selves are injured. Self-humiliation under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet. v. 6), which is difficult even to those who know the object of their sufferings, is altogether impossible from such a stand-point as this, especially when, as was the case here, the justice of the cause is still further strengthened by the delusion, that the individual has actually claims upon God. Moreover, it is very obvious here, that the persons to whom Malachi refers, are different from the open blasphemers, so frequently mentioned by the earlier prophets. See, for example, Is. v. 19, "that say, let him make speed, and hasten his work that we may see, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it;" and Jer. xvii. 15, "behold, they say unto me, where is the word of the Lord? let it come now." The latter deny the existence of God, or at all events, his omnipotence, and therefore ridicule and scoff. The former fully acknowledge his omnipotence, and for that very reason think that they have ground for denying his righteousness. For if nothing outward could restrain him, and they had acted with perfect uprightness in relation to him, they might very well be perplexed as to this perfect righteousness. They murmur. The nature of their disappointed expectations we learn still more distinctly from the following verse, where they are described as longing for the angel of the covenant. They had hoped that as he formerly led their fathers out of Egypt and punished the Egyptians, he would also come immediately after their return from captivity to judge all the heathen and pour out his blessing upon Israel. And he delighteth in them.

הוא

and

Yen, a verbal adjective, as both in chap. iii. 1 plainly show. The expression appears to refer back to chap. i. 10. The Lord there says to them, "I have no pleasure in you." "It is true," they reply, "thou hast no pleasure in us, who are righteous, but thou hast pleasure in the evil doers."

"Or where is the God of justice?" This is equivalent to, "or if this is not the case, if God has no pleasure in the ungodly, point out to me the facts, in which the righteous God manifests himself." Are not the prosperity of the heathen and the misery of Israel directly opposed to any such manifestation? i, or, shows that one of these two things must necessarily be true, either that God takes pleasure in wickedness, or that his

righteousness is capable of being demonstrated. But since the latter is not the case, the former must necessarily be so. The dilemma is perfectly correct. There is no other alternative. A righteous God, who does not display his righteousness in any way in this life, but merely gives letters of credit which are to be honoured in the life to come, is an absurdity; at any rate he is not the God of the Scriptures, who will not be, in the life to come, anything which he has not already been in this present life. It is impossible to declare ourselves too decidedly in opposition to such a view as this, which can only result from the want of inward life, namely that for us God will first begin to exist in the world to come. Retribution in the future is a delusion, if it does not rest upon retribution in the present. The error in the case of these murmurers consisted in the fact that they confidently took for granted that the only possible reply to the question, "where is the God of justice ?" was "nowhere." The answer was simple enough: "if he is not to be found elsewhere, he manifests himself in your present distress, which corresponds so completely to your moral condition; and if this is not sufficiently obvious to your minds, he will manifest himself in future in the midst of you in such a manner, that you will cease to enquire, where is the God of justice ?"" Venema maintains that the article in pin is a proof that allusion is made to some particular and well known judgment, which God had promised to his people. But the article may very well be used generically, and this is confirmed by the earlier passage on which this rests, "The Lord is a God of judgment, blessed are all they that wait for him" (Is. xxx. 18), in which the article is wanting.

Chap. iii. 1. "Behold I send my messenger, and he prepareth the way before me, and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold he cometh, saith Jehovah Sabaoth."

.

as

The allusion to the prophecy in Isaiah (chap. xl.) is unmistakeable here. It is especially apparent in 177 ma compared with in Isaiah, the resemblance being with? 177 1 carried out even to the omission of the article from

which

was regarded,

in a certain sense, as a single word (road-making). Our attention being attracted by this similarity in the expression, we soon discover that the same similarity runs through the contents of the entire verse. In Malachi the messenger of the Lord prepares the way before him; in Isaiah the servants of the Lord are called upon to prepare the way. The meaning is the same in both. For it is self-evident that it is a moral preparation for the coming of the Lord, which is intended; and this is confirmed by the parallel passage in ver. 24. But, if this be the meaning, by what other method can the messenger of the Lord prepare the way, than by calling upon those to whom he is sent to prepare the way themselves, in other words, by crying loudly and incessantly "repent," ? In Isaiah the preparation of the way is followed by the revelation of the glory of the Lord; in Malachi, by the coming of the Lord to his temple. This agreement cannot be explained by supposing a unintentional reminiscence on the part of the prophet; as we may clearly see from the analogous allusions to Joel in vers. 2 and 23. The following appears to us the correct explanation. The discontent of the Israelites after the captivity was occasioned by the predictions, contained in the second part of the book of Isaiah, more than by any other prophecies. It was here that salvation was depicted in its most glowing colours; and threats were kept in the back-ground. The whole of it is chiefly adapted to afford consolation to the believing portion of the Israelites. In the time of trouble, therefore, it was principally upon these prophecies that the hopes of Israel rested. And when so little occurred to gratify their hopes after the return from captivity, it was chiefly upon these prophecies, that the charges brought against the covenant-faithfulness and righteousness of God were founded. Now the unfounded character of such charges as these could not be demonstrated in any better way, nor could the guilt be transferred from the accused to the accusers, to whom it properly belonged, in any surer manner, than by proving that they were not the people, to whom God had made such glorious promises by the mouth of his prophet. And the words of Is. xl. 3, 4 were peculiarly adapted to afford the evidence required. If the revelation of the glory of the Lord is preceded by the preparation of the way, the nation, in its present condition, is not ready for

