Part 3 of 3

BULLSEYE!
ACCURATE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!

QUESTION:WHAT’S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THE BOOK OF MALACHI?

ANSWER: “IT’S THE LAST THING GOD SAID TO ISRAEL FOR 400 YEARS!”

 “THE BOOK OF MALACHI”
Part 3 of 3

Prophets were chosen of God, to tell the certain future before it happened, with prophecy.

They would not predict the future, as this would imply guesswork on the part of the prophet.

God simply used these messengers, to tell what WOULD be happening. No guessing needed!

The books of the prophets, Isaiah to Malachi, cover about 400 years, 830-430BC approximately, when the Hebrew nation was in decline.

 THEIR MISSION AND MESSAGE

 1.   To try and save the Hebrew nation from IDOLATRY and wickedness.

 2.   Failing this, to announce to the nation, that they will be destroyed.

 3.   But not completely destroyed, as a remnant (a few left) will be saved.

 4.    Out of this remnant will come a Person who will bring all nations to God.

 5.   That person will be a great man who will one day arise out of the family tree of David. The prophets called him THE BRANCH. This family tree of David, once the most powerful family in the world, was cut down in the days of the prophets, and disappeared.

But the family would comeback with this man called THE BRANCH - THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev 19:16)

Not even understanding the full meaning and importance of their words, the prophets were obedient.

THE BASIC TIME LINE

Now about 100 years after Zechariah and Haggai, Malachi comes on the scene and is associated with Ezra and Nehemiah and their reforms. Malachi’s date is around 430 – 400BC.

 A remnant had returned from Babylonian captivity in 536 BC.

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah had led the people to rebuild the temple between 520 -516 BC.

Sixty years later (457BC) Ezra helps to rebuild the nation, and then 13 years after that (444 BC) Nehemiah comes to rebuild the wall.

So the Jews had been home in their land for about 100 years (430 BC) and had fallen into their old sins.

The priests had become lax (lazy and didn’t care) and degenerate (immoral, corrupt, sinful).

Sacrifices were inferior and tithes were neglected.

The people were intermarrying with other nations again (See chapter 9 for more details on that).

Israel had just reverted to their old sins, despite being the most favoured of all nations with God as their head.

They were weak and discouraged, going back to their old sins and ways, and become slack and lazy, hanging on to the fact that their Messiah would come one day to rescue them.
And indeed, Malachi prophesies that the Messiah would come.

606 – 536 BC: 70 years captivity in Babylon
536          BC: An altar built for sacrifices and the temple work started
536 – 520 BC: 16 years of no work on the temple
520 – 516 BC: 4 years Haggai and Zechariah get the temple finished.
457          BC: Ezra restores the nation
444          BC: Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem’s wall
430          BC:
MALACHI and a final message for Israel

 MALACHI
FINAL MESSAGE TO ISRAEL - THE DISOBEDIENT NATION 

Chapter 1 Contempt for temple sacrifices
Now verses 2-3 are quoted in Romans, where God chooses Jacob over Esau (Gen 25:22-34).

And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Romans 9:10-13
There are two nations that came from two brothers – Esau, the Edomites, and Jacob, the true Israelites. Edom and Judah (the Israelites) were both destroyed by Babylon, but Israel had been restored and Edom (with the last in the line of King Herod) had become desolate and disappeared into history.

Diseased animals with blemishes were offered to God which they would not have dared given to their governor (v8). This was an insult to God. But Malachi sees the day when God will be loved in all the earth even though his own nation despise him (v11).

Chapter 2 Marriages with heathen neighbours
The priests had become corrupt and lead the people away from fearing God (v1-9), and their name had become contemptible in the people’s eyes (v9).
Marriages were broken (v10-16) with intermarriage and divorce – a double sin. It had got so bad that “good was evil” and that which was evil was being held as good.

Doubt and skepticism was so bad in doubting God, that people were saying that there was no use in serving God. Other nations were more prosperous than Israel and this was adding to their saying “What’s the use of serving and fearing God?” (See 3:13-18)

Chapter 3:1-6 The coming day of the Lord
Malachi replies to them saying The Day was coming when God’s messenger (Jesus Christ) would bring judgment upon them. (See 3:13-18)

Chapter 3:7-12 Tithes
They were robbing God of his tithes. Tithing was the money that was God’s and just as a man had no right to another man’s land or goods, then the tithe was exclusively God’s possession.
They were stealing from God what was his. God says to prove him this and if they were faithful in their tithes and giving, then God would make them prosperous. God wanted them to test him.

Chapter 3:13-18 The return of national doubt, scorn and disbelief
They didn’t believe God on his promise with tithes and thought it a waste of money. However there were a faithful few, and their names were placed in God’s Book of Remembrance (v16-17)

Chapter 4 The coming day of the Lord
Four
times Malachi switches focus to “The Day of the Lord” (1:11; 3:1-6, 16-18; 4:1-6) and five times also calls it “The Day” (3:2, 17; 4;1, 3, 5).

Now all this is similar to today. The church is in a mess, sinful and indolent (lazy and degenerate).

They were told to get back to the law of Moses (v40).
Malachi closes with the prophecy that Elijah (John the Baptist Matthew 3:1-12;11:14; Luke 1:17) will usher in the dreadful day of the Lord (v5).

Hopefully, Malachi says, that you will turn to your Father in heaven, as father and son come together on earth (v6).

Now with all that, God closes up his talking to the Jews for about 400 years, till Christ comes. As they have rejected all prophets, Israel rejected Christ. The end result is that they have been wandering the earth ever since, without a home, until in 1948, they were granted nationhood and land in their own homeland of Israel.

 IN SUMMARY:

 MALACHI 450-400BC

 FINAL MESSAGE TO ISRAEL - THE DISOBEDIENT NATION 
Jews been home for about 100 years - degenerate priests, tithes neglected, inferior sacrifices,
intermarrying with other nations. The Messiah will come but it will mean judgement.

 Chapter 1 Disdain for temple sacrifices
Chapter 2 Intermarrying

Chapter 3 Day of the Lord, tithes, scepticism

Chapter 4 Coming day of the Lord

He sees: The 2nd Advent 3:1-3, 4:1-6

See (Part 1 of 3)
**** ****

Harley Hitchcock

www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com


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