Read the Passage: Malachi 1:1–2:9

Authorship and Date – As with most of the Minor Prophets, little is known about the prophet Malachi. He gives no biographical information in his text, and the name Malachi occurs nowhere else in the Old or New Testaments. Based upon internal evidence, it is likely that Malachi ministered in Jerusalem toward the end of the fifth century BC, just prior to the close of the Old Testament. Such evidence includes Malachi’s reference to sacrifices being made at the temple (cf. Mal. 1:7–10; 3:8), which was rebuilt after the Babylonian exile and completed in 516 BC (cf. Ezra 6:13–15). Moreover, a later date for composition is suggested by the time-frame needed for the priests and people to become as practically corrupt as Malachi describes them in this book. A writing date of around 425 BC, between Nehemiah’s first and second terms as governor, seems reasonable. If this general timeline is correct, then Malachi is the last of the Old Testament prophets. Observe that Malachi was likely a contemporary of Ezra, who returned to Jerusalem in 458 BC (cf. Ezra 7–10) and Nehemiah, who returned from 445–433 BC and again between 424–410 BC (cf. Neh. 1–13). Note that Malachi is quoted 4 times in the NT (cf. Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:17; Rom. 9:13).

Theme and Purpose – In Malachi’s day the culture was marked by moral deterioration and religious lethargy. God’s people had been back in the Promised Land for about 100 years; however, as was the case with their forebears, they had forsaken God. Note that Malachi shares several thematic emphases with Ezra and Nehemiah, who were his prophetic contemporaries, including: the peoples’ intermarriage with foreigners (cf. Mal. 2:11; Ezra 9–10; Neh. 13:23–27), a lack of giving and generosity (cf. Mal. 3:8–10; Neh. 13:10–14), and systematic economic oppression (cf. Mal. 3:5; Neh. 5:1–13). Malachi also prophesies about the arrival of the Messiah (cf. 3:1–7, 4:1–6). In short, Malachi was sent to confront the post-exilic people in regard to their sins, and to encourage the people in regard to God’s promises. It was essential that the people did not follow their forefathers into sin and exile. Note that Malachi is the last writing prophet whom God sent to His people before John the Baptist. In short, then, the book of Malachi is filled with rebukes, indictments, and warnings; but it also contains promises, assurances, and hope for the future.

Structure and Outline – The book of Malachi is logical in its structure. A brief thematic outline of this book is as follows:

• Offerings and Priests (Mal. 1:1–2:9)
• Marriage and Purity (Mal. 2:10–3:6)
• Giving and Promise (Mal. 3:7–4:6)

Sovereign Love (1:1–5)

As Malachi begins his prophecy, his unique question and answer format is evident. The first issue that the prophet addresses is God’s love for the Israelites. Perhaps on account of the many difficulties that accompanied the rebuilding of Jerusalem, as well as the peoples’ seemingly endless waiting for the arrival of the promised Messiah, Israel began to question God’s love for them, asking, “In what way have you loved us?” (Mal. 1:2). In response, the Lord replied, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated” (Mal. 2:2–3). The narrative of Jacob and Esau (cf. Gen. 25–35), the history of their descendants (cf. Obad. 1), as well as the apostle Paul’s citation of this passage at Rom. 9:13 (cf. Rom. 9:6–29), makes it clear that the love/hate relationship described here is a statement of comparison that reveals God’s divine choice of Israel for intimate fellowship with Himself.

Polluted Offerings (1:6–14)

In Mal. 1:6–14 God addresses the people’s practice of bringing corrupt offerings to the temple. Apparently the people were offering defiled (i.e., blind, lame, sick, stolen, and the like) animals as sacrifices in the temple. In contrast to David, who refused to offer God that which cost him nothing (cf. 2 Sam. 24:24), the people were only offering God that which was generally worthless. Such offerings were a direct violation of Lev. 22:20–25 and Deut. 15:21. While they may have verbally denied it, God notes that with their actions the people were revealing that they despised the table (or the altar) of the Lord. If they did not believe this charge, God’s challenge to them was to offer these same sacrifices to their governor and see what happens. In fact, in Mal. 1:10 the Lord indicated that it would be better to shut the doors of the temple than to offer God defiled, polluted, worthless sacrifices (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).

Corrupted Priests (2:1–9)

As a motivation for true worship, God described Himself, saying, “I am a great King . . . and my name is to be feared among the nations” (Mal. 1:14). Then, in Mal. 2:1–9, God confronted the priests for failing to recognize this fact. Indeed, while the people were bringing polluted offerings to the temple, it was the priests who endorsed this practice by bringing the corrupt offerings to the altar. As a result, God threatened to curse the priests and their descendants (cf. Mal. 2:1–3). Indeed, in a striking and graphic verse, God declared His great displeasure with the priests, saying, “I will . . . spread refuse on your faces” (Mal. 2:3). At Mal. 2:7 God described the role of a priest as: keeping knowledge, teaching the law, and being God’s messenger. Yet, in Mal. 2:8–9 God explains the corrupt priests had: rejected knowledge, broken the law, and been self-serving as they distorted the law of God.

Application Questions:

1. What do you know about the book of Malachi? In the past, have been impacted by any specific passages or teachings from this book?
2. Have you ever doubted God’s love for you? How can we know God loves us (cf. John 3:16; Rom. 5:8)?
3. What is the relationship between one’s thoughts and one’s actions (cf. Prov. 23:7; Matt. 12:34; 15:18)?
4. In the context of Malachi’s original readers, how would prophecies about the Messiah have encouraged the people?
5. What are some examples of questionable or unacceptable worship practices in the contemporary church?