SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES by F. D. Starr

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Aug 23, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 34.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.

By F. D. Starr

MALACHI.

BY F. D. STARR.

WE come now to the last book of the Old Testament, the closing words of which read as follows: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

It has been said that the Old Testament ends with a curse, but that the New Testament ends with a blessing. This is surely a misrepresentation. While the word "curse" is the last word in the volume, the text itself shows that the idea is to take means to avoid the curse, as the sense of the translations into some other languages is: "That I come not and smite the earth with a curse." So instead of the prophecy ending with a curse it ends with an assurance that the curse shall be set aside. It would be just as consistent to claim for the statement in Rev. 22:3, "And there shall be no more curse," that it implies a curse because it ends with the word "curse," as to claim the same for Mal. 4:6. In giving assurance of the removal of the curse, the prophecy really closes with a blessing.

It is well to pause right here and consider that for more than four centuries this book of Malachi was the close of the Bible. This completed the Scripture canon for that time, and in a sense made a complete Revelation, able to make a man "thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. But in the kind providence of Him who gives to His people "line upon line, precept upon precept," additional light has been given in the New Testament, confirming and enhancing the value of the Old Testament.

Let us notice a few of the many points of deep interest to be found in this book. "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth." Mal. 2:7. This is a valuable point of information concerning the proper work of a priest. His employment was not merely to offer sacrifices and perform the outward ritual of that ceremonial system; nay, rather, he was to be a spiritual guide to the people, to instruct them in the law of God, to teach them truth and duty. It is true that many of them failed to meet this demand; but that was God's design in reference to their work. Chapter three is so full of instruction of such intense importance that the entire chapter ought to be carefully considered, verse by verse.

The prediction concerning the messenger that should come to prepare the way of the Lord was fulfilled in John the Baptist. Our Saviour gives us this information in Matt. 11:10, 11. This allusion to the first advent of our Lord is closely connected with a very plain prediction concerning His second coming. "But who may abide the day of His coming?" "Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Mal. 4:1. Thus the first coming of our Lord is inseparably associated with His second appearing. Thus it is all through the Scriptures: the one event is as much a part of the plan of salvation as is the other.

The duty of supporting the work of God by the payment of the tithe is plainly set forth in chapter three. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse." "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." 1 Cor. 9:14. This is God's ordained plan for sustaining His work in the earth, and it is the only plan (combined with offerings) that He has ordained for this purpose. The faithful payment of tithes will prove a great blessing to those who will put it in practise; and it will make the many worldly schemes and devices for raising money, such as church socials, grab bags, lotteries, etc., entirely unnecessary. How much better to take God's plan than to follow the human schemes for sustaining His work.

One of the most encouraging features of this book is the assurance of the interest the Lord takes in our social meetings. Just before the great and glorious day of redemption the Lord is represented as taking notice of the assemblies of His saints. He harkens to hear their testimonies. These testimonies are recorded in the heavenly book. Sometimes when a very celebrated orator makes a speech, shorthand reporters take down his words verbatim, then they are published in the public press. The utterances of an ordinary person would not be thought of sufficient importance to warrant the employment of a reporter to preserve the words. But what a condescension! The Lord considers the testimony of His humble servants of sufficient consequence to have it all taken down by an angelic pen. Those testimonies will be interesting reading in the ages to come when the redeemed are gathered home. Who would refrain from speaking when his words are so highly valued by the Sovereign of the universe? Let us not refrain from witnessing for Him.

It is with mingled feelings of delight and gratitude, and regret at parting with a most dear friend, that we now close the volume of the Old Testament Scriptures. But while we now must close our consideration of such a dear guide and companion, we look forward with unbounded delight to the opportunities before us in the consideration of the grand truths of the Gospel, still more fully taught in the New Testament.