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The prophet speaks

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These are full studies and were written originally in March 2009

Bible study for Malachi 1:1-5

Malachi 1:1-5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

The first verses of a work such as the prophecy of Malachi are often important.  What we have read today may seem relatively straightforward, but it reveals far more than a casual glance might suggest.  Many Christians know Malachi’s prophecy about the return of Elijah (4:5), and some are familiar with his words against complacency urging God’s people to tithe and give the Lord His due (3:8f.).  Few, however, are aware of its powerful comments about remaining faithful when life is hard, and this is especially important for those who feel that God’s great deeds are but a distant memory.

The prophecy of Malachi has been argued about for centuries.  Firstly, the book gives no indication of who ‘Malachi’ is, and secondly, it does not say much about when it was written.  However, none of this should worry us.  The name ‘Malachi’ means ‘my messenger’, which has led some to suggest that the book was written anonymously.  But it is generally true of Hebrew names that they had a meaning, and ‘Malachi’ is no different in this respect, moreover, the meaning of the name adds to our sense of expectation in reading the work of someone who knew himself to be God’s ‘messenger’.  Secondly, a close look at the general social conditions of Israel mentioned by this prophecy suggest that it was written around 500 to 450 AD.  This was after the return of the first exiles from Babylon and the rebuilding of the Temple under Zerubabbel, Haggai and Zechariah (as recorded by Ezra 1-6), but before the extensive ministry of Ezra himself (Ezra 7-10) and Nehemiah, that re-created the organised religious life of the Israelite community in Jerusalem and rebuilt the walls of the city.

The whole of Malachi reflects a sense of unhappiness and unease within the Israelite community in the days after their return.  The Temple had been rebuilt, but it seemed that the glory of the Lord’s presence had not yet returned (as in Ezekiel – 43:4f.).  Life was hard and the Israelite community was increasingly sceptical about their God.  This negativity was what drew Ezra (Ezra 7:1f.) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1f.) back to Jerusalem from far flung regions of the Persian Empire, but it was also what lay behind the phrase in the opening verses of Malachi that we have read today.  The Lord had said to his people ‘I have loved you’, only for the people to reply, ‘In what way have you loved us?’ (1:2) and the more you think about it, the more you realise what a heart-rending failure of faith this represents.  God’s people had lost faith in their God!

God could have done or said a number of things; He could have chastised Israel for her unbelief or shown His power and glory.  He did none of these because, the people had endured virtually the complete obliteration of their culture, their nationhood and their faith, through the terror of exile under the Babylonians.  So the Lord replied to the awful and depressive state of His people by reminding them of their history.  Malachi delivered the message that the Lord loved Israel and had chosen to do so, but not Edom, the nation founded by Esau, Jacob’s brother.  These two nations had a long history, but verses 3 and 4 reflect the fact that by the fifth century BC Edom had been wiped off the map of world.  Israel, however, still survived.  A vast unknown number of Jewish people now lived around the cities of the Persian Empire (as in the book of Esther, for example), and a tiny but disillusioned community existed in Jerusalem.  The Lord still had an important work for His people to do, and He needed them to live in the Promised Land according to the historic covenant, because His plan for the salvation of the world had yet to be completed.  Malachi was entrusted with a message to challenge Israel to remain faithful.

The book of Malachi consequently has an important place in the history of Old Testament prophecy.  It will also speak directly to us today, particularly to people who live at a time when they feel that God is far away and has ceased to work in power as He did many years ago.  This is not true of all Christians today, but it describes some very accurately.

Going Deeper

Each of verses 1 and 2 of Malachi has important nuances yielding helpful information about the meaning of the whole of Malachi’s prophecy.  After this, the section about Esau needs some explanation to be fully understood, before we can appreciate the triumphant comment ‘Great is the Lord, even beyond the borders of Israel!’.  The rest of our study focuses on these details and nuances of the Hebrew text.

Malachi 1:1-5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V1 ‘The oracle’

The Hebrew word is ‘masha’ which means ‘burden’ as in the pack placed on a mule or a camel for carrying things.  It conveys the idea of carrying something for a purpose (see study).

V1 ‘delivered by Malachi’

The expression here is ‘by the hand of Malachi’, and this is a colloquial way of saying that something has been delivered by someone.  Most translations have ‘Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi’, but this does not quite capture the sense of delivery which is also essential to the meaning of this verse.  The word ‘Malachi’ means quite simply ‘my messenger’.  It is not a name and never was a name (as far as we can tell).  For a fuller explanation of this, see the study.

V4 ‘but as for me, I will demolish’

Most translations have ‘but I will demolish’.  However, in the middle of this, the word for ‘I’ is repeated and emphasized.  One of the best ways to generate this emphasis in English is as I have translated.

V4 ‘a people with whom the Lord is incensed forever!’

The Hebrew verb here is a general word for being cross or angry; I have translated ‘incensed’.  Some Bible versions use the word ‘wrath’ here, but there is a special word for ‘wrath’ that is not used here, so because of the implications of this word, it is best not to use it unless it is specifically used in the Hebrew.

