The New Jerusalem

¹⁷ You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

3:1 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

² 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 washers’ soap; ³ he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.

⁴ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years.

⁵ Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 2:17-3:5, NRSVue

Israel had finally returned home. After 70 years of exile in Babylon, God had fulfilled his promise to his people (Jer 29:10-11) by gathering them from the nations and returning as their national protector. The Israelites rebuilt the temple, despite the immense opposition, looking forward to the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise. He had indeed promised that it would outdo the glory of the first temple (Hag 2:9) and they believed that it would come to pass.

Malachi wrote nearly a century later. A lot has changed since the promises were made and the temple was built. The hope of Israel has faded, in its place coming mass corruption and oppression. Their oppressors were not Babylon or Persia, but the priests themselves (Mal 2:7-9). The corruption was so widespread that Malachi was forced to write anonymously. Mǎl’ākî means “my messenger” and is a vocation rather than a proper name. He likely wrote anonymously to avoid execution, since many prophets before him had suffered death at the hands of the priests (Matt 23:31, 37, Acts 7:51-52).

Those Israelites who weren’t guilty of this oppression and corruption suffered from it. When God’s appointed shepherds fed themselves, and left the flock to fend for themselves (Ezek 34:1-6), where could they turn? The priests were supposed to speak to God on Israel’s behalf. Without a shepherd mediating for them, how could their concerns be voiced to God?

In Malachi 2:17, Israel is experiencing a crisis of faith. “Where is Yahweh?”, they grumbled. “If he is still here with us, he must love those who do evil, since they never seem to get what they deserve.” We can certainly understand their pain. When Yahweh brought them back from exile a century ago, they had no problem being hopeful. They worked hard for 20 years rebuilding God’s temple and overcoming resistance. Yahweh had promised a glorious restoration. But Yahweh’s promises seemed to come and go. Their fathers who hoped in him had died long ago and it seemed as if the promises died along with them.

One might understand if God were to respond in anger. However, this isn’t how Yahweh responds. Yahweh responds with a promise.

In ancient times, when kings visited nearby towns, they would send messengers ahead of them to inform the town of the king’s visit. The inhabitants of the town would respond by removing all the obstacles from the road, preparing the way for the king’s arrival. Yahweh promises to send his own messenger that will prepare the way before him. No longer will Israel be left feeling abandoned, as if God is far off and unconcerned with the suffering of his people. The Lord whom they seek will come to his temple.

Not only that, but God will purify the priesthood. Israel will be restored to right relationship with Yahweh, with their offerings pleasing in his sight. God’s final promise is to put an end to the evil that is hurting his people. These promises are a striking response to Israel’s initial complaint. God is showing himself to be who he always was: a God who cares for his people, who desires to dwell among them.

Yahweh has a knack for fulfilling his promises in unexpected ways. So too with these promises. Israelites would have expected Yahweh to come to his temple through the Shekinah glory that resided in the ark of the covenant, as in the first temple. They expected the messenger to prepare the way through physically clearing a road for the ark.

What they would find out half a millennium later is that God had something better in mind. Preparing the way did not involve clearing roadblocks and offering sacrifices. Rather, it involved giving his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:76-77).

Yahweh did not plan to come through an intermediary, or as a spirit, far too holy for direct encounters. He planned to come personally to his people, as one of them. One who would suffer as they had and be oppressed by the priesthood as they had. Not as an incorporeal glory, but as a helpless child. As a child, Yahweh would cause the offering of Judah and Jerusalem to be pleasing yet again to the LORD, as in the days of old and as in former years. This is the Word of the Lord; it shall not return empty (Isa 55:11).