Malachi 3:4, commentary and pictures

After the Lord purifies the sons of Levi so they can offer in righteousness, the offering of Judah and Jerusalem becomes pleasant to Him as in the days of old and as in former years. The purifying is as a refiner's fire and fuller's soap, with Christ sitting as a refiner to purge His people as gold and silver, permitting tests and trials to remove sin and bring them into obedience. Christ comes suddenly to His temple as the Messenger of the covenant, not in His second advent to earth but to the investigative judgment in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, when the special work of putting away sin is finished and penitent believers stand spotless without a mediator. The offering becomes pleasant through returning to God in strict obedience, ceasing to rob Him and bringing all the tithes into His storehouse for the support of the ministry, with gifts given freely from a pure heart and means honestly acquired. Acceptable worship follows cleansing from selfishness and covetousness, worldly policy, unholy trafficking, and wrongs done by speech and life, shown in practical right doing and care for the poor and suffering.

Purification Makes Offering Pleasant

The offering of Judah and Jerusalem becomes pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years only after the Lord purifies the sons of Levi so that they can offer to Him in righteousness. That refining work restores God's people, and the worship they then bring is made in righteousness and is acceptable to Him as in former times. When the people return to God, His refining restores them and their offerings again please Him as they did in former times.

The purifying is like refiner's fire and fuller's soap cleansing silver and gold, purging away sin so that the service afterward offered is righteous and accepted as in earlier times. Christ, the Messenger of the covenant, suddenly comes to His temple as that refiner's fire and fullers' soap and sits as a refiner and purifier of silver to purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver so they may offer an offering in righteousness. He brings His people into humility where the life is hid with Christ in God with Christ as their righteousness, and He purifies and purges them as gold and silver. The Lord tests and proves every soul, purifying His people as earthly silver and gold are purified and tested by fire.

God permits tests to come upon every soul to refine and purify, removing spiritual impurities through trials and bringing the people into obedience to His will so they can offer an offering in righteousness. That testing proves faith which is of more value than silver and gold, that its worth may be made apparent, and man is made more precious than fine gold and than the golden wedge of Ophir. Then the righteous service is accepted and the offering becomes pleasant to Him as it was in former times. The offering is pleasant because the people themselves and their service have been purified and made righteous.

It is a promise that will be fulfilled exactly, that Judah and Jerusalem's offerings will again please the Lord as in former times.

End-Time Judgment Purification

The sudden coming to the temple is the coming of the Messenger of the covenant as a refiner's fire and fuller's soap, not the second advent to earth but the coming to the investigative judgment in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. Sitting as a refiner and purifier of silver, He purifies the sons of Levi and purges them as gold and silver so that they may offer an offering in righteousness, and then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem becomes pleasant as in the days of old and as in former years. That acceptable offering requires returning to the ordinances from going away, honesty with God, and faithfulness in tithes and offerings to sustain the appointed ministers, in fulfillment of the call to return so that He will return and open the windows of heaven with blessing. An offering in righteousness is means honestly acquired, given by one who has exercised mercy and thoughtfulness and has in no case wronged his neighbor, prompted by love and therefore fragrant before God, while means obtained by dishonest practices or oppression of the poor dishonors Him when brought as a gift and He cannot accept it.

The pleasant offering is the condition of God's people when the special end-time work of putting away sin on earth is finished while the investigative judgment goes forward in heaven, the sins of penitent believers are removed from the sanctuary, and Christ still intercedes above. While that judgment proceeds, God's people must put away sin and have character purified from sin through grace and diligent conquest of evil, including faithfulness in returning entrusted means, so they can stand when intercession ceases. When that work is accomplished, through grace and diligent effort as conquerors by the blood of sprinkling, robes are spotless and characters purified from sin, and the followers are ready for His appearing as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, looking forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners. Those alive at that time must stand before a holy God without a mediator, which exposes the fatal deception of claiming to be Christian while refusing to share in Christ's labors and sacrifice.

Before the Lord soon comes there must be a refining, winnowing process in every church to remove wicked men who do not love the truth or honor God. In that transformation of character the church arises and puts on her beautiful garments, the righteousness of Christ, so that her offering is pleasant as in former years. Those thus refined are made known as vessels unto honor who receive the latter rain, revealed when there is discernment between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves Him not. In this purifying He brings His people into humility where the life is hid with Christ in God with Christ as their righteousness so they do not shrink into nothingness.

Faithful Tithes Sustain Ministry

The tithe belongs to God and is to be brought into His treasury and storehouse for the support of the ministry. It is for sustaining the ministers appointed to give the message of mercy and is not to be diverted to other lines of work. When churches take their stand upon this word by faithfully paying tithe into His treasury, there is abundant supply to sustain gospel laborers in their work. That faithfulness encourages more men to give themselves to ministerial work, while selfish hearts and hands that withhold the tithes or use them to support other lines of work leave the treasury depleted. The chapter's teaching on the tithe therefore calls God's people to faithfulness that supports the Lord's work, with the promise that the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will again be pleasing to the Lord as in former times.

