The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 51

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 to the people not our Lord's actually entering into the temple. The people of Israel were the tell:lpl~ of the Lord, and of that true temple the material building was a sign. Th,e, point indicated in the expression of the text is that Messiah came with surprising sudden- ness upon the preparing work of John the Baptist. Only some six months. of herald~ ing when the King came. 'l'he suddenness may be illustrated along three lines. , I. THERE WAS GEKERAL EXPECTATION OF Mi,.-ssIAH. But it was general ancl vague, and in no way definite and precise. It anticipated the coming of some great One, but when he was coming, or for what he was coming, none seemed quite to know. Sq when he did come everybody was surprised. They did not think of his coming then; or in that particula.r way. Stapfer says that " the expectation of Messiah was visionary indeed. It was eonfused, capricious, fantastic, and at the same time precise and minute in detail, just like a dream. The very name he was to bear was doubtful.'' , IL THEnE w AS GE?-ER.AL DELUSION RESPECTING MEssuH. We are familiai;- with the idea of bis delivering Israel from the Roman yoke, and restoring the kingdom of David, but this was quite the most sober form of tbe delusion of the age. Extravagant ideas so occupied men's minds that they could give no room to the idea of a spiritual Saviour from sin. Misconcei,ing the images under which Christ's coming had been fore- shadowed, the people were expecting ·an ,~hly ,deliverer, a champion who would free them from foreign bondage, and they would gladly have spread their garments, waved their palm branches, and shouted their hosannas, if he had come to them as a conquer- ing King. John broke int.o their deh1sions by his demand ofrepentance. Jesus, broke, into them still further by hie ministry to sufferers and sinners. Suddenness and surprise' characterized his going to and fro among the people, healing the sufferers and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Suddenness was needed to a.waken them .out of their delusions. The world had to be startled into thought. III. THERE WAS GE1''ERAL UNPBEPAREDNEBB FOR MESSIAH. The ·servants had not put the house ready for the Master. 'l'he priests had ,not. The, scribes had not. Those who hfld prepart'd themselves were private persons who had very little influence on society. The unprepa.redness is t.ypi&d in this," 'l'here was no room fo11 him in the inn." His coming was not sudden to Simeon and Anna, because they were pre~ pared through the revealed Word.-R. T. Ver. 2.-The severe si,de qf Messi.ah's mission. "Like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap." It is ·usually shown that the triumphant side of Messiah's mission wholly occupied tbe mind of the Jews, and that consequently the, stern, judgm~n~ side nee~ed· to be presented vigorously. But some recent accounts of tn~ a~tWl;l cond1t1on of Jewish tLouabt 0 in the first century suggest that the fears of Messiahs time were BQ extrava- gant that they needed to be correctoo and qua.lilied. 'l'hc stern things of the Gospels are mild and reasonable when compared with .the extravagant fears ,of the people; "The people looked forward with dread to the coming of the Messianic era. '!'hey were afraid uf seeing the war of Gog and Magog, which the scribes predicted as its precursor. 'Jhey looked for fearlulca.lamities. Rabbi EJieza,r ben Abe!la., saidi 'When ye shnll •s~ nations rising up ane against the other, then look for ~foss1~h to follow. In the weeks of years 10 which the Son-0f David shall come, there will be 1D the first year abundance uf rain uprm one city, a,ud drougbt upon an1Jther. In the, second year the arruws of famine w11-l g0 abroad. In t4e t:hird' theie•will be a. greatdamine, and men, women,, on. m. 1-18.] THE IlOOK OF MALACilt. 51