Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple
1 "See, 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.
2 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.
3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,
4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD , as in days gone by, as in former years.
ADVENT 2
10 DECEMBER 2003
MALACHI 3:1-4
SALEM EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH, MILWAUKEE, WI
JOHN L. HOH, JR.
Dear fellow Redeemed:
I don't know about you, but to me the month of December is one of anticipation, expectation, and wonder. There are the Christmas carols being sung that adds joy and mirth to the month. There are the gifts that one buys, anticipating the joy of the recipient. There is the anticipation of what one might receive. Then there is the food at parties, on Christmas day, even snacks as we shop.
Then suddenly it's December 25 and the culmination of the month has arrived. We have so looked forward to this day we hate to see it end. We have anticipated this day for a month-and then suddenly its here.
That is the anticipation God told the returning exiles in Judea after the Babylonian Captivity. Through Malachi, whose name ironically means "my messenger," God says, "I will send my messenger." But this messenger isn't the prophet, but the one who will prepare the way for the Lord. God is telling us, Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple. The Lord will refine us through his sacrifice. Because we are refined, our offerings will be acceptable.
Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple. The Lord will refine us through his sacrifice. Of course this begs the question, "Why do I need to be refined?" Malachi's hearers obviously needed this message. Even though the nation of Judah had been in Captivity for 70 years, upon their return to Judah they fell back into old habits and patterns in their lives. The temple wasn't being built with great zeal. Imagine hearing in Malachi's words, then, when he says, "suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple"-and knowing that the progress on rebuilding the temple was behind schedule! But it is not the physical structure itself that God is worried about. Remember he used that term to refer to our bodies. He comes to us when we least expect it.
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