The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 62

tmted by n homely image drawn from pastoru.l before the day of jurlgment; one comes In pursuits. They hn,l IJl'en, ns it were, hidden prepare the way of the Lnrrl, and '" fol lowerl in tho limo of afllielion and tempt.atio11; they immediately by Messial,'~ coming to his shall go fo1•th bolclly now, froo 1t11cl exulting, temple; the other is sent lo convert the like oal vee clriven from the stall to pasture chosen people, lesL the land 1,e smitten with (comp. Pe. cxiv. 4, 6; Cunt. ii. 8, 17). a curse. '!'here seems to be no valicl reason Vor. 8.-Ye shall tread down the wioked for not holding the literal sense of the (comp. Micah iv. 13), They who were once words, o.nd seeing in them a promise that oppressed 1tncl overborne by the powers of Elijah the prophet, who was taken alive wickedness shall now rise superior to all from the earth, shall at the last day come hindrances, and themselves tread down the again to carry out God's wise parposes. wioked o.s the ashes under their feet, to That this was the view adopted by the which the fire of judgment sho.11 reduce Jews in 11,ll ages, we see by the version of them. In the day tho.t I shall do this; the LXX., who have here, "Elijah the rather, as in ob. iii. 17, in the day which I 'rishbite;" by the allusion in Ecclus. xlviii. am p,eparing. 10; and by the q □ est ion of our Lord's disciples in Matt. xvii. 10, "Why then say Vere. 4-6.-§ 5. Concluding admonition the scribes that Elial! must first come." to remember the Law, lest they should be Christ himself confirms this opinion by liable to the e11rse. In order to avert this, answering, "Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things." He cannot be the Lord, before his coming, would send referring bere to John the Baptist, because Elijah to promote a change of heart in the be uses the future teme; and when be nation, goes on to say that "Elias is come already," he is referring to what was past, and he Ver. 4.-lf the people wonld meet the himself explains that he meaue Jobn, who judgment with confidence and eecure for was annonnce,l to come-in the spirit and 'themselves the promisecl blessings, they power of Elias (Luke i. 17), but of whom it must remember and obey the Law of Moses. could not be said that he "restored all Thus the last of the prophets set his seal things." The same opinion is found in the to the Pentateuch, on obedience to which Revelation (xi. 3, 6), where one of the depended, o.s of old (see Lev. xxvi. ; Deut. witnesses is very commonly supposed to be xxviii.), so now, the most abundo.nt blessings. Elijah, It is argued by Keil, Reinke, am! My servant. Moses was only the agent and others, that, as the promise of King Davirl interpreter of God. The origin o.nd o.uthority in such passages e.s Jer. :u:x. 9; Ezek. xxxiv. of the Law were Divine. Horeb. The 23; xxxvii. 21; Hos. iii. 5, etc., caunot imply mention of the mountain would remind the the resurrection of Davit!. and hia return people of the o.wful wonders that accom- to earth, so we ce.nnot think of an actual panied the promulgation of the Law (Exod. reappearance of Elijah himself, but only of xix. 16, etc.; Deut. iv. 10-15). For all the coming of some prophet with his s~ .ri t Israel. Not merely for the people who heard and power. But, as Kno.benbauer points the Law given, but for the nation unto o.11 out, for the aitribution of the name David time. Nor could tbey be true Israelites to Messiah, long and careful preparation unless they observed the terms of the he.d been made; e.g. by his being called covenant then made. With the (e11en) "the rod of Jesse," the occupant of David's statutes and judgments. These terms, throne, eto.; and all who heard tbe expres- which explain the word "Law," inolude all sion would at once understand the symbolical the enactments, legal, more.I, ceremonial. application, especially as David was known Malaohi might well remind the people of to have died and been buried. But when their duty, and thus support Nehemiah in they found Malachi speaking of tile re- his struggle to win them to obedience (see appearance of" Elijah !he prophet," who, as N eh. ix. 38; x. 29). The LXX. plaoes this they were well aware, had never <lied, of verse at the end of the oho.pter, probably whose connedion with the coming Messenger because the original cone I nsion (ver. 6) wus they had never heard, they conlu. not avoiu. thought too harsh to be left as the close of the conclusion to which they came, viz. the Old Testament. Tho J ewe had a feeling that before the great de.y of judgment Eli,ts tho.t books in the Bible should end with should again visit the et1.rth iu person. the name Jehovah. In the case of Is1t.iah This prophecy concerns the very last days, aml Ecolcsiastes, they repeated, after the uucl intimates th,tt before the final eonsum- last verse, the last but one. mittion, when iniquity shall abouucl, God Yer. 5.-Elijah the prophet. This is not will send this great and faithful preacher the same personage as the " messenger" in of repentauoe, whose mission shall have eh. iii, 1 ; for the latter comes before the such olfocts that the purpose of God for the  TIIE BOOlt OF MALACRJ. [err. rv. 1-6.