Malachi 3:17 And they shall be mine, said the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them… 1. Jewels represent superlative value. Nature's jewels differ from God's, which are conscious and immortal. And yet by valuable things God illustrates His appreciation of His children. 2. They represent surpassing beauty. Gems are nature's loveliest gifts. In God's sight natural pales before spiritual beauty. We are only beautiful when "the beauty of the Lord our God is upon us." God's brightest earthly jewels are yet incomplete. When the cutting and burnishing are finished, they are to shine as the stars forever. 3. They represent costly and self-sacrificing toil in their discovery and ownership. When a Brazilian slave finds a gem of seventeen carats, he wins his freedom. At what enormous cost God secures a soul! 4. Their worth and beauty represent the triumphs of science and art. Diamonds are never worn in the rough. God develops the worth and spiritual beauty of His children by the ministry of suffering. No lapidary ever knew so well when and where to cut a crown jewel as does our Heavenly Father. 5. The King will gather His gems into His royal palace. God has long loaned His jewels to the communities of earth. When the sun darkens, His angels are to gather them from every land and sea. (S.V. Leech, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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