In verse 15 Malachi goes on to say that in marriage God has made the husband and wife one in order to produce “the seed of God,” that is, godly children.
Jehovah hates divorce; and the one who divorces his wife behaves in violence (v. 16). In the sight of God, divorce is a violent act.
According to verse 17, the priests wearied Jehovah with their words. They wearied Him by saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Jehovah, and He delights in them; or, Where is the God of justice?” Such words were wrongful accusations.
Jehovah’s dealing with the sons of Levi is to refine and purify the priests by His coming as the Messenger of Jehovah (3:1-4).
This prophecy has a threefold fulfillment.
First, this prophecy was fulfilled in the coming of the prophet Malachi, the type of Christ as the coming One.
Second, this prophecy was fulfilled in the first coming of Christ with John the Baptist as His forerunner (Matt. 11:7-13). In His first coming, Christ came as a Messenger and even as the message sent by God to adjust, refine, and purify the priests. In the Gospels the Lord Jesus frequently rebuked the priests.
Third, this prophecy will be fulfilled in the second coming of Christ with Elijah as His forerunner (Isa. 40:3-5, 9-11; Matt. 17:11; Rev. 11:3-4).
Christ will come suddenly as the Angel of the covenant, whom the people of Israel seek and whom the people of Israel desire (Mal. 3:1; Hag. 2:7a).
Christ’s coming suddenly as the Angel of the covenant will be to execute upon Israel the covenant that He enacted through His death (Matt. 26:28). He came in the sense of an Angel to serve God in forming the new testament. When He established His table on the night in which He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus told us that He was enacting the new covenant: “This cup is the new covenant established in My blood” (Luke 22:20). Thus He formed the new testament, in which God is obligated to dispense Himself into our being to be our life, our life law, and our everything as our content. Although the Lord Jesus enacted the new covenant nearly two thousand years ago, generally speaking the Jewish people have not benefitted by it. Instead, the benefit has gone to the Gentiles. However, when Christ comes back, He will come as the Angel of the covenant to execute His covenant over the repentant and believing Jews. At that time they will become beneficiaries of the new covenant.
Christ will come also to refine and purify the sons of Levi, mainly the priests, like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap that they may offer to God the proper sacrifice (Mal. 3:2-4). In the millennium the repentant Jews who are regenerated through the new covenant will be the priests to take care of all the nations. For this they will need much refining and purifying. Therefore, in His second coming Christ will renew, sanctify, and transform Israel to be His refined and purified priests.