Verse by Verse Men Bible Study | Malachi 3:2 | The Book of Malachi

*THE REFINER’S FIRE*
Malachi 3:2
“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.”

*BACKGROUND*
The phrase “day of the Lord” is a common throughout Scripture. It usually refers to events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25). However, if you study the “day of the Lord” we discover that it sometimes indicates times when the Lord executes His righteous wrath.

In the Old Testament, the day of the Lord often convey a sense of imminence, nearness, and expectation: “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!” (Isa 13:6); “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near” (Ezek 30:3); “Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1); “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14); “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zeph 1:7). This is because the Old Testament passages referring to the day of the Lord often speak of both a near and a far fulfillment, as does much of Old Testament prophecy. Some Old Testament passages describe the day of the Lord as historical judgments that have already been fulfilled. (Isa 13:6-22; Ezek 30:2-19; Joel 1:15, 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph 1:14-18), while others refer to divine judgments that will take place toward the end of the age (Joel 2:30-32; Zech 14:1; Mal 4:1, 5).

In the New Testament, “Day of the Lord” usually refers to God’s final judgement. (Acts 2:20; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thes 5:2; 2 Thes 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10) and is alluded to in Rev 6:17; 16:14.

Besides being a time of judgment, it can also refer to a time of salvation as God delivers the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), forgiving their sins and restoring His chosen people to the land He promised to Abraham (Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 30:19-31, 40; Micah 4; Zechariah 13). The ultimate or final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history when God, with wondrous power, will punish evil, fulfill all His promises, and save those who are looking for His judgement.

*THE DAY OF HIS COMING*
_”But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?”_

Malachi’s sarcastic audience, who professed to “delight” in the coming of the Lord, will not enjoy it at its coming. To them the day would be a nightmare rather than a day of restored prosperity. “But who can endure the day of His coming?” Amos 5:18-20 tells it like this: “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?”

Malachi asks, “who can endure” it and “who can stand when it appears?” In Malachi 4:5, he tell us it will be a “great and dreadful day.” Who, then, could stand in that day? Only those who stood with the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13) and who had “clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:3–4). It is no small thing to long for the Day of the Lord.

*REFINERS FIRE*
_” For he is like a refiner's fire”_

When precious metals such as gold and silver come out of the ground, they are full of impurities. In ancient times, refiners were craftsman who sat next to a hot fire with molten gold or silver in a crucible being stirring and skimming the top to remove the impurities or dross that rose to the top of the molten metal. With flames reaching temperatures more than 1000 degrees Celsius, this job was a dangerous occupation. I am told that a refiner of silver, will know when his refining is complete as “there is a dramatic moment when [the refiner] knows that all dross has gone from [the silver]. Peering over it, the silver suddenly becomes a liquid mirror in which the image of the refiner is reflected. Then he knows that his task is done.”

In Scripture the image of refining precious metal is often used as a metaphor of God purifying His people, to remove impurities. It is never an easy or comfortable process, but the result is pure gold. The prophet Zechariah describes a time of refining for Israel, which many commentators believe happens during the Great Tribulation in Revelation: “’In the whole land,’ declares the Lord, ‘two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” Zech 13:8-9

[MenBibleStudy]

Malachi 3:2
“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.”

*BACKGROUND*
The phrase “day of the Lord” is a common throughout Scripture. It usually refers to events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25). However, if you study the “day of the Lord” we discover that it sometimes indicates times when the Lord executes His righteous wrath.

In the Old Testament, the day of the Lord often convey a sense of imminence, nearness, and expectation: “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!” (Isa 13:6); “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near” (Ezek 30:3); “Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1); “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14); “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zeph 1:7). This is because the Old Testament passages referring to the day of the Lord often speak of both a near and a far fulfillment, as does much of Old Testament prophecy. Some Old Testament passages describe the day of the Lord as historical judgments that have already been fulfilled. (Isa 13:6-22; Ezek 30:2-19; Joel 1:15, 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph 1:14-18), while others refer to divine judgments that will take place toward the end of the age (Joel 2:30-32; Zech 14:1; Mal 4:1, 5).

