Calvin's Commentary on Malachi
(... continued from file 3)
Lecture One Hundred and Seventy-second:
I could not yesterday finish the complaint which God
made against the priests - that no one of them closed the
doors of the temple, so that it might continue pure from
all defilements; for as their avarice was insatiable,
they indiscriminately admitted all sorts of profanations:
hence he comes to this conclusion - "Offer not hereafter
in vain;" for by saying, Kindle not my altar, he means
that they spent their toil to no purpose in offering
sacrifices, because God required his worship to be
performed according to the prescription of his law. I
omit now the two other expositions I mentioned yesterday;
for it seems to me that the Prophet meant, that the
priests wearied themselves in vain while daily offering
victims, because the Lord repudiated their service as
impure and vicious.
He now adds, I am not pleased with you,' and an
offering I will not accept from your hand. In the first
clause he says that they were not approved by God, or did
not please him; and then he adds, that their offerings
were rejected; for where there is no pure heart, there we
know all works are impure. For we must remember what
Moses says - that Abel pleased God together with his
sacrifices, (Gen. 4: 4;) and we have seen in another
Prophet, that is Haggai, that what is highly esteemed by
men is an abomination to God, when he is not worshipped
in sincerity and truth, (Hag. 2: 15). Our Prophet now
means the same thing - I am not pleased with you, and I
regard not as acceptable the victims from your hand. It
now follows
11. For from the rising of the sun, even unto the going
down of the same, my name shall be great among the
Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered
unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be
great among the heathen saith the Lord of hosts.
11. Quia (vel, certe) ab ortu solis usque ad occasum
magnum nomen meum inter gentes; et in omni loco suffitus
offertur nomini meo, et oblatio munda; quia (vel, certe,
est eadem particula) magnum nomen meum inter gentes,
dicit Iehova exercituum
Here God shows that he no longer cared for the Jews,
for he would bid altars to be reared for him everywhere
and through all parts of the world, that he might be
purely worshipped by all nations. It is indeed a
remarkable prophecy as to the calling of the Gentiles;
but we must especially remember this, - that whenever the
Prophets speak of this calling, they promise the spread
of God's worship as a favour to the Jews, or as a
punishment and reproach.
The Prophets then promised to the Jews that the
Gentiles would become allied to them; so does Zechariah,
"In that day lay hold shall ten men on the skirt of the
garment, and will say to a Jew, Be thou our leader; for
the same God with thee will we worship." (Zech. 8:23.) It
would have been then the highest honour to the Jews had
they become teachers to all nations, so as to instruct
them in true religion. So also Isaiah says, that is, that
those who were before aliens would become the disciples
of the chosen people, so that they would willingly submit
to their teaching. But as the Jews have fallen from their
place, the Gentiles have succeeded and occupied their
position. Hence it is that the Prophets when speaking of
the calling of the Gentiles, often denounce it as a
punishment on the Jews; as though they had said, that
when they were repudiated there would be other children
of God, whom he would substitute in their place,
according to what Christ threatened to the men of his
age, "Taken away from you shall be the kingdom of God,
and shall be given to another nation." (Matt. 21: 43.)
Such is this prophecy: for our Prophet does not
simply open to the Gentiles the temple of God, to connect
them with the Jews and to unite them in true religion;
but he first excludes the Jews, and shows that the
worship of God would be exercised in common by the
Gentiles, for the doctrine of salvation would be
propagated to the utmost extremities of the earth.
This difference ought to be noticed, which
interpreters have not observed, and yet it is what is
very necessary to be known; and for want of knowing this
has it happened that passages wholly different have been
indiscriminately blended together. The Prophet then does
not here promise, as we have often stated in other
places, that the whole world would be subject to God, so
that true religion would everywhere prevail, but he
brands the Jews with reproach, as though he had said,
"God has repudiated you, but he will find other sons for
himself, who will occupy your place." He had repudiated
in the last verse their sacrifices, and we know how
haughtily the Jews gloried in the holiness of their race.
As then they were inflated with so much pride, they
thought that God would be no God except he had them as
his holy Church. The Prophet here answers them, and
anticipates their objection by saying, that God's name
would be celebrated through the whole world: "Ye are a
few people, all the nations will unite in one body to
worship God together; God then will not stand in need of
you, and after he rejects you his kingdom will not decay.
