But who shall endure the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he will be like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' lye.
The chapter opens with God answering cynics who asked where the God of justice had gone. His reply promises that the Lord will come. Then it turns their demand back on them: could they survive the arrival they asked for?
The question is aimed at people who had asked for exactly this.
They professed to want the presence of the God of judgment. They little knew the force of their own words, and so the prophet says, "But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap." Their spirit was the complete opposite of the psalmist's. He said, "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you" (Ps. 143:2). Who could survive if God judged his walk and ways by the standard of His own holiness? But this is what fire pictures, and that baptism of fire belongs to His appearing. He has baptized His Church with the Holy Spirit; He will baptize Israel with fire when He returns.
Verse 1 promises a messenger who prepares the way. The tone changes at verse 2, and commentators see a shift in time.
The first verse of our chapter, as we saw, contains predictions that found a fulfilment at the first coming of Christ. The second and third verses, however, make it clear that the main emphasis is on His second coming. Then the fire of the refiner will come into action with purifying effect, and this means judgment, as verse 5 states. Bringing the two comings together is not unusual in Old Testament prophecy.
Another writer separates what was already fulfilled from what is still ahead.
We can fully allow a partial fulfilment of Malachi both in John the Baptist and in Christ's coming to the temple. But when we come to the fourth chapter, it is clear that it is entirely future... The first coming of Christ did not bring out everything that is said even here.
A fuller was a cloth-worker who washed and whitened cloth. Both pictures come from everyday work, and both are about removing what is wrong.
The word kabas simply means 'to wash', as it is often translated, and would include 'bleaching'. The coming of the Lord is compared to a 'refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap', when the dross and dirt will be cleared away.
The fire does not treat everyone alike.
The fire of great tribulation will test the faith of believers... This refines the silver. Fire does this: it separates the dross from the true silver or the gold, so that the pure metal may shine in all its brightness and give delight to the great Refiner... The same fire that will refine and purify believers will burn up unbelievers, for there is nothing of pure silver in them.
The next verse pictures the Lord seated at the refining. What is He waiting for?
It is said that a refiner of metals watches by the crucible until he sees his own face in the molten mass. In the same way the Lord Jesus sits as the refiner and purifier of His silver until His own image is seen in it. This is the end and object of all His dealings with His people. And the comparison is certainly true. God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. So we may be sure that He will never rest until He has fulfilled His purpose.
At Christ's first coming, some people were ready to meet Him.
The Scripture continues, "Who can endure the day of His coming?" It is good to see the inward work done in hearts. Both a man and a woman were able to stand at His appearing. That carries a challenge to each one of us! It shows the two sides of the truth. God draws near in His well-beloved Son, and on the other side vessels are prepared to receive Him.
Today the Lord is dealing in grace, not yet in judgment.
Right now Jesus is preaching the gospel of redeeming grace through His servants. He says, "Let the one who desires take the water of life without price"... Now grace reigns through righteousness leading to eternal life. But in a little while Christ will take His great power and reign. Now is the favourable time; now is the day of salvation. Then men will be judged in righteousness, and ruled with a rod of iron. Well might the prophet ask, "Who can endure the day of His coming?"
- Demand. They asked where the God of judgment was. The verse asks back: could they survive Him?
- Delay. Verse 1 found a fulfilment at Christ's first coming. The fire of verse 2 points on to His appearing in judgment.
- Difference. Fire and soap both remove what is foul. The same fire refines real silver and burns up what has none.
- Design. The refiner sits over the crucible until His own image shows in the metal.
- Decision. A man and a woman stood at His first coming because God had prepared their hearts. He offers grace today, so the question is still open to you.
And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver; and he will purify the children of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah an oblation in righteousness.
Malachi's hearers said they were waiting for the Lord's messenger, sure that all was well. He is coming, this verse answers — as a metalworker who sits by the furnace, and the first metal in the fire is the priesthood itself.
Verse 1 promises a messenger. Verse 3 describes fire. The two do not land at the same moment:
The first verse of our chapter, as we saw, predicts things that came true at the first coming of Christ. The second and third verses, however, make it clear that the main emphasis is on His second coming. Then the refiner's fire will start its purifying work. That means judgment, as verse 5 states. Old Testament prophecy often brings the two comings together.
He begins with the sons of Levi — the tribe set apart to serve at the altar. One writer notes why in a single aside:
He will purify the sons of Levi — beginning with what most needed it, and what was nearest to the Lord — and refine them like gold and silver.
He will come — and their claim will not survive it:
They claimed to be waiting for this messenger, and so took the ground that all was well with them. It was all hollow, and it would not do for God. They heard the rebukes against it, but they refused to accept the sentence. Then comes the message — He will come. Do you think He will accept this state of things? Do you think this messenger is someone like yourselves? He will come — the One you claim to delight in; but He will come in judgment. He will have a remnant, but the state of things He finds will not be what is acceptable to Him. He will have to "sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This is not simply God coming in to rescue people from the fiery furnace. He will come in and show the hollowness, before He comes down in blessing. He must come in as He is, in His character of truth, and there must be room made for Him.
