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I love the scripture found in the third chapter of Malachi, verse two, from the New Testament which states, "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". Whether you are religious or not, I think there are some great lessons presented with this verse. It has always been easy for me to see the correlation of everyday living to the refiner's fire. In movies we can often see blacksmiths beating metal, thrusting it into the fire until it's white hot, beating it some more, thrusting it back into the fire, and so forth. But what about fuller's soap? After a bit of digging, I found that a fuller was the individual who would take the raw, filthy wool from sheep and purify it using a variety of techniques, including an extremely harsh soap that would ultimately help to make it clean. It was an undesirable job. It was dirty work. It took a great deal of effort to make it white. Trials in our lives require us to use fuller's soap. Fuller's soap can be an apology. It can be healing from a physical affliction. It can be mending a broken relationship. It can mean paying whatever price needs to be paid to make something right. Sometimes, we carry fuller's soap with us daily, continually. Its abrasiveness is painful, horrible, tough, and gut-wrenching. It is also desirable, stimulating, empowering, and necessary. Don't be afraid to use fuller's soap, for in it you will find healing.
18 Comments
5/26/2019 12:23:53 pm
Thanks for doing the digging! The info-graph on Google with this answer helped me enjoy the piece of passage in Malachi a bit more. The section points to Jesus, and I can completely see how this is true about Him. 4/20/2022 05:45:08 am
Praise our Father, who is in Heaven!! As I am renewed again, for I went astray for several years. How faithful is his word...as he said, the work he began in me; He will finish!! I long for his appearing and I seek for those who say, Come Lord, even so come quickly LORD JESUS!! As I read Malachi 3:1-6 yesterday I wrote down Fullers soap, so I could Google it today. I am just so thankful that He lead me to your website and the above teaching. Bless you and let us cry out with all that is in us...COME!! COME LORD JESUS!!
Kufre Frank
6/1/2019 07:53:33 am
Thanks for the extra effort put into this research.
Asia Smith
9/29/2019 07:23:39 am
What can I say. The Bible is absolutely true. Who knew about Fuller's soap and its purpose. God knew, and His Death on the cross cleaned us up like as he used Fuller's soap. One tough job! 10/5/2019 07:24:20 am
Thanks so much for revelation on fuller's soap. I was in prayer this morning and read the scripture in Malachi never saw that word fullers soap until now. So amazing how the Holy Spirit opens your eyes.
Timothy Fuller
11/7/2019 05:33:40 pm
This is a great revelation However, It was not an undesirable job. A fuller is the authority of fashion in time. We have the responsibility for everything made out of cloth from flags to currency even most armor. A fullers position is very desirable and comes with power and responsibility even though it is covered in a humble mist of manual labor.
Jay
11/12/2019 01:42:22 pm
Thank you for this. This truly has fed my soul..
Phyllis Price
2/16/2020 02:38:57 am
Thank you for that research!! Itcwas just what i needed to know. God bless you!!
Martha A Hodges
4/27/2020 05:15:25 am
Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. I'm right now reading this book. I very much thank you for letting me know what Fullers'soap is. Thank you so much
Ron Mason
5/11/2020 09:37:05 pm
Thanks so much for doing the research on “fuller’s soap”. I found it insightful and very enlightening. I was attempting to do some research on this when I came upon this blog...and I am so glad that I did. I had been doing a study of Matthew 21:8-16 and in context that passage contains (1) the exposure of religious cultism (vv. 12-13); (2) the expression of God’s grace (v.14); and (3) the ecstasy of praise (vv. 15-17). In developing an interpretation of the above mentioned study, my commentary suggested that special note should be made of Malachi 3 and verse 2 put me in search of fuller’s soap...its origin, what it is and what it does. Your observation and interpretation turned all the lights ON! Thank you! We all need to know what paths to take when we as humans fall short spiritually as we walk out our sanctification before God so that we don’t fall into self condemnation. Let’s all know that under the new covenant in Jesus the Christ, that God declared in Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember NO MORE.” Jesus paid it ALL...”It Is FINISHED!” We need to live a life that says THANK YOU; with the help of “fuller’s soap”, for what He did on the Cross at Calvary on our behalf. Ain’t that good news?! In Christ, God’s forgiveness is ours to keep.
Hello.
Prince
7/30/2020 10:11:28 pm
Hello Josh, I trust God that this comments meets you well by His Grace! My profound appreciation for your efforts in making us discover more and more deep mystery of His words. I was reading a daily devotional and this verse of Malachi was used as text. It does throw lights on my understanding. Shallow!
Jessica Pace Durrant
10/30/2020 10:38:39 am
I love your comments, I was reading in Malachi and had no idea what Fullers soap was!
Paula Hansen
12/8/2020 07:26:58 am
I was just reading this passage in an Advent devotional book. As a singer, I felt well acquainted with this Malachi 3 passage through years of singing Handel's Messiah. The section which uses this passage, stops short of those last four words: "and like fuller's soap.". Initially thinking of "The Fuller Brush Man," from my childhood (perhaps housewives of the 1940's and 1950's, well-steeped in the KJV, immediately understood the connection and implication that, if they used this company's products, they would be well-equipped to make their floors and homes spotless). Your article is so helpful, and I copied the last few paragraphs into my devotional book. Thank you for your research and enlightenment. "Don't be afraid to use fuller's soap, for in it you will find healing."
David Chan
2/2/2021 04:20:35 am
In the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition translation which is more of a literal translation of the Vulgate, Fuller's soap is translated as Fuller's herb. I read this from the product description of Fuller's Teasel Herb (Dipsacus Fullonum L. – Fullonum Herba) (from Amazon!) which says "Fuller's Teasel is native to Eurasia and North Africa and is also known as wild teasel. It has prickly leaves and stem and pinkish or purplish flower. Fuller's Teasel was originally grown to be used in the wool industry.". It makes me wonder if it was used as soap at the time of Malachi. Thanks for sharing!
Steve Lamm
3/23/2021 01:37:17 pm
This is not quite right, but is close. The refiner's fire does not refer to the blacksmith. The blacksmith takes the metal and molds it or kneals it into its better form. That is not what is meant here. The refiner's fire and the Fuller's soap both have the same or parallel functions. That is to remove impurities and make one clean and pure. In the refiner's fire, the sulfur, the arsenic, the carbonates, etc. are eliminated as gases and the lead and other non-desired metals form a slag or skim that is removed - again removing the impurities. This passage refers to the acts of purification, or removal of sin, etc. that must precede the coming of the messenger of God.
Melvin Jobard
12/22/2021 04:35:44 pm
Thank you for the digging. It has helped me to understand the Biblical passage better.
Normandie Lyon.
2/13/2022 07:27:28 am
My home church is reading through Malachi at this time. In my Bible (NIV), Malachi is the very last book of the Old Testament. I'm wondering if there's been a re-write of which I'm unaware? 🤔 But seriously, if we are going to present Yehovah to the world, we have a responsibility to so with the correct information. Thank you and blessings to all. Leave a Reply. |
About the BlogThe musings of a (crazy) concert pianist Remember to download Josh's free piano technique training here, showing his #1 tip to fix tricky spots in your pieces!
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