Malachi
The name Malachi has a special meaning. It means ‘my messenger’ (3:1). The word means one who gives a message. And it might be a name that the writer gave to himself. Malachi did not want attention to be on him. He wanted all the attention to be on his message.
This is the last book of the Old Testament. And it belongs to the time after the
The people did not care about spiritual things. God chose Malachi to make the people think about their state. He had to show God's clear demands to the people. God did not change (3:6). But they had certainly changed (1:6-8).
We can divide the book into three parts. The parts are not equal in size.
A Nation that has Forgotten God's Love (Chapter 1:1-5)
The beginning of the book is very important. It helps to explain all that follows. Malachi spoke about a great subject. It was about the fact that God chooses people because he loves them. The group of Jews had returned to their own land. They might be feeling disappointed. They had finished rebuilding the
There was a possible reason for this feeling. Two
But things were difficult. And it could be easy to doubt God's love. But Malachi urged them to see something from the start. It was this. God loved them very much. His love was great. And they could prove his love in two ways:
God chose them (1:2-3). This was the greatest proof of his love for them as a nation. It is a major subject in the Old Testament. And it was a very clear truth from the beginning of the 8th century BC. (BC means Before Christ.) It started with Amos (3:2). And it continued to the time of Malachi.
God owns everything. But he still chose his people. This was because he loved them so much (Deuteronomy 10:14-15). His people should show that they were grateful for his love. And they could do this by their love for other people (Deuteronomy 10:17-19). They did not deserve God's love. They certainly could not earn it. It was not because they were good (Deuteronomy 9:4-6). Neither was it because they were great (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). It was just because God loved them.
Some Old Testament writers say that God acted ‘for his own honour’. (Read 2 Kings 19:34; Isaiah 48:9 and Jeremiah 14:7, 21. These are just three examples.) These words mean that it ‘agrees with his nature’. It was because ‘that is what he is like’. God's love is like that.
God protected them. God also showed his love in another way. He saved his people from their enemies. Edom was the family of Esau. Edom's behaviour was always bad to God's people. (Read Psalm 137:7; Isaiah 63:1-6; Ezekiel 25:12, 14 and Obadiah 8-19.) The Lord said, ‘Esau was Jacob's brother. I chose Jacob. And I did not accept Esau’. God destroyed Esau's nation, Edom (1:2). God rules over the whole world (1:5. ‘The Lord is great, even beyond the borders of Israel’). Therefore, he can protect his people by his love. God is all-powerful. He shows his love by his complete control over everybody. (Read 1:11, 14.)
Priests who Neglect God's Laws (Chapters 1:6-3:15)
God loved the nation of Israel. But the nation did not love him. And they showed their lack of love by their poor
There are three main subjects in this section:
God's reasons to complain. Malachi mentioned the priests’ failure. God was sad about:
- Their
offerings that he could not accept (1:7-8, 12, 14; 3:8-9). - Their service that had no love (1:13. They said, ‘How tired we are of all this’). Their ceremonies that had no meaning. And this was because there was no love for God in them.
- Their teaching that was not true (2:8-9, 17; 3:13-14). The priests should explain God's law in an accurate and right way. But they had failed to do this.
- Their behaviour that was not holy (2:13-16). Marriage promises are of great value to God. And marriage has serious responsibilities. It has demands of love too. But both priests and people were neglecting these things. The priests were the religious leaders in Israel (2:5-7). And they should have punished the people who sinned in this way. They should have been good examples in their own marriages and home lives too.
God's pattern. The passage in 2:5-9 shows the perfect priest. This is how God meant a priest to be. Notice the most important things. They are when people:
worship - are holy
- really care about people
- try to bring people to God
- live in unity with God and with other people.
The Bible shows that all people who believe are priests. (Read 1 Peter 2:5, 9.) This passage should be in our minds when we talk about this matter.
God's remedy. God was going to send someone who was special. This special person would make all these things right (3:1. Read Mark 1:2). Chapter 3:1-12 speaks about a future time. There would be a time of
The special person would:
- make the priests holy (3:3-4)
- punish sinners (3:5)
- accept people who returned to him (3:6-7).
A Small Group that Gives Honour to God (Chapter 3:16-4:6)
A certain group of people always makes God very sad (3:7). They are people who choose not to obey God. But there is another small group of people. And they make God very happy. These people always respect and obey him. They really honour him (3:16; 4:2). Honour is a major subject in this book. (Some examples are 1:6,14; 2:2 and 5.)
Malachi ended his book by speaking about two great men. They were Moses and Elijah (4:4-6). He might have a particular intention here. We look back to Moses. He gave the Law. We look forward to Elijah (Matthew 11:13-14. This was John the Baptist). John explained religion of the heart and moral goodness. John the Baptist would be a great
[Note: John the Baptist. We read about John in the New Testament. People gave him this title. This was because he baptized people. It was a ceremony. And it was for people who were sorry about their sin. They