Malachi

Part One: Introduction to Malachi

The Prophet

Malachi means "my messenger." Some have suggested it is a title rather than a personal name (the Greek translation renders 1:1 "by the hand of his messenger"), but most interpreters take it as the prophet's name. Fittingly, the book itself announces the coming of God's "messenger" who will prepare the way for the Lord (3:1). Nothing else is known about Malachi. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets.

Date and Setting

Malachi does not date his book, but its contents place it about a century after the return from exile, around 433-420 BC:

• The temple had been rebuilt and sacrifices were being offered (1:7-10; 3:1, 10).
• Judah was ruled by a Persian "governor" (1:8).
• The sins Malachi condemns are the same ones Nehemiah confronted: corrupt priests, marriages to pagan women, divorce, and neglect of tithes (Nehemiah 13).

Many scholars believe Malachi prophesied during or shortly after Nehemiah's second term as governor, perhaps while Nehemiah was away in Persia (Nehemiah 13:6).

The excitement of the return had faded. The promised glory had not yet appeared. The people were spiritually cold, cynical and careless. They went through the motions of religion but questioned God's love and justice, offered Him their worst, and assumed He did not notice.

A Book of Disputes

Malachi is written as a series of debates. God makes a statement; the people object with a question ("Yet ye say, Wherein...?"); and God answers. These questions reveal hearts that had grown hard and self-justifying:

Purpose and Theme

Malachi calls a cold and careless people back to wholehearted love and honour for God. He reminds them of God's unchanging love (1:2; 3:6), exposes their half-hearted worship, broken marriages and robbery of God, and announces that the Lord Himself will suddenly come to His temple, preceded by His messenger, to refine His people and judge the wicked. The Old Testament closes with a promise: the Sun of righteousness will rise, and Elijah will come before the great day of the LORD.

I have loved you, saith the LORD.

Malachi 1:2

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Malachi 3:6

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings

Malachi 4:2

Outline of Malachi

Part Two: Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

Chapter 1 — God's Love and the Priests' Contempt

God's Love for Israel (1:1-5)

"The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi" (1:1). The first word God speaks is love:

I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Malachi 1:2-3

The people doubted God's love because their circumstances were hard. God pointed to His sovereign choice: He chose Jacob, not his twin brother Esau, before they were born (Genesis 25:23). "Hated" in this Hebrew comparison means "chose not to love in the same way" or "rejected," the language of choice rather than emotion (compare Genesis 29:30-31; Luke 14:26). Paul quotes this verse to show that salvation rests on God's free choice, "not of works, but of him that calleth" (Romans 9:11-13). The proof of God's love was Israel's restoration while Edom lay in ruins. Edom vowed to rebuild, but God said, "They shall build, but I will throw down" (1:4), and Edom has disappeared as a nation. "And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel" (1:5).

Despising God's Name (1:6-14)

A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name.

Malachi 1:6

The priests asked, "Wherein have we despised thy name?" God answered: "Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar... ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible" (1:7). They brought blind, lame and sick animals for sacrifice, though the law required perfect ones (Leviticus 22:20-22; Deuteronomy 15:21).

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 1:8

They would never give such gifts to a human ruler, yet thought them good enough for God. God would rather the temple doors be shut than receive such worship: "Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought?... I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand" (1:10). Then, in contrast, a remarkable prophecy:

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 1:11

While Israel's priests despised God's name, the Gentiles would one day honour it everywhere, not only in Jerusalem but "in every place." This is fulfilled as the gospel spreads to all nations and true worshippers worship "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:21-24), offering spiritual sacrifices of praise and lives given to God (Romans 12:1; 15:16; Hebrews 13:15).

The priests treated worship as tiresome: "Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it" (1:13). "But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen" (1:14). Giving God our leftovers while keeping the best for ourselves is deceit.

Chapter 2 — Unfaithful Priests and Unfaithful Husbands

The Covenant of Levi (2:1-9)

"And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear... I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings" (2:1-2). The priests' blessings on the people would become curses. God would spread the dung of their sacrifices on their faces (2:3), treating them like the refuse of the offerings. God reminded them of His covenant with Levi, the ideal priesthood (Numbers 25:12-13; Deuteronomy 33:8-11):

My covenant was with him of life and peace... The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 2:5-7

This is God's picture of a faithful minister: reverence for God, true teaching, a godly walk, and turning people from sin. "But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law" (2:8). They showed partiality in applying God's law (2:9). Therefore God made them contemptible before all the people.

