Malachi
Connecting the Old Testament to the New Testament
Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament, but it brings the Old Testament to a close only with a comma, and not a period. That is, Malachi points forward to the coming day of the Lord, and he declares that the prophet Elijah will signal the inauguration of that day. We then turn the page from Malachi to Matthew, and soon John the Baptist shows up, whom the New Testament associates with Elijah. Thus there is very little break between the Prophets (as concluded by Malachi) and the Gospels, which describe the fulfillment of the prophetic message.
Who Is Malachi?
The name Malachi means “my messenger.” This word is used to mean “my messenger” in Malachi 3:1. Some scholars have suggested that the name of the book should be “My Messenger,” but in light of the parallel with the other prophetic books, it is probably best to view Malachi as the proper name of the prophet—a proper name with a significant meaning.
What Is the Setting for Malachi?
Unlike Haggai, Malachi does not contain any historical superscriptions that tie his ministry to the reign of a certain king. Thus it is difficult to date Malachi with precision. However, the situation that Malachi appears to address in his book seems very similar to the situation that Nehemiah encountered. If Malachi was indeed a contemporary with Nehemiah, then the setting for his book is about 430 BC, or ninety years after Haggai and Zechariah.
What Is at the Heart of the Book of Malachi?
Malachi, along with Haggai and Zechariah, addresses the postexilic community—those Israelites who have returned to Jerusalem and the surrounding areas after the Babylonian captivity. Some may have thought that this return was the great and glorious restoration that the earlier prophets had predicted, but the postexilic prophets (Malachi, Haggai, Zechariah) disagree and remind everyone that the great day of the Lord still lay primarily in the future, even though the return of the exiles could be viewed as the early beginnings of God’s unfolding plan of restoration.
Malachi is particularly concerned with how Israel will live and worship God in the meantime, while they await the coming day of the Lord. Thus Malachi speaks strongly against the corrupt forms of worship and living that were occurring in his time—unacceptable sacrifices, corrupt priests, refusal to tithe and support the temple, and social injustice. The book of Malachi is structured around six dialogues between God and the Israelites in Jerusalem. Thus the outline for Malachi can be viewed as follows:
- Dialogue 1: The Lord’s Love for Israel (1:1–5)
- Dialogue 2: The Corruption of the Priesthood (1:6–2:9)
- Dialogue 3: Unfaithfulness—Divorce and Marrying Pagans (2:10–16)
- Dialogue 4: When Will God Bring Justice? (2:17–3:5)
- Dialogue 5: Will You Rob God? (3:6–12)
- Dialogue 6: Deliverance for the Righteous, Judgment for the Wicked (3:13–4:3)
- Conclusion: Obey and Wait (4:4–6)
Ornate incense shovels like these were often used in temple worship to remove ash from incense burners. Malachi rebukes the priests of Jerusalem for corrupt, hypocritical, ritualistic worship.
What Makes Malachi Interesting and Unique?
- Malachi ends the Book of the Twelve with the same theme that began it—the love of God for his people.
- Malachi is structured around six dialogues or disagreements between God and his people.
- Malachi prophesies that Elijah will come again, signaling the inauguration of the day of the Lord.
- Malachi contains some of the strongest language against divorce in the Old Testament.
- In Malachi, God accuses Israel of “robbing God” because they did not tithe.
What Is Malachi’s Message?
Dialogue 1: The Lord’s Love for Israel (1:1–5)
The book of Malachi opens with a strong statement of God’s love for his people. The people, however, having been through the exile, are skeptical, and they ask for proof. God points out that Jacob and Esau were twins, but that the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, have totally disappeared, never to be restored, while Israel is back in the Promised Land, awaiting the wonderful future fulfillment of restoration.
Dialogue 2: The Corruption of the Priesthood (1:6–2:9)
One of Malachi’s central concerns is for Israel to serve God faithfully and worship him correctly while they await the great coming restoration. Yet the priesthood has become corrupted, and worship practices have degenerated into sacrificing the poorest and weakest of animals, and then complaining about it. Thus even though Israel has put away idolatry and has reinstituted the worship of the Lord in the rebuilt temple, she quickly lost the point of worship and turned it into mere ritual, something she carried out reluctantly and without heart. In the second dialogue, God criticizes the priests and the people severely for this.
Dialogue 3: Unfaithfulness—Divorce and Marrying Pagans (2:10–16)
In this dialogue God addresses two practices related to marriage of which he does not approve. First of all, some of the Israelites were marrying outside the faith; that is, they were marrying the daughters of people who worshiped idols. God severely reprimands them for this. Intermarrying outside the faith, after all, is one of the things that led them into idolatry, resulting in the exile. The other practice that God objects to is divorce. Apparently among the Israelites divorce had become quite common. God speaks very strongly against this, declaring, “I hate divorce” (2:16).
Dialogue 4: When Will God Bring Justice? (2:17–3:5)
Since evil people continued to flourish, and the day of the Lord still had not come, some of the people grew cynical, asking sarcastically, “Where is the God of justice?” (2:17). God responds by saying that his messenger is indeed coming to prepare the way. But when “the day” comes, God declares, it will be a time of refining and purifying (3:1–4). It will also be a time of justice and judgment, but this judgment will be on sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, and those who practice social injustice (not paying fair wages to workers, oppressing widows and orphans, depriving foreigners of justice, and not fearing God).
Dialogue 5: Will You Rob God? (3:6–12)
In this dialogue God accuses the postexilic community of robbing him. “How have we robbed you?” they ask (3:6–8). God declares that they have failed to bring their tithes to the temple, in violation of the Mosaic law. The operation of the temple and the very livelihood of the Levitical priesthood depended on the tithe of the people. Apparently they had abandoned this responsibility, probably assuming that this money was better spent if they spent it on themselves. God challenges them to test him by giving their tithe and seeing if he didn’t bless them richly for it.
Dialogue 6: Deliverance for the Righteous, Judgment for the Wicked (3:13–4:3)
As seen throughout the book of Malachi, there were many people in Jerusalem who had turned away from God, cynically saying, “It is futile to serve God” (3:14). They just didn’t see any immediate results, and they concluded that worshiping God was not worth their time or money. In this final dialogue God points out that the day of the Lord is definitely coming and will result in deliverance for those who revere his name, but will be a roaring fire of judgment on those arrogant ones who scoff at him.
Conclusion: Obey and Wait (4:4–6)
In this concluding short unit, Malachi tells the community to obey the laws given to Moses (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and to wait expectantly for the coming of Elijah, who will signal the arrival of that great day of the Lord.
While Israel waits for the Messiah, they are to obey the laws and teaching (Torah) that God gave to Moses at Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai).
So What? Applying Malachi to Our Lives Today
Malachi offers us a lot of great applications. We can see how important it is to worship God truthfully, with a sincere heart, and not just ritually or hypocritically. Likewise, Malachi reminds us that failing to support the true worship of God is robbing from him. If we fail to tithe to our local churches, selfishly keeping this money for ourselves, it indicates that we are not worshiping God sincerely; indeed, we are stealing from him.
The book of Malachi also adds to the witness of the other biblical books that God’s intention for marriage is that both man and wife stay faithful to each other. Furthermore, Malachi also exhorts us to marry within the faith.
Finally, Malachi gives us encouragement to continue to look to the future expectantly. We should not be discouraged or become cynical just because the wicked are flourishing for a short while. We should trust in God’s word through the prophets—he is working to bring about his kingdom and to establish justice throughout the world. The Lord will return and all things will be brought under his rule. Justice will be established, and God’s people will be blessed beyond imagination.
Our Favorite Verse in Malachi
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. (4:2)