Clarke's Bible Commentary - Malachi 3:3
Verse 3. He shall sit as a refiner] Alluding to the case of a refiner of metals, sitting at his fire; increasing it when he sees necessary, and watching the process of his work. The sons of Levi] Those who minister in their stead under the NEW covenant, for the OLD Levitical institutions shall be abolished; yet, under the preaching of our Lord, a great number of the priests became obedient to the faith, Acts vi. 7; and, as to the others that did not believe, this great Refiner threw them as dross into the Roman fire, that consumed both Jerusalem and the temple.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. And he shall sit [as] a refiner, and purifier of silver , etc.] Kimchi interprets this, as he does the latter part of the preceding verse ( Malachi 3:2), of the day, and not of the Lord, which he compares to a judge that sits and separates the guilty from the innocent; (see 1 Corinthians 3:13) but it is to be understood of the Lord himself, and expresses his diligence in sitting and separating good men and principles from bad ones, just as silver is purified and refined from dross. Maimonides understands the passage of the Messiah; for he says, “in the days of the King Messiah, when his kingdom is restored, and all Israel shall be gathered to him, all will have their genealogies set right by his mouth, through the Holy Spirit that rests upon him, as it is said, “he shall sit a refiner and purifier”:” as a refiner sits and observes his metal while it is melting, and waits the proper time to pour it out and separate the dross from it; so Christ is here represented as sitting, while his people are purifying and refining by the various ways and means he makes use of: it denotes the continued care of Christ over them; his eye is upon them, that nothing be lost but their dross and corruption; and his patience in waiting to be gracious to them, and do them good; and his diligent attention to the proper season of doing it; designing by all that he does, not their hurt and damage, but their real good, for he saves them, though it be by fire; and indeed every trial and affliction is for the purifying of their souls, and the brightening of their graces, and increasing their spiritual experience, light, and knowledge. And he shall purify the sons of Levi ; the priests, either literally understood, some of these were converted from their evil principles and practices, and became obedient to the doctrines of the Gospel, ( Acts 6:7) or figuratively, the apostles of Christ and ministers of the Gospel, who were made clean by him; or rather all the people of God, who are made priests as well as kings, and are a royal priesthood, and are purified by Christ, both by his blood, and the imputation of his righteousness, by which they become without spot and blemish, and as white as snow; and by the Spirit in sanctification, he sprinkling clean water upon them, and purifying their hearts by faith in the blood of Jesus; and also by afflictive dispensations of Providence sanctified unto them. Mention is made of the priests and Levites, because these were so very corrupt in the times of Christ, and as appears from the preceding chapters. And purge them as gold and silver ; are purged in the fire from their dross: this shows of what worth and value, and in what esteem the Lord’s people are to him; he reckons of them as gold and silver, and as his peculiar treasure: and it suggests, that before conversion they are joined unto and mixed with wicked men, comparable to dross; and that they have in them the dross, corruption, and impurity of sin; which is original and natural to them, and inherent in them, and which can only be removed by the grace of God and blood of Christ. That they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness ; themselves, their bodies and souls; the sacrifices of prayer, praise, and alms deeds; to the offering up of which in righteousness, in sincerity and truth, in an upright way, it is necessary that a person should be purified by the blood of Christ, and sanctified by the grace of his Spirit.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - The first words of this chapter seem an answer to the scoffers of thos days. Here is a prophecy of the appearing of John the Baptist. He is Christ's harbinger. He shall prepare the way before him, by calling me to repentance. The Messiah had been long called, "He that should come, and now shortly he will come. He is the Messenger of the covenant Those who seek Jesus, shall find pleasure in him, often when not looke for. The Lord Jesus, prepares the sinner's heart to be his temple, by the ministry of his word and the convictions of his Spirit, and he enters it as the Messenger of peace and consolation. No hypocrite of formalist can endure his doctrine, or stand before his tribunal. Chris came to distinguish men, to separate between the precious and the vile He shall sit as a Refiner. Christ, by his gospel, shall purify an reform his church, and by his Spirit working with it, shall regenerat and cleanse souls. He will take away the dross found in them. He wil separate their corruptions, which render their faculties worthless an useless. The believer needs not fear the fiery trial of afflictions an temptations, by which the Saviour refines his gold. He will take car it is not more intense or longer than is needful for his good; and thi trial will end far otherwise than that of the wicked. Christ will, by interceding for them, make them accepted. Where no fear of God is, n good is to be expected. Evil pursues sinners. God is unchangeable. An though the sentence against evil works be not executed speedily, yet it will be executed; the Lord is as much an enemy to sin as ever. We ma all apply this to ourselves. Because we have to do with a God tha changes not, therefore it is that we are not consumed; because his compassions fail not.
Original Hebrew
וישׁב 3427 מצרף 6884 ומטהר 2891 כסף 3701 וטהר 2891 את 853 בני 1121 לוי 3878 וזקק 2212 אתם 853 כזהב 2091 וככסף 3701 והיו 1961 ליהוה 3068 מגישׁי 5066 מנחה 4503 בצדקה׃ 6666
