Day #273

Sermon - Audio
Malachi - Audio
Malachi - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1

Malachi as a chapter in the Master Story:

The story of the Bible is the story of God’s covenant dealings with his people. That covenant includes commands that God expects his people to obey. The book of Malachi shows what happens when God’s people do not take God’s demands seriously. It also anticipates the coming of the Messiah, who will turn the hearts of people back to God.

Theological Themes

(1) Sin: the book is a categorizing of sins, especially those that involve laxity in the religious and moral lives of those who profess to be God’s people. (2) Divine judgment: the book demonstrates God’s disapproval of his covenant people’s taking his demands lightly. (3) Covenant: the book is a selective manual of covenant stipulations first outlined in the Pentateuch. -ESVLB-

1-5 - The first five verses of the book are a backdrop to the ensuing lists of offenses.

6 - God's people, as sons, dishonor their Father.

7-10 - undesirable offerings, shown lack of honor, offerings of Cain, half-hearted giving

11-12 - God reiterates that despite their deplorable actions, His name will be known among the nations.

13 - The people complain that "It's too hard," "You ask too much," "I don't want to give that much." How is this acceptable to God? How does this look in light of what He's done for us?

14 - God demands the best from us.

2

1-4 - The priests obedience is only in outward signs...their hearts are cold toward God. There is no relationship there. God wants his covenant to continue, so he will use His discipline to get them back in line.

5-7 - Priests must walk as Levi (Reverence, Know God's Word, Godly Character, and as Teacher)

8-9 The Priests have screwed it up and have not done justly in all matters.

10 - Ouch! "Has not one God created us all? Have we all not one Father?"

Q - Why do we deal so treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

11-12 - Marriage is set apart as a holy relationship. God's people have cheated on Him and this is not acceptable. His people have continually done this to Him.

13-16 - God defends that woman in marriage here. God claims the same thing He does in Genesis 2...He made man and woman as one unit. They complete one another. Even divorce happens and there is forgiveness...God still hates it because so many people are hurt and affected in the midst of it. It is against the created order of things. Also... Part of the marriage ceremony in Bible involved the husband covering his wife with his garment as a symbol of the protection he brought her. But now, their garments were covered with violence.

17 - The people wonder where God is while the wicked prosper, where is the justice...and yet they show no justice themselves...they are disobedient to God...ughhh

Q - How does this reflect our modern-day church? Do we complain about the world and do very little to change it?

3

This unit falls into two parts—a prophecy of the sudden appearance of a judging God, a messianic prophecy (vv. 1–5), and an indictment of the people for being negligent in their tithes, accompanied by a promise of lavish blessing for obedience in tithing (vv. 6–12). The image of the refining fire (v. 2) highlights a unifying thrust of the whole book: the refining of God’s people to purify them of what is corrupt. -ESVLB-

1 - But in v. 1b, another idea is in view, for v. 1b speaks in poetic parallelism, in which two lines express the same idea in different words. Therefore, the Lord whom you seek is the same person as the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, and thus this coming “messenger of the covenant” is the same divine being as “the Lord,” who also is desired and will come. -ESVSB-

2-5 - This messenger will come to bless/judge, to purify sinners and judge others.

6 - I the LORD do not change implies that God’s character and eternal purposes do not change, which gives a solid foundation for his people’s faith and hope. However, unchangeableness in character does not mean that the Lord is unchanging in his actions, for the very next verse, “Return to me and I will return to you” (v. 7), shows that God acts differently in response to different situations. Therefore implies that God’s purpose to bring blessing to the world through Abraham’s descendants and through a Davidic Messiah will not be defeated, and thus the children of Jacob are not consumed: their existence as the restored community is evidence of God’s faithfulness. -ESVSB-

8 - Tithing is seen as robbery

13-15 - God lets the people know that they shouldn't be shocked at all of this. They talk the talk, but rarely walk with Him. They try to find fault with God's commands.

16-18 - The other people fear God and "They shall be His"

18 - "Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him."

4

This unit is mixed in content. As we read, we need to differentiate verses that (1) continue to denounce Judah for perverting the demands of the covenant, (2) state commands from God to his people, and (3) predict the coming of the Messiah to accomplish redemption—a coming “day of the Lord.” -ESVLB-

1 - See Luke 3:17, Isa 47:14, Matt 3:12, 2 Thess. 1:7-8

2 - fear - reverent respect

2 - healing and freedom is offered for those who fear the Lord. God will vindicate His people.

The “righteousness” brought by this “sun” includes both judgment on evildoers and reward for those who are righteous in their deeds. Its wings are a poetic image for the rays of this sun, bringing healing to all who come under its influence. Some suggest that ancient Near Eastern depictions of a winged sun disk are reflected in the image. Malachi’s readers probably would have thought this image predicted the sudden appearance of God himself, who is elsewhere compared to the sun (Ps. 84:11; Isa. 60:19–20; cf. Ps. 27:1; Isa. 60:1; Rev. 21:23). But Christian interpreters throughout the history of the church have understood this prophecy to be fulfilled in Christ, who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12; cf. John 1:4–6). -ESVSB-

5 - Elijah - See Luke 1:17 & Matt 11:14 on JTB.

As we end the study of the Old Testament we see a clear proclamation of the Messiah's coming. God will reveal Himself in the flesh.