Malachi 3:1-3; 4:4-6, The Messenger of the Covenant

You probably know that Handel, in his “Messiah,” set to music important Scripture texts concerning the Gospel.  Here’s a list of the first eight songs:

1.    Overture (instrumental)

2.    Isa. 40:1, Comfort ye

3.    Isa. 40:4: Every valley

4.    Isa. 40:5: The glory of the Lord revealed

5.    Mal. 3:1: The Lord will come suddenly to His temple

6.    Mal. 3:2: Who can endure

7.    Mal. 3:3: He shall purify

8.    Isa. 7:14; The virgin shall conceive

Why do I mention these?  Because Mark 1:2-3 contain the quotes from Mal. 3:1 and Isa. 40:3. Jesus said in v15 that the “time was fulfilled.”  How did He know?  Because He had seen the ministry of John the Baptist.  His ministry was all about “preparing” the way of the Messiah, calling on people to repent and believe.  Let’s consider these prophecies in more detail.

There are two “Messengers” in Malachi.  The first one would “prepare the way” for the second one.  The second one is Deity, the LORD of Hosts.  The LORD says the first messenger prepares the way before “Me.” Also, the second one is called “the Messenger of the covenant.”  This “covenant” is what we know as the “New Covenant.”  God promised this covenant by which He would give His Spirit to those in a covenant relationship with Him (Isa. 59:20-21).  John the Baptist said he baptized with water but the One coming after him would baptize by the Spirit (Mk. 1:8).  Of believers in Christ, Paul says we have all been baptized in one body by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13).  This is Jesus, the Messenger of the Covenant!

Both messengers, John the Baptist and Jesus, are servants of the LORD.  So why, in Acts 18:24-28 and 19:1-7, are people with the message of John lacking something?  The answer is, of course, that in Acts the Messenger of the Covenant has come and completed His work on the cross to bring in the New Covenant.  What John anticipated has been fulfilled.

According to Malachi, John’s ministry would introduce a time of “severity” (3:2-3).  This time started, even before John was beheaded by Herod.  John could see the rejection of Jesus coming and wondered it Jesus really was the Christ or would there be another (Matt. 11:1-6).  As Peter noted, it was hard for any prophet before Jesus’ death and resurrection to understand how such severity could accompany the glorious Messiah of Israel.  Jesus’ answer to John was assuring.  But John would not live to see how it all worked perfectly.  As Jesus said, “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than (John)” (Mt. 11:11).