Ye indeed think that his kingdom cannot be safe, and that
his glory will perish except he is worshipped by you; but
I now declare to you, that the worship of God will
flourish everywhere, even after he shall cast you out of
his family."
We now then see what the Prophet means when he says,
that Great will be the name of God from the rising to the
setting of the sun. It is simply said in Ps. 113:3 "From
the rising to the setting of the sun wonderful shall be
the name of God." There indeed it is only a promise, but
here the Prophet includes the punishment which the Jews
had deserved, as though he had said, that after they were
rejected by God on account of their ingratitude, the
Gentiles would become holy to God, because he would adopt
them instead of that wicked and ungodly people.
But I have said, that the calling of the Gentiles is
here clearly proved, or may with certainty be elicited
from this prophecy, for this reason, because the name of
God cannot be great without the teaching of the truth. It
is therefore the same thing as though the Prophet had
said, that the law which had been given to the Jews would
be proclaimed among all nations, so that true religion
might spread everywhere: for the basis of true religion
is to know how he is to be worshipped by us, inasmuch as
obedience is better than all sacrifices. And it is
necessary always to begin with this principle - to know
the God whom we worship: and hence Christ himself, in the
fourth chapter of John, condemns all the religions which
then prevailed in the world, because men presumptuously
worshipped gods devised by themselves. Since then it is
necessary that the worship of God should be based on the
truth, then God declares that his name would become
renowned in every place, he doubtless shows that his law
would be known to all nations, so that his will might be
known everywhere, which is, as we have said, the only
rule of true religion.
He afterwards adds - Everywhere shall be offered incense
to my name, and a clean offering. Why? Because my name
shall be great. The repetition is not useless; for it was
a thing then incredible, inasmuch as God had not in vain
separated the Jews from the rest of the world; nor was it
an ordinary commendation, when Moses said in the fourth
chapter of Deuteronomy - "Show me a nation to whom God
draws nigh as lie does to you: this then is your nobility
and your excellency, to have a God nigh and friendly to
you." Hence also it is said in Psalm 147: 20 - "He has
not done thus to other nations; his judgments has he not
made known to them." It was then the peculiar privilege
of the race of Abraham that God was known and worshipped
by them. The very novelty, then, of what is here said
might have closed the door against this prophecy; and
this is the reason why the Prophet repeatedly confirms
what it was then difficult to believe - the name of God,
he says, shall be great in every place.
We must also bear in mind that God cannot be rightly
worshipped except he is known, which Paul confirms when
he says - "How shall they call on him in whom they have
not believed?" for except the truth shines forth, we
shall grope like the blind, and wander through devious
ways. There is therefore no religion approved by God
except what is based on his word.
Moreover the Prophet, by, minchah, offering, and by
incense, means the worship of God; and this mode of
speaking is common in the Scriptures, for the Prophets
who were under the law accon modeled their expressions to
the comprehension of the people. Whenever then they
intend to show that the whole world would come to the
faith and true religion - "An altar," they say, "shall be
built to God;" and by altar they no doubt meant spiritual
worship, and not that after Christ's coming sacrifices
ought to be offered. For now there is no altar for us;
and whosoever builds an altar for himself subverts the
cross of Christ, on which he offered the only true and
perpetual sacrifice.
It then follows that this mode of speaking ought to
be so taken, that we may understand the analogy between
the legal rites, and the spiritual manner of worshipping
God now prescribed in the gospel. Though then the words
of the Prophet are metaphorical, yet their meaning is
plain enough - that God will be worshipped and adored
everywhere. But what are the sacrifices of the New
Testament? They are prayers and thanksgivings, according
to what the Apostle says in the last chapter of the
epistle to the Hebrews. There was also under the law the
spiritual worship of God, as it is especially stated in
the fiftieth psalm; but there were then shadows connected
with it, as it is intimated in these words of Christ -
"Now is come the hour when the Father shall be worshipped
in spirit and in truth." (John 4: 13.) He does not indeed
deny that God was worshipped in spirit by the fathers;
but as that worship was concealed under outward rites, he
says that now under the gospel the simple, and, so to
speak, the naked truth is taught. What then the Prophet
says of offering and incense availed under the law; but
we must now see what God commands in his gospel, and how
he would have us to worship him. We do not find there any
incense or sacrifices.
This passage contains nothing else than that the
time would come when the pure and spiritual worship of
God would prevail in all places.
