3 Nephi 24
3 Nephi 24:1–4
1 And it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying: Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap.
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Comments
The book of Malachi was written after the Lehites left Jerusalem. Therefore, they did not have those scriptures. Nevertheless, Jesus wanted them to have certain parts of what Malachi wrote because it fit in with the teachings he was presenting. Therefore, “it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell them.” Jesus dictated two chapters from Malachi. Our chapter 24 (save for the introduction) corresponds to Malachi 3.
The “Lord whom ye seek” is Yahweh, and he will “suddenly come to his temple.” The temple is the dwelling of Yahweh, so it is understandable that Yahweh would come. This prophecy of the coming of Yahweh is still in the future, as we will see as the text progresses. Therefore, we should understand who the messenger might be. The simplest explanation is that it is a generic category of all the prophets who prepare God’s people for his millennial arrival. Were there to be a single person, it would have been the mortal Messiah who came to prepare for the ultimate arrival of Yahweh on earth. Although we understand that they are the same person, there is a difference between the mortal Jesus and the resurrected Jesus.
The next 3 verses clearly show that we are dealing with a description of the end of times. At that time, Yahweh will come as a refiner’s fire. A refiner’s fire does not destroy, it purifies. Hence Yahweh will be “as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi.”
There will be a restitution of the pure way to worship God and live his commandments.
3 Nephi 24:5–6
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord of Hosts.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Comments
When Yahweh comes to establish his Kingdom on earth, he will come as a judge against all those who could not live his commandments. However, even though he will come as a judge to purge the wicked in a refiner’s fire, the “sons of Jacob are not consumed.” With the sons of Jacob, Yahweh has a covenant, and that covenant remains.
The Wicked Rob God (cf. Malachi 3:7–12)
3 Nephi 24:7–9
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say: Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Comments
The power of the covenant assures that Yahweh will accept a repentant Israel. There are some, however, who may assume that since they are of the house of Israel by birth, or perhaps even by baptism, that that connection will assure them salvation. That is what is meant when the sons of Jacob ask, “Wherein shall we return?” In other words, how can we return if we are already part of the covenant?
Yahweh declares that even those under the covenant can rob God of his just dues, and the obedience required as the human part of the covenant. Again, the sons of Jacob might wonder if it was possible that they had robbed God.
Yahweh answers that the whole nation had robbed him, and therefore is under condemnation. The specifics come in the next verses.
3 Nephi 24:10–12
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the Lord of Hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Comments
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are familiar with verse 10, and we often quote it in support of the way we offer tithing. In the ancient world, it would be much more like tithing in kind, for they did not have a monetary economy.
Nevertheless, in the context more original to Malachi (and applicable to those in Bountiful), the tithes and offerings were manifestations of faithfulness to the covenants. The ancient tithes supported the priests in the temple. The offerings were the sacrifices to be offered on behalf of the community. It both cases, bringing tithes and offerings were part of faithfully adhering to the human part of the covenant between Yahweh and Israel.
How are the windows of heaven opened with tithes and offerings? Both were destined for the temple, and thus the meaning beyond the specifics is that the temple (or temples, in the modern world) would be able to operate and become the true house of the Lord. In the temple, communication with God increases, and hence God can bless us.
When we live according to our covenants, we can receive the blessings of heaven.
God Will Remember Who Serves Him (cf. Malachi 3:13–18)
3 Nephi 24:13–15
13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say: What have we spoken against thee?
14 Ye have said: It is vain to serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?
15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
Comments
Verses 14 and 15 are both in the “voice” of those who asked the question from verse 13: “What have we spoken against [God]?
The answer is that those of the house of Israel had begun to exalt secular wisdom as a replacement for God’s wisdom. The future reward God promised was not as tangible as what the world promises, therefore, they would say that “it is vain to serve God.” They would say that it did no good to serve God.
More important is the complaint: “[W]hat doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?” They saw their difficulties and assumed that it meant that God was not watching over them. If God doesn’t make everything better, what good is he?
Yahweh says that this thinking is a reversal of eternal truth. God is watching and caring for us, even though we “call the proud happy.” They also note that “they that tempt God are even delivered.” This is their variant of “God doesn’t seem to punish the wicked.” It is an expectation based on a more myopic vision that God has.
Yahweh is telling Israel (a lesson absolutely applicable to the Nephites) that accepting the measure of the world for success is folly.
3 Nephi 24:16–18
16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18 Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Comments
The contrast to those spoken of in verses 13–15 of this chapter come in these final verses. Where there are some who have departed from God’s way, those who do fear the Lord are not left without support. They are written into the book of remembrance, indicating that Yahweh knows who they are, and they are His. This is explicit in verse 17.
At the end times, all the house of Israel will be judged. The righteous “shall . . . return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”
There is no chapter break at this point in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon.