In the New Testament, “Day of the Lord” usually refers to God’s final judgement. (Acts 2:20; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thes 5:2; 2 Thes 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10) and is alluded to in Rev 6:17; 16:14.

Besides being a time of judgment, it can also refer to a time of salvation as God delivers the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), forgiving their sins and restoring His chosen people to the land He promised to Abraham (Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 30:19-31, 40; Micah 4; Zechariah 13). The ultimate or final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history when God, with wondrous power, will punish evil, fulfill all His promises, and save those who are looking for His judgement.

*THE DAY OF HIS COMING*
_”But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?”_

Malachi’s sarcastic audience, who professed to “delight” in the coming of the Lord, will not enjoy it at its coming. To them the day would be a nightmare rather than a day of restored prosperity. “But who can endure the day of His coming?” Amos 5:18-20 tells it like this: “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?”

Malachi asks, “who can endure” it and “who can stand when it appears?” In Malachi 4:5, he tell us it will be a “great and dreadful day.” Who, then, could stand in that day? Only those who stood with the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13) and who had “clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:3–4). It is no small thing to long for the Day of the Lord.

*REFINERS FIRE*
_” For he is like a refiner's fire”_

When precious metals such as gold and silver come out of the ground, they are full of impurities. In ancient times, refiners were craftsman who sat next to a hot fire with molten gold or silver in a crucible being stirring and skimming the top to remove the impurities or dross that rose to the top of the molten metal. With flames reaching temperatures more than 1000 degrees Celsius, this job was a dangerous occupation. I am told that a refiner of silver, will know when his refining is complete as “there is a dramatic moment when [the refiner] knows that all dross has gone from [the silver]. Peering over it, the silver suddenly becomes a liquid mirror in which the image of the refiner is reflected. Then he knows that his task is done.”

In Scripture the image of refining precious metal is often used as a metaphor of God purifying His people, to remove impurities. It is never an easy or comfortable process, but the result is pure gold. The prophet Zechariah describes a time of refining for Israel, which many commentators believe happens during the Great Tribulation in Revelation: “’In the whole land, ’ declares the Lord, ‘two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people, ’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” Zech 13:8-9

*FULLERS SOAP*
_” and like fullers' soap.”_

According to Nelsons Dictionary of the Bible, a fuller is “one who cleans, shrinks, thickens and sometimes dyes new cloth. The Hebrew word rendered as a fuller means ‘to trample’ or ‘to tread’, suggesting that action was a major part of the craft.” The fuller used “alkaline substances such a as white clay, putrid urine or niter” to clean the cloth, which is fuller's’ soap. The alkaline (or bleach) was stomped in the cloth to clean it, then it was rinsed out by trampling on it over and over in running or clean water. Afterwards, the cloth was dried by the sun. I remember seeing this firsthand in Varanasi, India. The launderers were beating and trampling the cloth in cement cisterns. Then. the white cloth was laid out on huge cement areas on the banks of the Ganges River to dry in the sun.

Like a refiner’s fire was used to purify the metal, so fullers’ soap was used to clean (or purify) the cloth. The image of fuller’s soap is only used one other time in the Old Testament as it portrays that the people cannot wash themselves enough to remove the stain of their sin: “Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord God.” Jer 2:22.

Malachi is using a second illustration to indicate how the Messiah will cleanse us from our sin. Both refining metal and cleaning cloth is a harsh and painful process. There are other such metaphors used in the Bible representing God’s painful process of purifying his people. Pruning vines and threshing wheat come to mind. One interesting note, on the mount of Transfiguration, Mark 9:3 tells us Christ’s garments were whiter than any “launderer on earth can whiten them.”

*APPLICATION*
In 1 Cor 3:10-13 we read “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

Take some time today and meditate on this passage. How is the quality of your additions to the building?