Day 14: God Gave a Messenger of Refinement
"The messenger of the covenant" - Malachi 2:17-3:3
Jesus is the refiner and purifier
Words: Nate Cutcliffe Read: 0 - 5 mins Published: 14 December 2024
Today we explore a promise of a messenger being sent to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus’ birth and ministry.
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.
– Malachi 3:1-3
At the end of Malachi 2, we read a discourse indicating that the people of God in Malachi’s day were depressed and discouraged. The wicked appeared to prosper and enjoy a better life than the godly. This filled them with doubt and unbelief, and they grumbled. Malachi rebukes Israel for doubting God’s justice. He promises a messenger who will prepare the way for God’s coming. This prophecy also warns of judgment and purification for those who are unfaithful.
In an ancient royal procession, the messenger went before the king. He was to announce the king’s arrival, indicate the route, and remove any obstacles in the road. John the Baptist fulfilled this exact ministry for Jesus.
This passage points to Jesus as the one for whom the messenger will prepare the way: Jesus as King. Jesus as the refiner and purifier. He will wash clean those who come to Him. Jesus as judge. The coming of this “second” messenger will be both awesome and terrible, but with a purpose. Both the launderer and the refiner work to clean, not to destroy.
Malachi invites me personally to consider two applicable truths.
Firstly, the importance of my role as a messenger in the kingdom of God. We carry God’s grace and have been called to steward what the Lord has given us here on earth to glorify Him and reach the lost. In this way, as was promised with John the Baptist’s role as messenger before Christ, we indicate the route to Jesus. We serve to remove obstacles for those in order that they may come to faith, through the speaking of truth and acting in God’s love. Ultimately, we are to proclaim His first arrival (the Good News) and announce His second coming so that people may hear and God may then transform and lead their hearts towards a response.
Secondly, I’m reminded that it is only Jesus who has the power and authority to refine and purify the hearts of people. It is not our role as messengers to judge and conduct an examination of what is clean or unclean within the hearts and lives of those around us. What a comfort it is that He surrenders this work to no other hands than His own. He keeps the purification and refinement of His people under His divine power and judgment. What this does for me is reaffirm my role in His kingdom as someone who points people towards His love. It prompts me to pray and lift up those whom I wish to see transformed by God’s power and might.
Lord, we thank You for the goodness of Your word in this Christmas season, and in every season. I pray that through the words spoken in Malachi, we would be reminded of our roles as messengers on earth, pointing people towards You and telling people of what You have done. God, I pray that we would consider doing this in truth and in love in all situations, and with all people. We ask for Your strength and Your compassion to fill each one of us as we bear Your name to the world. We place judgment, purification, and transformation of hearts and lives in Your right hands, and confess times where we have placed ourselves in this seat. We ask for Holy Spirit to lead us in our pursuit of these truths in the lead-up to Christmas and the new year that lies ahead.
Amen.