Verse by Verse Men Bible Study | Malachi 3:1 | The Book of Malachi

Malachi 3:1
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”
BACKGROUND
”The ‘Messiah’ comes from the Hebrew word _mashiach_, which means the ‘anointed one’ or ‘chosen one.’ In Old Testament Israel, people were anointed with oil to consecrate themselves to God for a specific role. This practice began early. Aaron was anointed to be the first high priest of Israel in Leviticus 8:12. Saul and then David, the first kings of Israel, were anointed by Samuel in 1 Samuel 10:1 and 1 Samuel 16:10. Prophets were also anointed; God instructed the prophet, Elijah, to anoint Elisha as his successor in 1 Kings 19:16.
The Messiah, then, would be someone set apart for God, chosen for a specific purpose. The idea of the Messiah grew throughout the course of the Old Testament as prophets gave more messages from God. Many of the prophecies don’t specifically use the word ‘Messiah,’ though they came to be understood as references to this future deliverer. The prophecies stretch back to the very beginning. In Genesis 3:15, while speaking to the serpent who deceived Adam and Eve, God declares, ‘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.’ It is understood that the person who will crush the serpent’s, or Satan’s, head is the Messiah.
Another early passage that was believed to refer to a Messiah is Deuteronomy 18:15-19. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses tells the Israelites, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.’ Isaiah 52:13-Isaiah 53:12 is one of the most famous messianic passages. In it, a coming savior who will deliver Israel through suffering is prophesied. Daniel 9:25-27 also speaks of an ‘Anointed One’ who is to come.”
From Christianity.com
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There are numerous passages throughout the Old Testament which describes the coming Messiah (“Christ” in the Greek), including many in Malachi. Today, we begin studying some of these Messianic passages.
CONTEXT
In vs 3:1. Malachi provides an answer to the question asked in 2:17- “Where is the God of justice?” However, just as in Habakkuk, the answer was not what they expected. God begins to tell them that the coming Messiah they have been long expecting will suddenly come. In these verses we will see clear prophetic statements about how God is just, and His justice will be seen in the preparation of His path by His messenger (3:1a), His coming (3:1b-2), His refining work (3:3-4), His judgment (3:5), and His ultimate patience (3:6).
THE MESSENGER WHO PREPARES THE WAY
”Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.”
This is the second and third times, that the LORD uses the word “Behold” (_hinneh_). Five times in Malachi (Mal 2:3, 3:1; 4:1, 5), God uses this word, to say: Listen up! Pay attention! I the LORD am about to tell you something of great importance. Actually, “behold” is used twice in this verse, first to tell them to look out for the Messiah's messenger and then to warn them of the coming Messiah Himself.
In this massage note the words - “I”, my” and “me.” This is God speaking. Therefore, God is sending God’s messenger to prepare the way for God.
“I will send my messenger”
It is clear in Scripture that we can identify “my messenger” as John the Baptist. In fact Malachi 3:1 is quoted in Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, and Luke 1:76, referring to John’s work of preparing the way of the Lord. “This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’”
“he will prepare the way for me”
The imagery God is using would have been well known to the people of the day. When a king, ruler or someone of importance was planning to travel to a place, the royal court would send a messenger to the region to inform them to make appropriate arrangements for the visit. That would include “preparing the way” and removing any obstacles that would hinder the visit. Of course, this is true today as well, especially for Presidents, the Pope and other important dignitaries. For the Messiah, John the Baptist was that messenger. And his message was simple: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt 3:1.
Please look into the first comment to read the rest of the Bible study.