I. This Malachi the Hebrews hold to have been Ezra; this we leave so well, for we can have nothing certain of him, without which, to take so much from his prophecy, he was not long before Christ's birth, and certainly the last prophet; for he speaks in the third chapter that Christ the Lord should soon come.
2. and is a fine prophet, who has beautiful sayings about Christ and the gospel, which he calls a pure sacrifice in all the world. For through the gospel God's grace is praised, which is the true, pure sacrifice of thanksgiving. Item, he prophesies of the future of John the Baptist, as Christ Himself interprets it Matth. 11, 14. and calls John His angel and Eliam, of which Malachi writes.
(3) He also scolded his people severely for not giving their tithes and other duties to the priests. And if they did give, they gave it with all unfaithfulness, as unhealthy, unfit sheep, and what they themselves did not like, that had to be good for the poor priests and preachers. As it happens, where there is the right word of God and faithful preachers, they must suffer hunger and need; false teachers must always have plenty. Although the priests with
1) In the original: second.
The people of the world will also be scolded for accepting and sacrificing such sacrifices. That is what the dear miser did.
4 But God indicates here that he is very displeased with them, and calls such unfaithfulness and wickedness a disgrace to himself. That is why he forbids them and accepts the Gentiles as his people.
(5) After this he reproached the priests especially, because they counterfeited the word of God, and taught unfaithfully, and so deceived many, and abused their priestly office, that they did not punish those who offered things unfitly, or were otherwise not pious, but praised them, and spoke piously, that they might receive only sacrifices and enjoyment from them. Thus avarice and belly care have always done harm to the word and service of God, and always make hypocrites of [the] preachers.
(6) He also rebuked them for afflicting their wives and despising them, so that their sacrifices and worship were also defiled. For in the Law of Moses it was forbidden to offer to God afflicted sacrifices, and those who were afflicted were not allowed to offer sacrifices or eat of sacrifices. Those who made their wives grieved and weeping were the cause of this. They wanted to follow Abraham's example, who had to drive out and afflict his Hagar. But he did not do it out of courage, just as he had not taken her in marriage out of malice.