The cleansing itself rests on something already finished. And notice the verb: He does not pass the furnace by; He sits down beside it.
He will purify His people by fire, though the cleansing rests on the perfect atonement He made in His death... It is said that a refiner of metals watches by the crucible until he can see his own face in the molten metal. In the same way, the Lord Jesus sits as the refiner and purifier of His silver until He sees His own image in it. This is the end and object of all His dealings with His people... God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. So we may be sure that He will never rest until He has fulfilled His purpose... One thing should be added. God's means of making us like His beloved Son is a glorified Christ set before our souls in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The metals named are precious. One writer presses what that choice already assumes:
It is because they are "silver" that He refines them. No one ever refined into silver what was not silver.
The purifying is not the goal. It clears the way for worship God can receive — and the same principle reaches every believer:
No one can present an offering to the Lord in righteousness until He has purified His priests. Until then the offering cannot please Him or be acceptable to Him. This in fact is also the teaching of the letter to the Hebrews... The only difference is that now all believers are priests. Appearing in the immediate presence of God is no longer the right of a privileged class, as it was with the sons of Levi. Everyone cleansed by the blood of Christ, and therefore having no more conscience of sins, has freedom — yes, boldness — of access.
- He comes. Verse 1's messenger belongs to Christ's first coming; the refining fire of verses 2–3 points on to His return.
- He starts nearest. The furnace is lit first under the sons of Levi — what most needed it, and what stood closest to God.
- He sits. The refiner does not walk away from the crucible; He stays until He sees His own face in the metal.
- He refines silver. No one refines into silver what was not silver — the fire is for what God already counts precious.
- He receives. Only purified priests can bring an offering in righteousness that pleases Him — and now every believer cleansed by the blood of Christ is a priest with boldness of access.
Then shall the oblation of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
The word "then" points back: everything here depends on what the Lord has just done to the priests. One day Judah and Jerusalem will bring Him an offering that pleases Him — so when does that happen, and why were their offerings not pleasing already?
The verse is the last link in a chain that starts with a messenger and ends with worship God accepts. One writer traces that chain, and shows where the cleansing starts:
There is more than a messenger now; it is Messiah Himself — "the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in." But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? He is like a refiner's fire, and like the soap a launderer uses. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi — beginning with what most needed it, and what was nearest to the Lord — and purge them like gold and silver, so that they may offer the LORD an offering in righteousness.
John the Baptist and the Lord's visit to the temple answered part of this chapter. But one writer shows that the promise in this verse reaches past them:
Malachi was partly fulfilled both in John the Baptist and in Christ's coming to the temple (chapter 3), while chapter 4 is clearly future only. Chapter 3 does touch on the past in part. But we keep being stopped short: the first coming of Christ did not bring out all that is said even here. "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years." It is well known how far this was from fact.
The order in the verse matters: first the priests are purified, then the offering pleases God. One writer finds the same order in the letter to the Hebrews:
No one can present an offering to the Lord in righteousness, and no offering presented can be pleasant, acceptable, to the Lord, until His priests have been purified. This is also the teaching of the letter to the Hebrews. There the apostle shows that Christ by one offering has perfected forever those who are sanctified, before he points out that we have boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. The only difference is that now all believers are priests. Appearing in the immediate presence of God is no longer the right of a privileged class, as it was with the sons of Levi.
Malachi then turns from the cleansed priests to the wrongdoers he names next. The same writer shows how God deals with such people now, and how He will deal with them later:
Now God sends out His pleading message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5) to all the classes named here — to all sinners alike. This is the day of His grace, and He waits to save everyone who comes to Him in the name of Christ. Grace reigns through righteousness. But when the Lord appears He will come to reign in righteousness.
If sacrifice returns to Jerusalem, does that undo the cross? One writer answers that in the millennium — the coming age of Christ's reign — those offerings will look back to the cross:
Some have found a difficulty in the restoring of sacrifices. The difficulty vanishes once we remember that these sacrifices belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and that they will be memorials. Under the old order they had no power at all apart from their reference to Christ, for it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins (Heb. 10:4). In the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin offered on the cross, just as those under the law of Moses looked forward to it.
- Refiner. The Lord sits as a refiner and starts with the sons of Levi — with what most needed it, and what was nearest to Him.
- Purged. No offering can be righteous or pleasing until the Lord cleanses the priests who bring it. Hebrews states the same rule: one offering perfects those who draw near.
- Priests. In Malachi's day this was the right of one class. Now every believer cleansed by the blood of Christ can enter God's presence with boldness.
- Pleasing. Christ's first coming did not make this promise good — "it is well known how far this was from fact." It waits for His return, when He reigns in righteousness instead of pleading in grace.
- Pointing back. Restored offerings in Jerusalem take nothing from the cross. They look back to the one sacrifice, as the old ones pointed forward to it.