What does Malachi say the Lord will do when he comes to the temple?

Malachi describes the Lord’s coming as a refining and purifying work, like a refiner’s fire and fullers’ soap Malachi 3:2. He will purify the sons of Levi so offerings may be presented in righteousness Malachi 3:3. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing as in former days Malachi 3:4.

Passage context

In Malachi 3:1–4 Yahweh announces that he is sending a “messenger” ahead to clear the way for his own arrival. The Lord the people claim to be looking for will come suddenly to the temple, but his arrival will be searching and hard to endure. These verses answer the complaint just before them that God seems absent from justice and that evildoers appear to prosper (Mal.2.17).

Why it matters

Malachi 3:1–4 answers the complaint that God seems absent from justice (see Malachi 2:17). The passage’s explicit claim is that Yahweh will act: he will send “my messenger” to prepare the way, and “the Lord” the people say they seek will come “suddenly” to “his temple.” The arrival is not presented as comforting by default.

Read carefully

A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.

Keep reading

Start with Malachi 3:2, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.