3 Nephi 24

3 Nephi 23:1

1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.

3 Nephi 24:1

1 And it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying: Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

The command to search these things is repeated for the third time on this same day. Once again it comes in connection with Isaiah, although there is no reason to suppose that Isaiah is the only prophet profitable to search.

There is little transition given as Mormon moves to the insertion of text from Malachi. The Savior cited Isaiah, now the Savior cites Malachi. The context has been one of discussing the value of the written text. Malachi’s text discusses the events of the end of time, which was the subject of the previous discourse by the Messiah. The themes become tied together in an important way in this chapter of Malachi in verse 16 below.

[I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me]: An event is about to take place, but it will not happen without being announced. There are several contexts in which this messenger may be seen. One is that it is John the Baptist as the messenger before the mortal mission of the Savior. While that might be possible, the context of this chapter in Malachi deals with the last days, not the mortal ministry of the Savior.

It would appear to be best to read the messenger as a prophet who prepares the world for the second coming. In this case, it is not unseemly to suppose that Joseph Smith is a reference here, particularly as the Savior is citing texts that may have a unique perspective for his New World audience. He has already laid the groundwork for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon as a major event signaling the beginning of the end of times, and Joseph Smith obviously fits into that context as a messenger sent to prepare the way and introduce the Book of Mormon.

[the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple]: The second coming of the Messiah will be sudden. This verse must have thundered in the consciousness of those in Bountiful, who had just the day before seen their Messiah suddenly come to his temple! More than any other people known to us, these saints in Bountiful knew that the Messiah could certainly come suddenly to his temple. He did so, and was there with them. For them it would be very easy to believe that when the mission of the Atoning Messiah was ended, the mission of the Triumphant Messiah might have a similar beginning.

In the context of the sermon earlier in this same day, the saints in Bountiful would hear the temple as the temple in the New Jerusalem.

Textual: To better replicate the way that Mormon constructed this particular chapter, the last verse of the previous chapter is repeated here where it was originally placed in the 1830 edition.

Malachi was a prophet who wrote after the Lehites had left Jerusalem. The Savior understood this, and it is explained to the assembly in 3 Nephi 26:2.

3 Nephi 24:2

2 But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap.

When the Lord comes at the end of time he comes in power. That power will be so great that none can resist his right to rule. It is in this context that Malachai asks, “who shall stand when he appeareth?” The “standing” mean s to stand against, or to resist.

A refiner’s fire is the heat that is applied to metals to melt out the impurities. The fuller’s soap cleans the dirt from leather goods. Both of these are cleansing and purifying metaphors. The arrival of the Lord in the last days will not simply be one of military victory, but one of purification of the world.

3 Nephi 24:3

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

The process of refining and purifying silver and gold yields a product that is improved over the pre-treated metal. The sons of Levi might already have the priesthood to offer sacrifices to the Lord, but that priesthood will become more pure, more powerful. In the context of a betimes wayward Israel, this is also a metaphorical atonement, where the priests who had continued to act in their office while in a state of departure from the ways of God are cleansed so that their offerings are again done “in righteousness.”

In the Bountiful context, there is no known history of the cultural departure from the ways of God for the religious hierarchy. The entire religious structure in the New World developed differently from that of the Old, and it is not known how the priests who officiated were related to the gospel and the government. One would suppose that while the church was in the majority, the government and the priesthood that offered public sacrifice would have been righteous. In more recent years there was opportunity for a separate and unrighteous priesthood as the church became a minority in the land.

In any case, this was a text from the brass plates, and the people in Bountiful would find in it the points of congruence, and easily pass over those parts that were not as applicable to their particular situation.

3 Nephi 24:4

4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

In the context of Mosaic Law, this offering was a literal sacrifice that is now “pleasant unto the Lord” because it is offered by the purified sons of Levi. In the context of the Gospel, this is the sacrifice of the contrite spirit of all of God’s people. When the Lord comes to his temple, his people will be purified, and their offerings accepted.

3 Nephi 24:5

5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord of Hosts.

The righteous will be purified, but the wicked will be punished. The list of particular types of people against whom the Lord will judge includes those who are representatives of false Gods (sorcerers), those who violate God’s Law (adulterers, false swearers), and those who are deficient in their proper relationships with their fellow man (those that oppress the wage-earner, those who oppress the widows and fatherless, and those who do not show hospitality to strangers.)

It is interesting how this particular list echoes the themes of the Sermon on the Mount. There is the set of people who do not properly follow the law, and those whose interpersonal relationships require improvement. Since the Bountiful Saints would have heard that information on the previous day, it is probable that they saw some correlation between Malachi’s list and the sermon they had so recently heard.

3 Nephi 24:6

6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

3 Nephi 24:7

7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say: Wherein shall we return?

[I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed]: There are two clauses. The first says that the Lord does not change. The second is causally related to the first. Because the Lord does not change, the covenants he made with Israel remain available, even when Israel has strayed. It is therefore because of the covenant that God has not destroyed Israel for their departure from the faithfully following the way of God.

[Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances]: Malachi is address a wayward Israel, and indicating that even their fathers had gone away from the proper performance of the ordinances. Of course this is the reason why the priests must be purified, as indicated in verse 3 and 4.

[Return unto me and I will return unto you]: The Lord stands ready to fulfill his part of the covenant relationship. It is a literary device that parallels the “returns,” not theology. God has not moved, and therefore need not “return.” The poetry, however, creates a beautiful metaphor. As the people turn to their God with pure hearts, God turns to them as the protector and King.

3 Nephi 24:8

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

This verse comes as an answer to the question at the end of the previous verse: “Wherein shall we return?” Malachi presents Israel as asking how this reconciliation should take place. What have they turned away from that they should now “re-turn?”

The answer begins with a question intended to underscore the departure of Israel from the proper path. Clearly the answer to “will a man rob God?” is an emphatic No. Man should not rob God, and it would be futile to do so, for God would know the robber. How then has Israel robbed God?

The answer is that they have neglected their tithes and offerings. It is easy to read this verse in the context in which it has become part of common LDS sacrament meeting talks. The modern church has an obligation of tithing, and we therefore tend to project our current understanding of the tithing backward through time. In the greater context of this chapter, there is another set of circumstances that informs the meaning of tithes and offerings that is important for our understanding.

The tithes and offerings were related to the temple, and that context is particularly important in Malachi for the Lord will be returning to his temple. If the proper ordinances are not being performed in relation to the temple, how can he return? The command to bring tithes and offerings is part of the beginning of the Law of Moses found in Deuteronomy (see Deuteronomy 12:1-19). Significantly, the temple figures as the location for these tithes and offerings:

Deuteronomy 12:13-13

13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:

14 But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

Josephus offers more information on the relationship of the tithes and offerings to temple rites:

“The king also himself, and the rulers, laid their hands on the heads of the sacrifices, and permitted the priests to complete the sacred offices about them. So they both slew the sacrifices, and burnt the burnt-offerings, while the Levites stood round about them, with their musical instruments, and sang hymns to God, and played on their psalteries, as they were instructed by David to do, and this while the rest of the priests returned the music, and sounded the trumpets which they had in their hands; and when this was done, the king and the multitude threw themselves down upon their face, and worshipped God. He also sacrificed seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. He also granted the multitude sacrifices to feast upon, six hundred oxen, and three thousand other cattle; and the priests performed all things according to the law. Now the king was so pleased herewith, that he feasted with the people, and returned thanks to God; but as the feast of unleavened bread was now come, when they had offered that sacrifice which is called the passover, they after that offered other sacrifices for seven days. When the king had bestowed on the multitude, besides what they sanctified of themselves, two thousand bulls, and seven thousand other cattle, the same thing was done by the rulers; for they gave them a thousand bulls, and a thousand and forty other cattle. Nor had this festival been so well observed from the days of king Solomon, as it was now first observed with great splendor and magnificence; and when the festival was ended, they went out into the country and purged it, and cleansed the city of all the pollution of the idols. The king also gave order that the daily sacrifices should be offered, at his own charges, and according to the law; and appointed that the tithes and the first-fruits should be given by the multitude to the priests and Levites, that they might constantly attend upon Divine service, and never be taken off from the worship of God. Accordingly, the multitude brought together all sorts of their fruits to the priests and the Levites.” (Josephus, Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews) .)

It is in the context of proper temple worship that we should see the way that Israel has turned from the proper worship of their God. By not supporting the Levites, Israel would not be properly providing for work to be done in the temple, the location of all of the official sacrifices and devotions to God.

It is not known how this verse would have been heard by the Nephites. There is no indication of their temple rites, so we cannot tell if they did or did not perform them faithfully. We assume that they did perform sacrifices because they lived the law of Moses, and these sacrifices figure prominently in them, but we cannot tell if there were periods in which they did not properly support the temple rites. It is possible, as has been noted, that this would have represented the most recent phase of Nephite history in which the believers in the church were persecuted and in the minority. Under those conditions it would be possible that the Nephite offerings could be said to have been neglected.

3 Nephi 24:9

9 Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Under secular law, theft is punished. Since men have robbed God, they are under a punishment for having done so.

3 Nephi 24:10

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

In verse 6 the Lord tells Israel that he does not change, and therefore stands ready to renew the blessings of the covenant as soon as Israel returns to its covenant obligations. This is the theme here as well. If Israel returns to its obligation to bring the tithes and offerings to the temple, then the Lord is ready to pour out blessings.

[that there may be meat in my house]: This reference is to the meat for sacrifices in the temple. Thus the tithes and offerings come to the temple, and proper temple observances may be kept.

