be opp,,~ite ~ent.iment., God finding man's oflcrings unpleasant, and even offensive reminds of Isaiah's opening reproaches, uttered in God's name…
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nnme, tried to get Bt the roots of the eoriety evils of his day. He found them In thP. Relf-indul~euce of the priesthood, and the self-seeking of the people. He prophesied that Meesmh would do the same work. III, MEBBIAH ENRI0HES THE BOIL TO BEAR GOOD GROWTHS. we should never see Christ's work only on the negative sid…
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Ver. S.-Defraudimg God. The people of Malachi's d11.ys met his reproof in a. quibbling and self-justifying spirit. Men who are self-satisfied can resist all appeal. Religious formalities have this as their supreme peril-they satisfy men, and prevent them from feeling moral and spiritual anxieties, and ·from responding …
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t11re of pcnito □ ce on tl1e one side, 11nd sentimenta!Hy on the other. And sentimentality rn1ty be tlio more subtle evil. A mo.n may be distressed about the consequences uf sin, who ho.s no estimate of the evil of the sin. A man may be carried away by a ijUrrounding excitement of penitence without having any real hum…
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Veni, 16, 17.-'l'M list of the wyal 0,11,.,, "A book of remembrance w11,s written l,efore him . . . . They shall be mine . . . in that day when I make up my jewels." Reference is t-0 thCll!e persons who "by their pious discourse confirmed 1'11ch othor In gtX>dne!'II, and nrmed themselves against the impressions which w…
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s11id of him: "And now e.lso t.he axe is le.Id nnto the root of the trees, therefore every tree whioh bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. I indeed bo.ptize yon with wo.ter unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: be shall baptiz…
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tic>n (If sinners on tlm earth. He is essentfolly Love, and a olumgo in him ~uld be a change from love, and a change from love would be the rui'b. of sinne1;s, When he ~ays, "I change not," it means, "I am as full of love as ever." "As I live snith the Lord God, I have no pleusnre in the death of a sinner,"-D .. T. ' …
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devourer [porhl\pB the loousts] for your sa,kes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vino cast her fruit beforo the time in the field." 'rheir vines should produce fruit iu the season. (3) To give them good in the affec- tions of men. "And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye sh…
831 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.