the Fourth Week after Easter
Click here to learn more!
Read the Bible
THE MESSAGE
Malachi 3:18
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- BridgewayEncyclopedias:
- CondensedDevotionals:
- EveryParallel Translations
So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Then shall yee returne and discerne betweene the righteous and the wicked, betweene him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
You will again see the difference between good and evil people, between those who serve God and those who don't.
Then you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him.
Then shall you returne, and discerne betweene the righteous and wicked, betweene him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.
So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.
Then once again you will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the person who serves God and one that doesn't serve him. For the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the proud and evildoers will be stubble; the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says Adonai -Tzva'ot, "and leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will break out leaping, like calves released from the stall. You will trample the wicked, they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I take action," says Adonai -Tzva'ot. "Remember the Torah of Moshe my servant, which I enjoined on him at Horev, laws and rulings for all Isra'el. Look, I will send to you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible Day of Adonai . He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers; otherwise I will come and strike the land with complete destruction." [Look, I will send to you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible Day of Adonai .]
And ye shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
You people will come back to me, and you will learn the difference between good and evil. You will learn the difference between someone who follows God and someone who does not.
Then shall you return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who served God and those who served him not.
Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not."
You will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.
Then you shall again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Then you will again see how the upright man is different from the sinner, and the servant of God from him who is not.
Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn't serve him.
Then shall ye again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.
Then shall ye returne, and discerne betweene the iust and the wicked, betweene him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, and between him that serves God, and him that serves him not.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn't serve him.
And ye schulen be conuertid, and ye schulen se, what is bitwixe the iust man and vnpitouse, bitwixe `the seruynge to the Lord and `not seruynge to hym.
Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that does not serve him.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.
Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.
Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Then you will again see the difference between those who are right and good, and those who are sinful. You will see the difference between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
So shall ye return, and see the difference, between the righteous and the lawless, - between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.
And you shall return, and shall see the difference between the just and the wicked: and between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.
Then once more you shall distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
And ye have turned back and considered, Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the servant of God and him who is not His servant.
Turne you therfore, and considre what difference is betwixte the rightuous and vngodly: betwixte him that serueth God, ad him that serueth him not.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
shall: Malachi 3:14, Malachi 3:15, Malachi 1:4, Job 6:29, Job 17:10, Jeremiah 12:15, Joel 2:14, Zechariah 1:6
discern: Genesis 18:25, Psalms 58:10, Psalms 58:11, Isaiah 3:10, Isaiah 3:11, Daniel 12:1-3, Matthew 25:46, Romans 2:5, Romans 2:6, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
between him: Joshua 24:15, Daniel 3:17-26, John 12:26, Acts 16:17, Acts 27:23, Romans 1:9, Romans 6:16-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:9
Reciprocal: Genesis 7:23 - and Noah Exodus 8:22 - sever Exodus 9:4 - General Exodus 10:23 - but all Exodus 11:7 - a difference Leviticus 11:47 - General Numbers 16:5 - the Lord Deuteronomy 25:1 - General Deuteronomy 29:21 - separate Joshua 22:22 - Israel Job 10:15 - If I be wicked Job 21:19 - he shall Psalms 1:5 - sinners Psalms 6:10 - return Psalms 26:9 - Gather not Psalms 37:6 - light Psalms 94:15 - But Ecclesiastes 2:13 - I saw Ecclesiastes 4:1 - I returned Ecclesiastes 8:13 - it shall Ecclesiastes 9:2 - feareth Ecclesiastes 9:11 - returned Isaiah 25:8 - off Isaiah 32:5 - vile Isaiah 65:13 - my servants shall eat Isaiah 66:14 - the hand Ezekiel 18:30 - every Daniel 2:18 - of the God of heaven Hosea 2:9 - will I Micah 7:9 - he will Malachi 4:1 - and all the Matthew 7:22 - to me Matthew 13:30 - both Matthew 25:32 - he shall separate Luke 16:26 - between Romans 8:19 - the manifestation 1 Corinthians 4:5 - who Revelation 7:3 - the servants Revelation 11:12 - and their
Cross-References
God told the serpent: "Because you've done this, you're cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I'm declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He'll wound your head, you'll wound his heel."
Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed.
So don't return us to mud, saying, "Back to where you came from!" Patience! You've got all the time in the world—whether a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you. Are we no more to you than a wispy dream, no more than a blade of grass That springs up gloriously with the rising sun and is cut down without a second thought? Your anger is far and away too much for us; we're at the end of our rope. You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed since we were children is entered in your books. All we can remember is that frown on your face. Is that all we're ever going to get? We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it? Trouble. Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard. Who can make sense of such rage, such anger against the very ones who fear you?
The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick; if you know what's good for you, stay clear of it.
But that's not the end of it. This country that used to be covered with fine vineyards—thousands of them, worth millions!—will revert to a weed patch. Weeds and thornbushes everywhere! Good for nothing except, perhaps, hunting rabbits. Cattle and sheep will forage as best they can in the fields of weeds—but there won't be a trace of all those fertile and well-tended gardens and fields.
