Malachi: Messenger of the Covenant

…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.

Malachi 3:1b [KJV]

A covenant is a promise - pure and simple: an agreement between two or more parties to do something, or to not do something.  The marriage vow is a very common covenant in our society today. You and I pledge to love, honor and cherish one another until "death do us part," and we agree to a binding contract of marriage.  Unfortunately, today's divorce rates prove that this promise is one that is easily and carelessly broken.  Actually, society's track record of keeping any kind of promise is abysmal, tainting our ability to truly understand the meaning of an everlasting agreement.                     

A covenant of salvation was given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden:  "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Gen. 3:15).  Ever since, mankind has looked forward to a Redeemer who would reverse the tide of evil. The covenant was repeated to Abraham when he was called by the Lord.  God promised: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" [Gen. 12:3].  It would be through the seed of Abraham that the Savior would come.

When Zacharias’ speech was restored at the birth of his son, John, he proclaimed the soon fulfillment of the covenant.  “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” [Luke 1:68-69].   That promise was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ.  He came to give His life “as a ransom for many,” to satisfy the demands of the law, and open wide the gates of heaven.  The book of Jude proclaims that He is able to present us “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”  Praise His holy name!

Standing on the promises of Christ the King

Through eternal ages let His praises ring,

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God.