Faithless to Each Other and to God (2:10-16)

Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

Malachi 2:10

Judah had "dealt treacherously" by marrying "the daughter of a strange god" (2:11), taking wives who worshipped other gods (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Nehemiah 13:23-27). The men also wept at the altar because God no longer accepted their offerings, and asked, "Wherefore?" (2:13-14). God's answer:

Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away

Malachi 2:14-16

Men were divorcing the Jewish wives of their youth, apparently to marry younger pagan women. God declared that He had witnessed their marriage covenant, that marriage makes two "one" (Genesis 2:24), that one purpose of marriage is "a godly seed" (children raised to know God), and that He hates divorce ("putting away"). Their unfaithfulness to their wives was unfaithfulness to God, and it blocked their worship (compare 1 Peter 3:7). Jesus reaffirmed God's design for marriage: "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:4-9).

Wearying God (2:17)

Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

Malachi 2:17

The people complained that God seemed to approve of evildoers because He did not judge them at once. "Where is the God of judgment?" The next chapter answers: He is coming.

Chapter 3 — The Coming Messenger and the Call to Return

The Messenger and the Refiner (3:1-6)

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 3:1

Two messengers are promised: first, "my messenger" who prepares the way (compare Isaiah 40:3); then "the Lord," "the messenger of the covenant," who comes to His own temple. Jesus identified the first messenger as John the Baptist: "For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee" (Matthew 11:10). Mark's Gospel begins by quoting this verse (Mark 1:2). The Lord who comes to "his temple" is God Himself; Jesus, as a baby, was brought to the temple (Luke 2:22-32), and as a man He came to it suddenly and cleansed it (John 2:13-17). He is the Mediator of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:6; 12:24).

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 fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Malachi 3:2-3

Those who asked for God's justice did not realise that His coming would test them too. Like a refiner melting silver to remove the dross, or a launderer scrubbing cloth with strong soap, He would purify His people. A refiner sits patiently over the fire, watching until he can see his own reflection in the silver. John the Baptist said of Christ, "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor" (Matthew 3:11-12).

"And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me" (3:5; compare James 5:4). Then a foundational statement:

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Malachi 3:6

Israel had not been destroyed, not because they were faithful, but because God is unchanging and keeps His covenant promises. God's unchanging nature is the security of His people (Numbers 23:19; James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8).

Robbing God (3:7-12)

"Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?" (3:7). God gave a specific answer:

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Malachi 3:8-9

The law required a tenth of the produce to support the Levites and the work of God's house (Leviticus 27:30-32; Numbers 18:21-32). By withholding it, the people robbed God, and the Levites had abandoned the temple to work their fields (Nehemiah 13:10). Then God issued a challenge:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Malachi 3:10

This is the only place in Scripture where God invites His people to test Him in this way. He would restrain "the devourer" (locusts and crop disease) and the vines would bear fruit (3:11). "And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land" (3:12). The New Testament teaches that Christians should give regularly, proportionately, generously and cheerfully to support God's work (1 Corinthians 9:13-14; 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

Speaking Against God (3:13-15)

"Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance... And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered" (3:13-15). Cynics complained that serving God did not pay, while the wicked prospered (compare Psalm 73:2-14).

The Faithful Remnant and the Day of the LORD (3:16-4:6)

The Book of Remembrance (3:16-18)

In contrast to the cynics, there was a faithful remnant:

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Malachi 3:16-17

While others grumbled, these believers encouraged one another (Hebrews 3:13; 10:24-25). God listened to their conversations and recorded their names. They would be His "jewels," His treasured possession (Exodus 19:5; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9). He would spare them as a father spares his son, and the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, which the cynics doubted, would become clear (3:18). God spares His children because He "spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all" (Romans 8:32).

