The Messenger

I've been reading through the book of Malachi over the past few weeks and loved yesterday's passage.  Thought I'd share.

Malachi 3:1-2
Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way for me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.

Wow. These verses blow me away. I wasn’t expecting to find them here – in the gospels, yes. In Isaiah, yes. But not here. How foolish I am; what part of the Bible does not point to Jesus? None of it! All of the word of God is to reflect the Christ!

The priests, the ones that were chosen by the Lord – set apart to be the most holy and honored – were not honoring the Lord. They were questioning Him, degrading Him. And yet God has a plan so much bigger then them. He has Jesus. In His infinite wisdom, the father has planned for His son to save us. The veil would be torn with the cross, and the priests would no longer be needed to purify the people. Jesus was greater – the greatest.

Again, I find myself acting so much like the priests. I am the control freak that thinks she can fix everything and do things right enough. Yet God turns my ways on my head and reminds me that without Him, I am nothing. I need Jesus and that my life belongs to Him. He alone can save me and give me hope and a future. The foreshadowing of Jesus is beautiful in this passage. Jesus prepares the way for the Lord, God, the Father. He tells the priests that Jesus is coming. And again, I am reassured that Jesus is coming again!

Who can stand? Who is righteous in the eyes of a man that is like the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s soap. The refiner’s fire burns away all impurities, making the metal precious and pure. The fuller’s soap was an ancient process that was used to clean woolen cloth before it was made into garments, again, it cleaned and purified. So Jesus is the refiner and the cleaner – the one that is able to fully cleanse and purify. Only through the cross! I am reminded of my favorite passage in Isaiah 6 with Isaiah standing before the throne and knowing he is unworthy. As am I. I am only worthy to be with the Lord because of the death Jesus died on the cross for me.