the kingdom of God; and therefore, instead of murmuring because the appearance of God is delayed, it ought rather to thank him for first of all affording the means of repentance; and that which the nation without exception regarded as an object of desire, ought to be anticipated by the greater part as an object of dread. The words of the prophet, therefore, are equivalent to this, 'ye, who complain in your considerate zeal, that the Lord has not fulfilled his promises, should rather consider, that according to his own declarations, mercy on his part must be preceded by repentance on yours. For this he now furnishes the means, and will continue to furnish them. He will then suddenly appear and make himself known as the God of justice, not merely by the blessings which he will bestow upon the godly, but also by the punishments which he will inflict upon you, the wicked members of the covenant-nation.

(my messen

The next question that arises is, who is ger). The Jewish commentators are very vacillating (compare the collection of the expositions, which has been made by Frischmuth, de angelo foederis, Jena 1660). Abenezra supposes the Messias Ben Joseph to be intended. Kimchi observes: "an

angel from heaven is meant, just as he says in Ex. xxiii. 20, "behold I send an angel before thy face." Jarchi conjectures that the angel of death is referred to, who is to be sent to destroy the wicked. Abarbanel explains the word as referring to the prophet himself. The earlier Christian expositors were unanimously of opinion that the "messenger of the Lord" was John the Baptist. Among modern commentators, many, like Eichhorn, suppose either the whole body of prophets to be intended, or some one prophet, though it is uncertain which; Hitzig and Maurer, again, explain it as indicating the actual return of the prophet Elias.

We must first of all prove, in opposition to Kimchi and Jarchi, that it is not a heavenly, but an earthly messenger, who is referred to here. This is very evident-(1) from Isaiah. We have already seen that the voice, which there exhorts to prepare the way, proceeds from the covenant-nation itself.-(2). From the parallel passage, chap. iv. 5. The same person, who is called in the one the messenger of the Lord, is spoken of in the other as Elias the prophet; and the preparation of a way in ver. 5,

corresponds to the restoration of the spirit of the fathers, in chap. iv. 6.-(3). From the evident antithesis between "my messenger," and "messenger of the covenant." If a heavenly messenger were intended, this could only be the "Angel of the Lord," for he is called my angel, not an angel. But the person called "my messenger" must necessarily be a different individual from the angel of the Lord, who comes to his temple after him.-At the same time we must not shut our eyes to the fact, that there is some truth at the foundation of Kimchi's explanation. The allusion to Ex. xxiii. 20 is unmistakeable, and cannot be merely accidental, especially when we consider that it is a journey through the desert which is spoken of here, as well as there, and the preparation of a way through the midst of the desert. It serves to direct attention to the essential unity of the two events, notwithstanding the difference in the persons employed. Both the mission of the heavenly and that of the earthly messenger are manifestations of the same covenant fidelity on the part of God, and of the same mercy to the chosen race, and therefore as God formerly sent his messenger to conduct the people through the literal desert, so now he will also send his messenger to prepare the way through the spiritual desert. The truth which lies at the foundation of both is this, God not only bestows the blessing itself, but also provides the means of obtaining possession. At the same time, the allusion to the analogous conduct on the part of God on the former occasion also serves to direct attention to the responsibility, which would be consequent upon the abuse of his mercy on this occasion also. The declaration, which immediately follows the announcement in Ex. xxiii. 21, "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression," was also applicable to the present circumstances, and this application is made in the next verse, and also in chap. iii. 6. The mission of a divine messenger is never without effect, it is always attended by blessings, or else by the severest punishment.

If we may regard it as established, that the messenger of God, referred to here, is an earthly one, our next duty will be to examine the correctness of the most widely adopted opinion, viz., that John the Baptist is the messenger intended. But our enquiry will have respect simply to the form, which this expla