Get Ready
The last book of the Old Testament is, appropriately, the last canonical book to be written about the Jewish people before Christ. Malachi means “messenger” in Hebrew and this book is God’s message to a people who have lost sight of God’s promises and God’s commandments.
Author
Malachi identifies himself, but he does not give us any other information about his life or his work. However, there is some information in the book about the times in which it was written. The Jews were under a Persian governor [1:8] and the rebuilt temple had been used for worship for a lengthy period [1:7-10]. Most scholars believe Malachi prophesied between 460 and 430 BCE.
Context
The Persian Empire brought relative peace to the region for quite some time. This had allowed the Jews to return to Palestine from their Babylonian captivity and to rebuild Jerusalem’s city wall and the temple (although this took longer than it should – see Haggai and Zechariah).
But after a hundred years, the people and the priests had lost much of their initial enthusiasm for following the Mosaic Law. Worship had become empty of meaning; sacrifices often involved animals with defects (contrary to God’s requirement); and the people failed to give the required tithes and offerings to maintain the temple and the priesthood (again, contrary to the Law’s provisions). The people’s failure to worship reflected their loss of confidence in God’s promises to Israel.
Structure
Malachi uses a rhetorical device in which God states the people’s argument and then refutes it in detail – very much like a formal debate:
- At the very beginning of the prophecy God says, I have loved you, says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” Is not Esau Jacob’s brother? Says the Lord. Yet I have loved Jacob but I have hated Esau, [1:2-3].
- At another point God says, O priests, who despise my name. You say, “How have we despised your name?” By offering polluted food on my altar, [1:6-7]. God goes on to describe sacrificial animals that are blind, lame and sick {1:8], and concludes: Try presenting that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favor?
- God also accuses the people of robbing him: You are robbing me! But you say, “How are we robbing you?” In your tithes and offerings! You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me – the whole nation of you! [3:8-9].
The book is almost completely God speaking to the people. More than 80% of the verses include “says the Lord.”
Major Themes
Malachi focuses primarily on the failure of the priests and the people to truly worship the Lord. There are three aspects of this failure:
- The priests themselves do not honor the Lord. In fact, they “profane my name” [1:6] by not offering animals without defects for sacrifice. The whole point of sacrificial animals was to offer something as close to “perfect” as possible in place of the imperfect (sinful) people. God tells the priests he has “no pleasure in you . . . and I will not accept an offering from your hands,” [1:10].
- The people have profaned the covenant God made with them – by being unfaithful in marriage and by marrying foreign spouses. This is a violation of God’s commandment to Moses before the Israelites entered the promised land.
- The people “rob God,” by cheating on their tithes and offerings [3:8-9], and by questioning the value of serving him [3:14]. God challenges the people to bring the full tithe into the storehouse . . . and thus put me to the test . . . see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing, [3:12].
Malachi includes God’s warning to the people that he has not forgotten them and their actions, and that he will come to them – in judgment [3:1-7]. Matthew uses this vision of the “messenger” to describe John the Baptizer in his Gospel [Matt 11:10].
The book closes with a vision of God’s reward for “those who revered the Lord,” [3:16-18], and his return on the day “the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings,” [4:2]. God says he will send you the prophet Elijah . . . He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse, [4:5-6]. Luke echoes this prophecy in describing John the Baptizer’s birth [Luke 1:17].
Get into the Word
1. Who wrote this book? What do we know about this author? When was this book probably written?
2. What was the political and military situation at the time this prophet was working? What was the situation within the Jewish nation? What had the people accomplished? What had they failed to complete or carry out? How did this affect their relationship with the Lord?
3. How does the author organize the prophecies? What makes this book unusual for the Old Testament? How do you think the people responded to this rhetorical device? Do you think it makes the book easier or more difficult to understand?
4. What is the overarching theme of this book? What are the major focal points in this prophecy? Why are theses issues so important to God? Why do you suppose the people are not following God’s commandments?
5. What warning does the book have for the people? Who is going to appear? What will this person do regarding the people? What will happen to the people? Who repeats this vision? Who is it applied to in the New Testament?
6. How does the writer end his prophecy? How does he describe the future for the Jews? What images does he use? Who will be included in this future? What other prophet will be involved? What will this other person do for the people? Why is this important for them?