Chapter 4 — The Sun of Righteousness and Elijah

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Malachi 4:1

The answer to "Where is the God of judgment?" (2:17) and "we call the proud happy" (3:15) is the coming Day of the LORD, when the proud will be burned up like stubble (2 Peter 3:7, 10). But for the faithful:

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Malachi 4:2

The same day that burns the wicked brings warmth, light and healing to those who fear God, like the sunrise after a long night. Their joy will be like young calves released from the stall, leaping in freedom. The "Sun of righteousness" is Christ. Zacharias praised God for "the dayspring from on high" who would "give light to them that sit in darkness" (Luke 1:78-79). Jesus is "the light of the world" (John 8:12), "the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16). Interestingly, the Hebrew word for "wings" (kanaph) also means the corners or borders of a garment (Numbers 15:38), and the Gospels record that those who touched the border of Jesus' garment were healed (Matthew 9:20-22; 14:36). The wicked will be trodden down like ashes (4:3).

The book closes with two final instructions:

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Malachi 4:4-6

First, look back: remember God's Word given through Moses. Second, look forward: God will send Elijah before the great day of the LORD. His ministry would bring repentance and restore families and the nation to God. The angel told Zacharias that his son John would go before the Lord "in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children... to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). Jesus said of John, "if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come" (Matthew 11:14), and "Elias is come already, and they knew him not" (Matthew 17:11-13). John himself, asked if he was literally Elijah, said, "I am not" (John 1:21). Many Bible teachers believe John fulfilled the prophecy in spirit at Christ's first coming, and that there may be a further fulfillment before His second coming (compare Revelation 11:3-6).

In the Christian order of the Old Testament, the last word is "curse." The Old Testament ends with the threat of a curse and the promise of a Saviour. The New Testament ends: "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it" (Revelation 22:3). Christ "hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13).

Part Three: Christ in Malachi

Pictures and Prophecies of Christ

From Malachi to Matthew

The Old Testament ends with a promise: God will send His messenger, the Lord will come to His temple, and Elijah will prepare the way. Then the prophetic voice fell silent for about four hundred years. During those years:

In these years synagogues spread, the Pharisees and Sadducees arose, and Jewish communities spread across the world, while the Greek language and Roman roads prepared the way for the gospel. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Galatians 4:4). The New Testament opens exactly where Malachi left off: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee" (Mark 1:1-2). The forerunner came in the spirit of Elijah, and the Lord came to His temple.

Part Four: Fulfilled Prophecies

Part Five: Key Passages in Depth

Malachi 1:2 — "I Have Loved You"

God's first word to a cold and doubting people was love. His love is not based on our circumstances or deserving but on His free choice (Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Romans 9:11-13; 1 John 4:10). When we doubt His love, we should look at what He has done, above all at the cross (Romans 5:8).

Malachi 1:6-14 — Giving God Our Best

The priests offered God what they would never have dared to offer their governor. God deserves the honour due to a Father and the reverence due to a great King. Whether in worship, service or giving, believers should offer God their first and best, not their leftovers (Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:23).

Malachi 2:5-7 — The Faithful Minister

Reverence for God, true teaching, integrity of life, peace with God, and turning others from sin: this is God's pattern for every pastor and teacher (1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 3:1).

Malachi 2:13-16 — God Hates Divorce

God is a witness to every marriage covenant. Marriage makes two one, is meant to produce a godly heritage, and must be guarded with faithfulness. Treachery against a spouse disrupts fellowship with God. Jesus and Paul reaffirm the permanence of marriage (Matthew 19:3-9; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11; Ephesians 5:25-33).

Malachi 3:1-3 — The Coming of the Lord

The people asked for God's justice; God replied that He would come Himself, and that His coming would be a refining fire. Christ came first to save and purify, and will come again to judge. The question "who may abide the day of his coming?" is answered only by His grace, which makes us able to stand (Jude 24).

Malachi 3:6 — The Unchanging God

God's people were spared because God does not change. His promises, love and character are utterly reliable. This is the anchor of every believer's hope (Hebrews 6:17-19; 13:8).

Malachi 3:8-12 — Robbing God

Withholding what belongs to God is robbery. God challenged His people to trust Him with their giving and see His provision. Generous, faithful giving is an act of worship and trust (2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Proverbs 3:9-10).