And thus it appears how absurd are the Papists, when
they hence infer that God cannot be worshipped without
some kind of sacrifice; and on this ground they defend
the impiety of their mass, as though it were the
sacrifice of which the Prophet speaks. But nothing can be
more foolish and puerile; for the Prophet, as we have
said, adopts a mode of speaking common in Scripture. And
were we to allow offering and incense to be taken here
literally, how could , minchah, offering, be the body and
blood of Christ? "Oh!" they say, "it is a sacrifice made
of bread, and wine was added. Oh! Christ has thus
commanded." But where has he said " sacrifice?" They
again deny that it is bread? for they say that it is
transubstantiated into the body of Christ: now then it is
not a sacrifice of bread, nor of fine flour; for the form
only, visible to the eyes, and without substance,
remains, as they imagine. There is in the meantime no
reason for us carefully to discuss a subject so clear;
for as we have seen in Joel - "In the last days I will
pour my Spirit on all flesh, and prophesy shall your sons
and your daughters; your old men dreams shall dream, and
your young men visions shall see." (Joel 2: 28.) So also
we find what is similar in this place; for the Apostles,
though not taught by visions, were yet we know
illuminated; and then visions were not given commonly at
the commencement of the gospel, nor dreams; they were
indeed very rare things. What then does Paul mean? For he
speaks of the whole body of the Church, as though he had
said that all, from the least to the greatest, would be
Prophets. Did they become Prophets by visions and dreams,
whom God illuminated by the doctrine of the gospel? By no
means. But Joel, as I have said, accommodated what he
said to the time of the law. So also in this place the
Prophet, by offering and incense, designates the
spiritual worship of God. Let us now proceed-
12. But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of
the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his
meat, is contemptible.
12. Et vow polluistis illud, quum dicitis, Mensa Iehovae
polluta est; et proventus ejus (vel, fructus; alii
vertunt, sermonem) contemptibilis cibus ejus.
This verse may be confined to the priests, or it may
be extended to the whole people; for both views are
appropriate. As to my own view, I doubt not but that the
Prophet here reproves with additional severity the
priests, and that at the same time he extends his reproof
to the people in general. We saw in our yesterday's
lecture how religion had been polluted by the priests,
and how impiously they had profaned the worship of God:
but this was the general sin of the whole people, as we
shall presently see. Let us then know that the whole
people, as well as the priests, are here reproved: but as
a crime in the priests was more grievous, they being the
occasion of sacrilege to others, the Prophet assails them
in an especial manner, Ye, he says, have polluted my
name.
He gives a reason, and at the same time enhances
their guilt: for they might have complained, that God not
only put them on a level with the Gentiles, but also
rejected them, and substituted aliens in their place. He
shows that God had a just cause for disinheriting them,
and for adopting the Gentiles as his children, for they
had polluted God's name. He at the same time amplifies
their sin, when he says, "The Gentiles, by whom I have
been hitherto despised, and to whom my name was not made
known, will soon come to the faith; thus my name shall be
great, it shall be reverently worshipped by all nations;
but ye have polluted it." It was certainly very strange,
that the Jews, peculiarly chosen and illuminated by the
doctrine of the Law, so presumptuously polluted God's
worship, as though they despised him, and that the
Gentiles, being novices, rendered obedience to God as
soon as they tasted of the truth of religion, so that his
glory became through them illustrious.
He afterwards shows how the name of Gog was
polluted, Ye say, The table of Jehovah is polluted; that
is, ye distinguish not between what is sacred and
profane: for he repeats what we noticed yesterday, - that
the Jews thought it a frivolous matter, when the Prophets
taught them that God was to be worshipped with all
reverence. It is not however probable, that they openly
uttered such a blasphemy as that the table of God was
polluted; but it is easy to conclude from what is said,
that God's table was profaned by them, for they made no
account of it. The holiness of the table ought to have
been so regarded by the Jews, as not to approach the
sanctuary without true repentance and faith; they ought
to have known that they had to do with God, and that his
majesty ought to have deeply touched them. When therefore
they came to the temple, and brought with them their
uncleanness like swine, it was quite evident that they
had no reverence for the temple, or the altar, or the
table. According to this sense then are the words of the
Prophet to be understood, - not that the Jews openly
mocked God, but that the holiness of the temple was with
them of no account.