Here's another Message from God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Plow your unplowed fields, but then don't plant weeds in the soil! Yes, circumcise your lives for God's sake. Plow your unplowed hearts, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem. Prevent fire—the fire of my anger— for once it starts it can't be put out. Your wicked ways are fuel for the fire.
A Harvest Story At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories. "What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?" The disciples came up and asked, "Why do you tell stories?" He replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it. I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing. The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won't have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won't have to look, so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them. "But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance. "Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. "The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. "The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. "The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams." He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too. "The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?' "He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.' "The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?' "He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'" Another story. "God's kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it." Another story. "God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises." All Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon. His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy: I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open things hidden since the world's first day. Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. "The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. "Are you listening to this? Really listening? "God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. "Or, God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it. "Or, God's kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good." Jesus asked, "Are you starting to get a handle on all this?" They answered, "Yes." He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it." When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise, get such ability?" But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?" They got their noses all out of joint. But Jesus said, "A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family." He didn't do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Then shall ye return,.... Either the wicked, who will be "converted" z, as some render the word, and will have a different view of things, and change their minds and language; or they that feared the Lord, who at the time before spoken of will have a new turn of thought, and another and clear discerning of persons and things, and better judge of the dispensations of Providence: some that refer this to the resurrection of the dead, and the last judgment, understand it, as Abarbinel does, of the returning of souls to their bodies, when indeed the difference between persons after described will be very discernible; but it seems to refer to the time of Christ's first coming, and Jerusalem's destruction:
and discern between the righteous and the wicked; the difference between such who are really and truly righteous, who are here meant, even such who believe in Christ, and are justified by his righteousness; and those that are wicked, as all by nature are: though sometimes this character designs the more profane and abandoned, and even professors of religion; the difference between these is not always easily discerned; as for the righteous, they are not known and discerned by the world; and by reason of afflictions, temptations, and sins, they are apt to judge wrong of themselves; and sometimes are so left to fall into sin, that they look like others: and there are wicked men under the appearance of righteous men, as were the Scribes and Pharisees in Christ's time; but by the destruction that came upon them, and the preservation of such as believed in Christ, it was discernible who were wicked, and who were righteous; indeed, at the last day, this difference will be more visible; in the bodies of the righteous, which will be raised glorious, when those of the wicked will not; in their souls, having on the wedding garment, the robe of Christ's righteousness, and perfectly holy; and in their situation, being set at Christ's right hand, and the wicked at his left; and by the characters that will be given of them by the Judge, and the different sentences passed and executed on them:
between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not; that is, between such persons that serve the Lord, and him only, privately and publicly, in righteousness and true holiness, in spirit and in truth, with faith and fervency, with reverence and fear, heartily and willingly, seeking his glory, without any dependence on their services; and those that are ungodly, or only outwardly serve the Lord, for sinister ends, and with selfish views, and according to their own inventions, and the traditions of men, and not the will of God, as the Scribes and Pharisees; between whom, and Christ's sincere disciples and followers, the awful day, described in the next chapter Malachi 4:1, will make a manifest difference.
z ושבתם "et convertemini", Cocceius, Gussetius, so Pagninus, Montanus; "conversi", Drusius, Junius & Tremellius.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Then shall ye return, or turn - , not, “return” in the sense of returning to God, for in that day will be the time of judgment, not of repentance; nor yet, “then shall ye again see;” for this is what they denied; and, if they had ceased to deny it, they would have been converted, not in that day, but before, when God gave them grace to see it. They shall turn, so as to have other convictions than before; but, as Judas. The Day of Judgment will make a great change in earthly judgment. Last shall be first and first last; this world’s sorrow shall end in joy, and worldly joy in sorrow; afflictions shall be seen to be God’s love: Psalms 119:75, “Thou in very faithfulness hast afflicted me;” and the unclouded prosperity of the ungodly to be God’s abandonment of them. The picture of the surprise of the wicked in the Day of Judgment, in the Wisdom of Solomon, is a comment on the prophet (Wisdom 5:1-5), “Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labors; when they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed with the strangeness of his salvation, so far beyond all they looked for: and they, repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit, shall say within themselves, This was he whom we had sometimes in derision and a proverb of reproach: we fools counted his life madness and his end to be without honor: how is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints!”
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Malachi 3:18. Then shall ye return — To your senses, when perhaps too late; and discern-see the difference which God makes, between the righteous and the wicked, which will be most marked and awful.
Between him that serveth God — Your obedience to whom, ye said, would be unprofitable to you.
And him that serveth him not. — Of whom ye said, his disobedience would be no prejudice to him. You will find the former received into the kingdom of glory; and the latter, with yourselves, thrust down into the bitter pains of an eternal death. Reader, ponder these things.
In the great day of the Lord, at least, if not long before, it will be fully discovered who have been the truly wise people; those who took up their cross and followed Christ; or those who satisfied the flesh, with its affections and desires, following a multitude to do evil.
