In Frederick Gaiser’s excellent essay “Refiner’s Fire and Laundry Soap: Images of God in Malachi 3:1-4,” he summarizes the message of the Prophet:
Amid the disappointments and cynicism of present reality, Malachi sees, longs for, hopes for, proclaims a world of goodness and purity, where justice finally matters and integrity finally prevails. God is faithful, says Malachi, and will usher in such a world—even if it takes fire and water to get us there.