With regard to the Table, we stated yesterday, that
when God ordered sacrifices to be offered to him, it was
the same as though he familiarly dwelt among the Jews,
and became as it were their companion. It was the highest
honour and an instance of God's ineffable goodness, that
he thus condescended, so that the people might know that
he was not to be sought afar off. And for this reason the
less excusable was their impiety, as they did not
consider that sacrifices were celebrated on earth, that
their minds might be raised up above the heavens: for it
is to this purpose that God descends to us, even to raise
us above, as we have elsewhere stated. It was then an
extremely base and shameful senselessness and stupidity
in the Jews, that they did not consider that God's table
was set among them, that they might by faith penetrate
into heaven, and know it to be even before their eyes.
As to the words, Its fruit is his contemptible food,
we must observe, that some render , nib, word, and bring
this passage from Isaiah, "I have created the fruit of
the lips, peace, peace," (Isaiah 57: 19.) The verb , nub,
means to fructify; hence , nib, is fruit or produce. Were
we to grant that it is metaphorically taken for word, yet
I see no reason why we should depart from its simple and
real meaning. For first there will be a relative without
an antecedent, , nibu, his word; and then there will be a
change of number; for they apply it to the priests, his
word, that is, the word of them - of whom? of the
priests. It is common, I know, in Hebrew, to put a
relative without an antecedent; but as I have said,
nothing requires this here. The most suitable rendering
then is, Its provision, that is, of the altar, is the
contemptible food of God. I take then the words to mean
this, that a speech of this kind was often in the mouth
of the people as well as of the priests, - "Oh! the
provision for the altar is any kind of meat; be not so
anxious in your choice, so as to offer the best animals;
for God is satisfied even with the lean and the maimed."
And here again God reproves the impiety and contempt
of the people; and at the same time he condemns their
avarice, because they took the worst of their animals to
offer in the temple, as though they lost everything they
consecrated to God.
Why he calls the sacrifices the meat or food of God,
we now sufficiently understand. Only this ought to be
observed, that the impiety of the people was evident, as
they were so unconcerned in their duties; for God had not
in vain instituted sacrifices and other rites. The
contempt then of the signs openly showed not only the
negligence of the people, but also their contempt of all
religion. Were any one at this day to regard as nothing
outward teaching and the sacraments, would he not prove
himself to be an impious despiser of God? Yet religion, I
allow, does not consist in these things; for though
hypocrites pretend the most ardent zeal, they yet profane
the name of God, whenever the truth sounds in their ears
and the heart is not touched, and when they come to the
Lord's table and are at the same time alienated from
Christ. These things I allow; but as no true servant of
God can despise these ordinances, which on account of our
common infirmity are useful to us, and without which we
cannot be as long as we sojourn in this world, whosoever
derides our simplicity in frequenting God's house, or if
silent abstains from doing so, and regards such a
practice as nothing or as unimportant, he is thus, as I
have said, proved guilty of impiety. This is the reason
why the Prophet so sharply reproves the Jews, because
they said that the provision for the altar was God's
contemptible food. It follows
13. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye
have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts: and ye
brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick;
thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your
hand? saith the Lord.
13. Et dixistis, Ecce fatigatio (alii vertunt, Ecce ex
fatigatione,) et sufflastis in illud, dicit Iehova
exercituum; et obtulistis raptum et claudum et debile; et
obtulistis Minchah (hoc est, oblationem;) an gratam hanc
habebo e manu vestra, dicit Iehova.
He pursues the same subject - that the worship of
God was despised by them and regarded as almost
worthless. We must bear in mind what I have before stated
- that the Jews are not reprehended here as though they
had openly and avowedly spoken reproachfully of God's
worship; but that this was sufficiently evident from
their conduct; for they allowed themselves so much
licentiousness, that it was quite manifest that they were
trifling with God, inasmuch as they had cast off every
fear of him and all reverence towards him.
Ye have said, Behold, labour. This may apply to the
whole people, or to the priests alone. It is commonly
explained of the priests - that they complained that they
had a hard office, because they were continually in the
temple and constantly watched there, and were much
occupied in cleaning the vessels.
The monks at this day under the Papacy, and the
priests, boasting of themselves, say, "While all others
sleep, we are watching; for we are constant in prayers."
Forsooth! they howl at midnight in their temples; and
then by massing and by doing other strange things they
imagine that they are seriously engaged in pacifying God.