[windows of heaven]: In the Hebrew conception of the universe, the world was seen as being covered by a heavenly tent that kept out the celestial waters. When it rained, the windows of the tent were opened and some of that celestial water came down to earth. This imagery is transformed from water to blessings. The rain falls over large areas and creates beneficial conditions on the entire earth. The opening of these symbolic windows that are holding back the blessings will similarly benefit many over a large area. Just as with the celestial waters, the image is one of a barrier that is being removed. This emphasizes the role of the Lord in his willingness to keep his part of the covenant relationship.

3 Nephi 24:11

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the Lord of Hosts.

3 Nephi 24:12

12 And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts.

These verses confirm that the Lord will keep the covenant promises. They also refer to the end of times when Israel is redeemed and the world is renewed. For faithful Israel (and those adopted into it, following the Savior’s discourse on the future history of the gospel) they will be given privileged position.

3 Nephi 24:13

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say: What have we spoken against thee?

This is a parallel set to the issue of robbing God. In the first accusation against Israel, God accuses Israel of failing in proper temple observance. In this case, the charge is closer to blasphemy, or speaking against God. The charge is leveled, just as was the charge of robbery. Just as was that charge, Israel questions how they have done so.

3 Nephi 24:14

14 Ye have said: It is vain to serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?

God accuses them of murmuring in the face of their afflictions. It is certain that they have had afflictions, but afflictions are no cause for failing to uphold their part of the covenant. Israel is said to murmur in ways that many modern men murmur against God: “what good does it do to believe in God if bad things happen?” Modern man says, as did Israel: “What good does it do to faithfully attend my meetings, or do my church callings, if I have troubles?” God calls this attitude a form of blasphemy.

3 Nephi 24:15

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

This verse describes conditions in an apostate Israel.

[call the proud happy]; Those who set themselves above others are esteemed to be the “happy” ones. This has echoes of the Book of Mormon statement: “wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10.) Even though wickedness is not happiness, there are times when we presume that it is. That it’s the precise problem with the proud. They are proud for artificial means, and they esteem themselves because of those things. Since we share the assumptions on which they base their pride, we assume that they are happy. This happens most often in modern society with the accumulation of goods or money. We assume that someone with a lot of money, or with nice possessions must be happy because we assume that we would be happier with such things. Those who have the benefits of such material accumulation may make the mistake of assuming that they are better than others because of their accumulations. They are the proud, and they are presumed to be happy. The Lord reminds us that this is not the eternal definition of happiness.

This is certainly applicable to the Mesoamerican Nephites. Their envy of other peoples has led to a frequent desire to emulate their society, and has led to a desire for social hierarchies through the last several hundred years of Nephite history. Those desires for wealth and social hierarchy were directly behind the Gadianton robbers that were the cause of the downfall of the Nephite government. The Nephites has certainly assumed that those “proud” were happy, and therefore desirable. It was a costly illusion.

[they that work wickedness are set up]: Those who do not follow the precepts of the gospel are admired. In the Book of Mormon, this would have been seen in the most recent history of Zarahemla, which not too far in the past had given up government by believing Nephites in favor of a government by Gadianton robbers. How much more of a fulfillment of prophecy could the Nephites want?

[they that tempt God are even delivered]: Those who tempt God are those who violate God’s laws. That they are “delivered” indicates that they are not punished in a social sense. This is a continuation of the description of a state of apostasy. Those who violate the laws of God receive no penalty for that violation, but are accepted.

3 Nephi 24:16

16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

This verse may have been the most important in the entire chapter. In the original Malachai, the part of Israel who still feared the Lord had a “book of remembrance written.” This is the image of the heavenly book in which the names of the righteous are written:

Philippians 4:3

3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. (italics added)

Revelation 13:4-8

4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (italics added).

For Malachi, the imagery is of this heavenly book recording the righteous. In the context of Hebrew history, this was an image that indicated that the Lord would remember the righteous even when the world did not. However, in the immediate context in which this chapter is being cited, the Bountiful context is very different.

The Lord is citing this chapter of Malachi as part of his discussion of the value of the written scriptures. In the particular context, it is the value of the Nephite written scriptures. For the Bountiful context, the command to write a book of remembrance is a direct reference to the Book of Mormon. The Lord has told them that one of the events that precedes the coming of the Triumphant Messiah will be the coming forth of their record, or the Book of Mormon. They have been told that written scriptures are essential, so much so that the Messiah himself would examine them and require that they be accurate (when he requires the correction to the record of Samuel). Thus the entire context leading up to Malachi is emphasizing the scriptural record, and it is punctuated in this verse.

3 Nephi 24:17

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

3 Nephi 24:18

18 Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The context of the book of remembrance becomes the last days. This further emphasizes the need for the Nephite record that will become the Book of Mormon, for that text has been linked directly to the events of “that day.” The Lord has already told the Nephites that the Book of Mormon would precede the gathering of Israel. Now he has Malachai verify that by pointing out that the wickedness of Israel will be reversed in that last day. In the final times, then “shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” Of course this is a reference to an Israel who has exalted the proud and the wicked in verse 15.

Textual: There is no chapter break at this point in the 1830 edition. The chapter break is made to conform to the standard chapter and verse of Malachi in the Bible.