Bible Trivia:
The Apostle Paul quotes Malachi in his argument (in Romans) affirming God’s choice of Israel to be his people: As it is written, “I have loved Jacob, but I hated Esau,” [Rom 9:13].
Notes . . .
See Summary following Ester (#25) for information about the history of the Jews from 430 BCE until the time of Jesus.
See Notes on Ruth (#16) for more information about God’s ideas on giving.
50: The coming messenger & robbing God – Malachi 3:1-18
Get Ready
If you are having guests over to your home, what preparations do you make? Do you clean the house? Do you prepare special food or beverages? Do you get special decorations? Do you wear “dress-up” clothes instead of jeans? Does the identity of the visitor make a difference?
The Word
3See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight – indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, “How shall we return?”
Do Not Rob God
8 Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, “How are we robbing you?” In your tithes and offerings! 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me – the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. 11 I will rebuke the locust for you, so that it will not destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not be barren, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will count you happy, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
13 You have spoken harsh words against me, says the Lord. Yet you say, “How have we spoken against you?” 14 You have said, “It is vain to serve God. What do we profit by keeping his command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of hosts? 15 Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape.”
The Reward of the Faithful
16Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name. 17They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them. 18Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. NRSV
Get into the Word
1. Who is speaking in this passage? Who is he talking to? What is he talking about? How does he describe what is going to happen. What images does he use for this process? Who else uses the image of a messenger [see Notes]?
2. What will God do when he arrives? What practices will he judge? Why do you think he lists these actions and not others? Why are these important to God? Why should they be important to the Jews? To us?
3. What subject does God bring up next? How does he describe this problem? What have the people been doing? What does God challenge them to do? What does he promise to do if the people change their behavior? Why does he make this challenge [see Notes]?
4. Who does God discuss in the last section? How are they described? What will happen to them?
Get Personal
Do you ever find yourself in a dialogue with God? How does he help you understand the direction he has in mind for your life?
Notes . . .
3:1. Messenger — it was fairly common for a ruler to send a person ahead to alert people of his arrival – and clear any potential problems. Jesus refers to this verse to describe John the Baptizer in relation to himself [Matt 11:10].
3:2. The day — throughout the Old Testament the “Day of the Lord” is a day of judgment, which, because of Israel’s sin, is a day of death and disaster [check Isaiah 2:12; Joel 3:11-16; Amos 5:18-21; Zech 1:14-18]. No one can endure such a day or “stand when he appears,” [check 4:1-2 for more of Malachi’s vision of this day].
Fullers’ soap — heavy-duty soap to take out impurities and dirt from clothing – another image of cleansing associated with the Messiah.
3:3. Descendants of Levi — the priests, who had failed to honor God’s commandments about sacrifice [1:7-9].
3:5. Bear witness against . . . — God lists the sins of the Jews, ending with those who “do not fear [respect]” him [compare Zech 7:8-10].
3:8. Tithes and offerings — “tithe” means “a tenth.” The concept was used throughout the Middle East as a tax to support the ruler and his military forces. God commanded the Israelites to give the tithe to the Levites to support the temple and the priests [Num 18].
3:9. Robbing me — the people were not giving the full amount to the temple (initially the Persians provided some financial support to the Jewish temple, but later ceased to do so).
3:10. Test — God had promised to bless the people if they followed his commandments [Deut 28:1-14].
3:11. Locust — locusts had plagued the Jews for many years by destroying their crops and vineyards [Hag 1:5-6].
3:16. Book of Remembrance — similar to the “book” or record mentioned in other parts of the Old Testament [such as: Exodus 32:32, Psalm 69:28 and 139:16, Isaiah 4:3 and 65:6, and Eek 13:9].
Memory Verse
But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings, [Malachi 4:2].
Next Lesson
Doctrines of the Old Testament.
A note from Rich . . .
Did you notice the “Get Ready” for this Lesson — Malachi is the “last book.” You have now studied every book in the Old Testament. Give yourself a humble pat on the back (don’t strain your arm) and thank God for his blessings and his Word. We’ll summarize the major Old Testament doctrines next week and open the New Testament as we head into Holy Week (How’s that timing for a God wink?).