In this sense do some understand this passage, as though
the priests, in order to commend their work, alleged that
they laboured much in God's service, and as though God
had enjoined on them many and difficult things. But I
prefer applying this to the whole people, and yet I do
not exclude the priests; for the Prophet here condemns
both, and shows that it was wearisome to them to spend
labour in worshipping God, that they considered it
weariness, as we commonly say, Tu le fais par courvee.
And the import of what follows is the same, Ye have
snuffed at it, that is, through disdain. Some give this
rendering, "With sorrow have ye moved him;" and the verb
is in Hiphil, and is often taken in this sense. The verb
, nephech, is properly to snuff; and it is here in
another conjugation; but even in Hiphil it has this
meaning, and cannot be taken otherwise. Now they who
render it, to move or touch with sorrow, are under the
necessity of turning the words of the Prophet to a sense
the most foreign and remote, even that the priests,
extremely greedy of gain, compelled the common people to
bring sacrifices, and thus extorted sacrifices, but not
without sorrow and lamentation. We see how forced this
is: I therefore wholly reject it. Some have hammered out
a very refined sense, which is by no means suitable, "Ye
have snuffed at it," that is, Ye have said indeed that
the victims are good and sufficiently fat; and yet ye may
by breath blow them into the air. Others render it, to
cast down, because they threw the sacrifices on the
ground. But what need there is of departing from the
common meaning of the word, since it is easy to conclude
that both the priests and the people are here condemned,
because the worship of God was a weariness to them, as we
snuff at a thing when it displeases us. The behaviour
then of the fastidious is what the Prophet meant here to
express. The passage will thus be very appropriate, Ye
have said, Behold weariness! Ye have snuffed at it: then
he adds, -
Ye have offered the torn, and the lame, and the
weak. These words prove the same thing - that they
performed their duty towards God in a trifling manner by
offering improper victims: when they had anything
defective or diseased, they said that it was sacred to
God, as we find it stated in the next verse. Some
improperly render , gazul, a prey, what had been unjustly
procured, as though he had said, that they offered
victims obtained by plunder: but I wonder how they could
thus distort the words of the Prophet without any
pretence. He mentions here three kinds - the torn, the
lame, and the maimed or the feeble. Who then does not see
that the torn was an animal which had been torn by wild
beasts? When therefore they had an animal half dead,
having been torn by wolves, they thought that they had a
suitable victim: "I am constrained to offer a sacrifice
to God, this lamb is very suitable, for the wolf has
devoured a part of it, and it has hardly escaped: as then
it is maimed, I will bring it." The Prophet then calls
those torn victims which had been lacerated by the teeth
of wild beasts.
We now understand the import of the words; but we
must remember what I have said - that God required not
the performance of external rites, because he had need of
meat and drink, or because he set a great value on these
sacrifices, but on account of their design. The
sacrifices then which God demanded from his ancient
people had in themselves nothing that promoted true
religion; nor could the odour of sacrifices of itself
delight God; but the end was to be regarded. As then God
ordered and commanded sacrifices to be offered to him,
that he might exercise his people in penitence and faith,
it was for this reason that he valued them. But when the
people had fallen into gross contempt of them, that they
brought to God, as it were to insult him, the maimed and
the lame, their extremely base and intolerable impiety,
as I have already said, was made fully evident. This is
the reason why the Prophet now so vehemently chides the
priests and the whole people; they offered to God such
sacrifices as man would have rejected, according to what
we noticed yesterday. It then follows -
14. But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a
male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt
thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts,
and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
14. Maledictus autem dolosus, qui dum est in grege sua
masculus, et vovet et sacrificat corruptum Iehovae; quia
Rex magnus ego, dicit Iehova exercituum; et nomen meum
terribile in gentibus.
I cannot finish to-day, for I should be too long.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou dost not keep us at
this day under the shadows of the law, by which thou
didst train up the race of Abraham, but invitest us to a
service far more excellent, even to consecrate ourselves,
body and soul, as victims to thee, and to offer not only
ourselves, but also sacrifices of praise and of prayer,
as thou hast consecrated all the duties of religion which
thou requirest from us, through Christ thy Son, - O
grant, that we may seek true purity, and labour to
render, by a real sincerity of heart, our services
approved by thee, and so reverently profess and call upon
thy name, that really fulfilled in us may that be which
thou best declared by thy Prophet - that thy name shall
be magnified and celebrated through the whole world, as
it was truly made known to us in the person of thine only
begotten Son. - Amen.
Calvin's Commentary on Malachi
(continued in file 5...)
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