Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Get a basic overview of who Malachi was and what the book bearing his name is all about.
Key Points:
- Malachi takes place about a hundred years after the return from the Babylonian Captivity. His message was directed toward the people of Jerusalem. The temple had been rebuilt, but things were not going well. The Israelites who repopulated Jerusalem were just as unfaithful to God as their ancestors. In Malachi, we find out just how corrupt the new generation has become.
- Malachi is organized as a series of disputes between God and the Israelites. God will claim something and Israel will disagree. In the first three disputes, God exposes Israel’s corruption. In the latter three, he confronts their corruption. Sadly, Israel did not learn their lesson in captivity; there hearts were as hard as ever. Malachi 1:2-5; 1:6-2:9; 2:10-16; 2:17-3:5; 3:6-12; 3:13-18.
- The end of Malachi talks about “The Day of the LORD.” This is a day of judgment that wicked people should fear but righteous people should rejoice in. In Malachi, the “faithful remnant” of Israelites who truly honored God rejoiced that this day would eventually come.
- Malachi summarizes the Torah and the Prophets as a unified story pointing forward. The scripture anticipates a future day of a new Elijah who will restore God’s people and heal their hard hearts. This concluding appendix presents the scriptures as a divine gift that announce God’s promise to one day send a messenger and show up personally to confront sin and bring his healing justice.
Quote This:
Malachi 4:2-3 But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Talk About It
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- How is it possible that the Israelites, despite having experienced captivity just a few generations earlier, would have returned to their same sins?
- Consider “the Day of the LORD.” How do you feel about God judging the world and everyone in it? Explain.
- In what ways does Malachi anticipate the appearance of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ in the New Testament?
- Read Malachi 4:2-3. What does this passage say about Jesus? How should it give us hope?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
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