The offering becomes pleasant through strict obedience in returning to God His own, with honesty toward God and renewed faithfulness in offerings after returning to His ordinances. It requires ceasing to rob Him in tithes and offerings and bringing all the tithes into the storehouse. This fulfills the call to return unto God so He will return and open the windows of heaven with blessing. In this honoring of His requirements, faithfully giving tithes and offerings is connected with the promise that Judah and Jerusalem's offerings will again please the Lord as in former times.

The pleasant offering is tithes, thank offerings, and gifts to the Maker given from a pure, thankful heart as freewill offerings and not by compulsion or force. Even a small gift is acceptable to God, who can make it go a long way, as with the willing gifts for building the tabernacle given in such abundance that the people were told to bring no more. An offering in righteousness is means honestly acquired, given by one who has exercised mercy and thoughtfulness and has in no case wronged his neighbor. Prompted by love it is fragrant before God, while means obtained by dishonest practices or oppression of the poor dishonors the Lord when brought as a gift and He cannot accept it.

Withholding what belongs to Him makes entrusted wealth a curse, while using it to advance His work includes sending the gospel throughout the world. False dealing with God and others brings judgment, and withholding what is due brings God's curse, whereas faithful payment of the tithe lets the gospel work advance and God's will be done on earth. Parents must impress children with the importance of strict obedience in returning to Him His own, educating them to deny self, to pay tithe, to realize accountability to return to the Lord His own, and to follow His directions in the use of means. They must deny worldly pleasures to advance the Lord's work together with Him in self-denial for the good of others under the plans and safeguards He has made, diligently cutting out roots of self-indulgence and selfishness and teaching children to work the works of God, for he who yields to selfishness and withholds the portion God claims makes a record he will not care to meet and leaves undone what the Lord requires, while children taught to bring their offerings however small become fruitful in good works bearing fruit to God's glory and sowing by self-denial seed unto eternal life.

Practical Righteousness in Life

The pleasant offering depends on purification from evil and practical right doing in daily life, becoming pleasing only after the sons of Levi are purified like refined gold and silver so they can offer in righteousness. That refining makes the offering righteous and therefore pleasing as in earlier faithful times. Acceptable worship follows cleansing from selfishness and covetousness, from worldly policy and dealing brought into the church, from unholy trafficking in sacred things, and from making merchandise of souls bought with the precious blood of Christ. By such things the church has sold herself to the world and allowed ungodliness to triumph, and those accepted as subjects must instead cherish the high and holy principles of truth and hold up its uplifting, sanctifying principles before the world rather than being converted to worldly policy.

Purification includes making right the harm done by speech and then bringing the soul, tongue, and words to the altar to be used to glorify God, and then the offering is accepted. True godliness is shown through practical care for the poor, the suffering, and the orphaned, rather than leaving this work to institutions. Such self-denial and service express love for God and neighbor and reveal Christ to the world.

Chapter's Warning and Promise

The third chapter of Malachi contains warning and instruction in righteousness for every soul. In it the Lord is still testing whether His people will prove faithful servants. He calls them to give proof of loyalty by bringing all the tithes into His storehouse in response to His goodness and mercy. That chapter must be studied and practiced with love and fear of God by following out every specification in His Word. It is a plain requirement from the Lord that must be carefully read and followed for one's own good and for the good of others who will be helped by the example.

After attention has been called to this subject, refusing to comply with the Lord's claims brings the dealing described in the chapter. Neglecting it brings the sure visitation of God and leaves one found committing robbery toward God, which cannot be afforded. The chapter presents in a clear and forceful way the duty to use entrusted gifts for God and the accountability of all people for how they use them. Its message is presented as God's voice for the benefit of everyone living on earth. It sets out God's clear terms for His people, applied to faithful payment of the tithe so the gospel work can advance and God's will can be done on earth, while warning that false dealing with God and with others brings judgment.

The chapter belongs to a message to be studied carefully, obeyed, and taught to others so they may learn how to receive the blessing of God. It shows the calling to be educators who instruct others in faithfulness to God. God will bless financially and spiritually those who deal faithfully with Him, and when all come into harmonious action in this faithfulness the salvation of God will be seen. God is behind all His promises and distinctly pledges Himself to answer prayer. He invites all to pray with a positive and ample assurance that leaves no room for mistake or limitation, His word being Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus. He challenges all who will to prove the Lord God of hosts so that if they do their part He will act in their behalf from resources that cannot be exhausted.

The chapter is a Sabbath message to meet a determined apostasy. It meets the condition where workers give up their position on the truth. It meets those who go in for holiness altogether. It meets those who come out against the testimonies. It meets those who accept some other light than the third angel's message.