The Book of Malachi

At the time of Malachi's writing, the Jews who had returned to their homeland were again experiencing troubles all across their society, plus a great spiritual decline. These were the same issues that afflicted them before they were conquered and sent as exiles to Babylon a century and a half earlier. Now, about a hundred years later, they were facing the same issues and showing the sort of unfaithfulness that had marked the nation throughout its history. This is an example of how easily humanity falls into the same sins and how slow they are to learn the lessons of history. The people had become unbelieving and distrustful toward God. They doubted His love and His promises, and they questioned His justice. As their faith weakened, their worship became routine, lacking true respect and love for God.


A large portion of the book is written like a debate in which God responds through His prophet to show how unreasonable Israel's faulty reasoning and excuses are before God.


Five special features characterize the book of Malachi. 1. It gives us a close view of an encounter between God and His people. 2. Most of the conversation is presented with a question followed by an answer. There are 23 exchanges like this. 3. Malachi is the last of the Old Testament prophets. There is no voice of another prophet in Israel for 400 years after Malachi. This silence ended when the New Testament figure, John the Baptist, started preaching. 4. The phrase "the Lord almighty", occurs 20 times in this brief book. 5. It is significant that the final prophecy of God's Old Testament prophetic revelation foretold of a day when God would send the spirit of Elijah (referring to John the Baptist), whose mission included restoring strong godly fathers among God's people.


Three specific passages from Malachi are quoted in the New Testament. 1. The phrases,  I have loved Jacob" and "Esau I have hated," are quoted by Paul in his teaching about God's sovereignty in choosing whom He will use for the purpose He has planned. Malachi's prophecy about "the messenger, who will prepare the way before me", is quoted by Jesus in referring to John the Baptist and his ministry. Jesus understood that Malachi's prophecy about God sending "the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes applied to John the Baptist. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, tells us that the spirit of Elijah will appear again before the second coming of Christ (Rev. 11:3-6)