Malachi-Chap-3
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Tanakh versions:
Throughout this
site I may use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication
Society” (JPS-1917), 2. Mechon-Mamre.org”
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Colour coded
details of the - TaNaKh:
1. Torah =
History & Law, 2. Nevi’im =
The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song
of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and
Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ having been corrected like it once was, pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following two truth’s from our
beloved Scriptures!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (the
LORD your Eloleichem) which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2.
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben
Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
“Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey the entire Torah My servant Moshe has given you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Torah depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
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Amazingly, this chapter has in some ten places the title of our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim as ... צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts. Of course as usual, I have returned to our beloved scriptures the beloved and the sacred Names of our אֱלֹהִים as they always should have been. Why do you think our heavenly Father cursed the priests and rabbi’s for that matter. Just read Malachi chapter 2, v 1 to 3 and v 8. Sadly they removed the blessed Name, although we Hebrews had been using it for countless centuries in Prayers, etc.
I am well aware that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, is angry because as He clearly stated in Mal’a’chi - Malachi Ch 2. (JPS-1917), the following.
“If ye will not hearken, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto My Name, saith the LORD of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I curse them, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke the seed for your hurt, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your sacrifices; and ye shall be taken away unto it”.
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Introduction:
Malachi stands as the final book of the Prophets in the Hebrew canon and addresses a post exilic community struggling with their lax worship, priestly failure, and social injustice. This chapter moves from a promise of Divine intervention to concrete demands about ritual and ethical fidelity, framing those demands in the language of covenant law and cultic practice.
Malachi also announces a coming of My
messenger who will purify Israel, calls the people and priests to faithful
practice (especially in tithes), and contrasts the fate of the righteous and
the wicked, its core is covenantal accountability and restoration!
However, there is so much more in the book of Malachi,
thus let us read Malachi Chapter 3: 1 to 24. (JPS-1917
version):
1. “Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me; and יְהוָה - the LORD, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to His Temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he cometh, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts.
2. But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap;
3. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and there shall be they that shall offer unto יְהוָה - the LORD offerings in righteousness.
4. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto יְהוָה - the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
5. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers; and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts.
6. For I the LORD change not; and ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
7. From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts. But ye say: 'Wherein shall we return?'
8. Will a man rob אֱלֹהִים - Elohim? Yet ye rob Me. But ye say: 'Wherein have we robbed Thee?' In tithes and heave-offerings.
9. Ye are cursed with the curse, yet ye rob Me, even this whole nation.
10. Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now herewith, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall be more than sufficiency.
11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your good, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your land; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts.
12. And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts.
13. Your words have been all too strong against Me, saith יְהוָה - the LORD. Yet ye say: 'Wherein have we spoken against thee?'
14. Ye have said: 'It is vain to serve אֱלֹהִים - Elohim; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked mournfully because of צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts?
15. And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they try אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and are delivered.'
16. Then they that feared יְהוָה - the LORD spoke one with another; and יְהוָה - the LORD hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared יְהוָה - the LORD, and that thought upon His Name.
17. And they shall be Mine, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts, in the day that I do make, even Mine own treasure; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18. Then shall ye again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and him that serveth Him not.
19. For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
20. But unto you that fear My Name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.
21. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I do make, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts.
22. Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances.
23. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of יְהוָה - the LORD.
24. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction”.
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Let us now look what the chapter actually says:
The messenger and purification (verses 1-6).
The chapter opens with a promise that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim will send a messenger who prepares the way and that יְהוָה - the LORD will come to the Temple; this arrival is described as both sudden and purifying. The imagery of a refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap conveys moral and cultic purification: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim will test and cleanse the community and the priesthood so that offerings will again be acceptable
Covenant obligations and tithes (verses 7-12).
Malachi confronts the people for turning from covenantal practice and challenges them to return. “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts”.
A central practical demand is faithful giving, bringing tithes and offerings framed not merely as charity but as covenantal duty that affects communal blessing. The text promises restoration and protection for obedience and warns of judgment for continued breach
The righteous and the wicked (verses 13-24).
The latter section contrasts those who speak ill of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and prosper with those who fear אֱלֹהִים and are remembered. The book records a divine register of the righteous and promises vindication and a final reckoning for the wicked, reinforcing the theme that covenant fidelity will be rewarded and unfaithfulness judged.
Key themes to emphasize:
Covenantal accountability: There needs to be obligations to אֱלֹהִים (ritual, ethical, financial) are tied to communal wellbeing.
Purification and restoration: Divine action aims to restore proper worship and priestly integrity.
A practical faith: there needs to be concrete acts (tithes, right offerings) are presented as evidence of true return to the covenant!
In conclusion:
Malachi 3 is a compact, forceful call to renew covenantal life: it promises Divine intervention that will both purify and judge, and it anchors hope in concrete obedience, especially in the Temple and in faithful giving. Read on its own terms within the Tanakh, the chapter functions as both warning as well as an assurance, thus the call is to restore what the covenant requires, and the community will be restored!
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PLEASE NOTE: This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following, via several of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. MEC).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי
יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your
Eloheichem; walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do
them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that
ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem”. Yechezkel - Ezekiel
20:19-20. (JPS).
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“Hebraic Studies” motto is as
follows;
“The More Torah, the
More Life”
For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,
He
is the one who gave us our Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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