Expanding Biblical and Theological Understanding of Mal 3:1-4

Malachi 3:1-4 draws on several prominent prophetic themes. Many intertextual and motific connections can be identified within the prophets and the broader Old Testament canonical context, and these connections lay the foundation for the New Testament revelation regarding the identity of “my messenger” as well as for understanding the eschatological significance and function of “the lord” (notice the lower-case letters) and “the messenger of the covenant.”

Jesus identifies John the Baptist as both “my messenger” and Elijah from Mal 3:1 and 3:23, respectively (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76; 7:27). However, Luke associates both Jesus and John with Elijah (Luke 1:17; 4:25; 7:11-17; cf. 7:27).¹ Space does not permit us to examine the intricacies of these passages, but we will agree with Jesus’ own words that John is Elijah insofar as Elijah prepared the way for Jesus. Jesus, however, carries on the prophetic and particularly miraculous, functions of Elijah throughout his earthly ministry.² YHWH’s activity in Mal 3:1-4 and 4:1 is picked up in the discussion of Jesus’ baptism in Matt 3:11 and throughout Luke-Acts. John the Baptist baptizes with a preparatory baptism of repentance, but one is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, alluding to the refining and purifying role of YHWH in Mal 3:3. Furthermore, fire imagery from Mal 3:1-4 is used throughout the New Testament with special influence upon the eschatological discussion of the new creation in 1 Pet.³

That being said, the overall canonical witness to the person of the Son of God is perhaps the most enlightening perspective on Mal 3:1-4. Given a two-person argument (which I have made elsewhere and hope to post soon), we may now nuance this view theologically. In Mal 3:1 we have three titles and what appears to be two figures as “the lord” is “the messenger of the covenant.” Given the covenantal context of Exod 23-24, that the Lord of the covenant is speaking and that the book of the covenant is being read in Exod 24:7, the “messenger of the Lord” in Exod 23:20, 23; 32:34 and 33:2 is most likely the “the messenger of the covenant” in Mal 3:1. If we follow Kline’s reading of these Exodus passages, Malachi’s “the messenger of the covenant” is then Jesus Christ, the one whom YHWH’s name is in (Exod 23:21) who is distinct from the Father, yet the same in substance and equal in glory and power. This Trinitarian understanding provides a helpful perspective on the tension between identifying and distinguishing YHWH and various messenger figures throughout Scripture. “The lord” of Mal 3:1 is perichoretically related to “the messenger of the covenant” of the same verse.

Malachi 3:1-4 is a very complex passage. It is not until the interpreter reads in light of the entire canon that the identities of each figure come to the fore. Complexities notwithstanding, the main point of Mal 3:1-4 is very clear: YHWH’s priests and people need to be purified. YHWH then sends the necessary provision for that purification to happen whether he accomplishes it through a mediating figure or whether he purifies his people directly. YHWH’s messenger will come to clear the way before him and eschatological blessing will be ushered in when he returns. The disappointment experienced by the people after their return from exile will not endure. A much greater, eschatological horizon will unfold and the people will experience greater blessings than had been known throughout Israel’s history. Soli Deo gloria

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1. David M. Miller, “The Messenger, the Lord, and the Coming Judgement in the Reception History of Malachi 3,” New Testament Studies 53, no. 1 (2007): 2.

2. Verhoef suggests a “pyramid of forerunners” approach to the question of Elijah’s return, the pinnacle of which would be John the Baptist (cf. Gen 22:18 with Gal 3:16; Hos 11:1; with Matt 2:15, etc.). Pieter Verhoef, The Books of Haggai and Malachi (Grand Rapids Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1987), 288.

3. John Proctor, “Fire in God’s House: Influence of Malachi 3 in the NT,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 36, no. 1 (1993): 9-14.

Camden Bucey is the president of Reformed Forum. He graduated with an MDiv in 2011 and is currently a PhD student at Westminster Theological Seminary. Camden is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and a licentiate of the presbytery of Philadelphia. You can follow Camden on Twitter at @camdenbucey. This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 6:30 am and is filed under Prophets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.