Malachi 3:16-17 — The Book of Remembrance

In a time of widespread cynicism, a few faithful believers encouraged one another, and God noticed, listened and recorded their names. No act of faithfulness is forgotten by God (Hebrews 6:10). They are His treasured jewels.

Malachi 4:2 — The Sun of Righteousness

After the long night of sin and the silent centuries, the Sun of righteousness rose in Jesus Christ, bringing light, healing and joy. To those who fear God, His coming is a sunrise; to the proud, a furnace.

Malachi 4:4-6 — Look Back and Look Forward

The Old Testament ends by pointing back to God's Word through Moses and forward to the coming of Elijah and the day of the LORD. It ends with a curse threatened and a Saviour promised. The New Testament opens with the fulfillment of that promise.

Part Six: The Major Teachings of Malachi

1. God's Electing, Unchanging Love

"I have loved you"; "I am the LORD, I change not" (1:2; 3:6).

2. God Deserves Honour and Reverence

He is a Father and a great King (1:6, 14).

3. God Wants Our Best

Polluted, blemished offerings insult Him (1:7-8, 13-14).

4. Worship Will Spread to All Nations

His name will be great among the Gentiles (1:11).

5. Spiritual Leaders Are Accountable

Priests must teach truth, live faithfully and turn people from sin (2:1-9).

6. Marriage Is a Sacred Covenant

God witnesses it, makes the two one, seeks a godly seed, and hates divorce (2:14-16).

7. The Lord Will Come

His messenger will prepare the way, and He will come to refine and to judge (3:1-5).

8. Faithful Giving

Withholding tithes and offerings robs God; generous giving is met with blessing (3:8-12).

9. God Remembers the Faithful

He hears and records those who fear Him (3:16-17).

10. The Day of the LORD

It will burn the proud like stubble and bring healing to those who fear God (4:1-3).

11. Elijah the Forerunner

God would send His prophet to prepare the people (4:5-6).

Part Seven: Connections — How Malachi Links to the Rest of the Bible

Malachi in the New Testament

Malachi in the Old Testament

Themes That Run from Malachi Through Scripture

Part Eight: Practical Lessons

• Never doubt God's love; look at what He has done (1:2).
• Honour God as Father and fear Him as King (1:6).
• Give God your best, not your leftovers (1:8, 14).
• Don't let worship become a weariness (1:13).
• Leaders: keep knowledge, teach truth and turn people from sin (2:6-7).
• Marry in the Lord (2:11).
• Be faithful to the wife or husband of your youth (2:14-16).
• Take heed to your spirit (2:15-16).
• Don't weary God by questioning His justice (2:17).
• Prepare for the Lord's coming (3:1-2).
• Welcome His refining work in your life (3:3).
• Rest in God's unchanging nature (3:6).
• Return to God, and He will return to you (3:7).
• Don't rob God; give faithfully and generously (3:8-10).
• Trust God to provide when you obey (3:10).
• Don't say serving God is vain (3:14).
• Speak often with other believers to encourage faith (3:16).
• Remember that God records your faithfulness (3:16).
• Fear God's name, and look for the Sun of righteousness (4:2).
• Remember God's Word (4:4).
• Seek reconciliation in families (4:6).

Part Nine: Key Verses to Memorize

Conclusion

Malachi, "my messenger," was the last voice of the Old Testament. A century after the return from exile, he found a people grown cold: priests offering blind and lame animals, men divorcing the wives of their youth to marry pagans, the nation robbing God of tithes, and cynics saying it was vain to serve Him. Through a series of disputes he answered their objections, beginning with God's simple declaration, "I have loved you," and resting on His unchanging nature: "I am the LORD, I change not." He promised that God's name would be great among the Gentiles, that God remembers those who fear Him and calls them His jewels, and that the Lord Himself, the Messenger of the covenant, would suddenly come to His temple, preceded by a messenger in the spirit of Elijah. For the proud, that day would burn like an oven; for those who fear God, the Sun of righteousness would rise with healing in His wings. Then heaven fell silent for four hundred years, until a voice cried in the wilderness, and the Lord came to His temple in the person of Jesus Christ, the Sun of righteousness, who took the curse on Himself so that one day there will be no more curse.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings

Malachi 4:2