Malachi 1:1-5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

The Lord’s ‘burden’ (1:1)

The first word in the Hebrew text of Malachi is ‘masha’, and is usually translated ‘oracle’.  This is one of a number of words used in the Old Testament to describe pronouncements delivered through the prophets to God’s people (other words indicating prophecy include ‘the Word of the Lord’, ‘Thus says the Lord, or just ‘Listen!’).  Many ancient pagan religions retained the idea of the ‘oracle’ or a word from the gods, and these were frequently delivered in the innermost sanctuary of a Temple.  Israel’s prophets, however, did not have access to the ‘holy of holies’ unless they were priests, and most of them received and spoke their messages without going to a holy place.  This proved to be vital for the continuance of the prophetic tradition in Israel after the Temple had been destroyed in 587BC.  For the word of God did not depend upon a building, but on the individual and a relationship with the living God.  ‘Oracles’ were delivered by Isaiah (13:1, 15:1, 21:1,11,13 etc.) as well as Nahum (1:1) and Zechariah (9:1, 12:1), and almost all of them were delivered against nations that had opposed God.

In Malachi, his ‘oracle’ indicates that God had a complaint against Israel; certainly, something was wrong with the relationship between God and His people and the purpose of the oracle was to bring this out into the open so that it could be tackled and resolved.  Some believe that the idea of an oracle or a ‘burden’ could also indicate that it was something that weighed heavily on the heart of the prophet.  This could easily be the case, but a word from the Lord does not need to be called an ‘oracle’ for this to be the case.  Another feature of the word is that a burden was something carried, and a closely related word that sounds almost exactly the same as ‘masha’ (oracle) in Hebrew means ‘to lift up’.  The idea of lifting up is frequently used in the Bible to indicate making something known so that something can be done.  It is highly likely that this Hebrew word indicated to its first readers that here was something that God was ‘lifting up’ and making known, so that something could be done about it.  As we travel on through Malachi, the truth of this will become very clear.

The other feature of verse 1 is the way that the verse ends.  The notes above explain the details, and they make it clear that Malachi was God’s ‘messenger’, because this is what his name means, and also that he was someone whose job was to deliver to others what had first been given to him; hence the expression ‘by the hand of ...’ as explained in the notes.  The task of the prophet has always been that of the ‘middle man’ between God and His people, and insights such as these are best retained when we discuss the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy that is now an important feature of the life of the church.

The Lord’s love for Israel (1:2/3)

In verse 2, Malachi begins his message, declaring, ‘The Lord says ...’ and reports a quite astonishing short speech of the Lord to Israel; ‘I have loved you, but you ask, “In what way have you loved us?”’  Firstly, the beginning to Malachi’s prophetic word is typical of what is to come.  Most of Malachi is in the form of what is called a ‘disputation’, in which a question is asked and an answer given.  Most of these questions and answers are hypothetical but they arose from real events or real feelings, and they went to the heart of the division between the Lord and His people.  The Lord still loved His people, but after what they had been through in the recent years of their history, the remaining Israelites had difficulty believing it.  God had abandoned them in their hour of need, the exile in Babylon, so what could it possibly mean now for God to say that He loved them?

The answer to this criticism from Israel comes in the next two verses, but it is helpful to our understanding of this if we look at the word for ‘love’ used here in verse 2.  God had loved His people from the day He chose them through their forefather Abraham (Genesis 12f.), and this was expressed in the historic ‘covenant’ formed first with Abraham (Genesis 13,15,17).  In the Old Testament, this covenant was frequently expressed through the use of the word ‘cheseth’ meaning ‘faithful love’, which emphasizes the on-going and never changing love of God.  Nevertheless, this was not the word for ‘love’ used in this passage.  Hebrew, and most other languages have many words for ‘love’, but English has only one.  The Hebrew word used here is ‘ahavah’ meaning ‘ undeserved love’.  The choice of this word is important in the light of what comes next, which is a comment about God’s choice of the nation of Israel over and against the nation of Edom.  Israel had to realize that God’s choice and His love was undeserved and free.  There was no special reason why Israel was loved by God, and consequently, Israel could not point to any merit on their own part.  Malachi does not say this here, but the message here is very clear.  Why should Israel complain to God when they had done nothing to deserve His love?

The problem with Esau (1:3/4)

The Lord began to explain the nature of undeserved love by giving the example of Israel and Edom and explaining it.  In order to understand this part of Malachi, we have to remember that Jacob and Esau were twins, but Esau was the older, but only just (Gen 25:24-26).  As a consequence, Esau inherited the birthright of his father Isaac which included the great Covenant with Almighty God.  However, Jacob cheated Esau out of his birthright not just once (Gen 25:29-34) but twice (Gen 27), and then had to endure many years of hardship before God was prepared to confirm in him the gift of the birthright and the inheritance of the Covenant (Gen 32:22-32) at which point Jacob was renamed ‘Israel’.  When Jacob met his brother Esau again, the two managed to sustain an atmosphere of peace, but over the following centuries, there was little love lost between these two peoples.  Israel’s sons became the nation of Israel, and Esau’s sons became the nation we call Edom, who live to the East of the Jordan valley and generally to the south of the Dead Sea.

Over the years, Edom made life difficult for Israel (see, for example, Numbers 20 and Amos 1:11-15).  However, whilst Israel was being invaded by the Babylonians, the region occupied for centuries by the Edomites was gradually occupied by a large wandering tribal group of people called ‘Nabateans’ (see a partial reference to this in Ezekiel 32:28-32).  So, when the Israelites returned to Jerusalem, they may have found a few Edomite people living in the region around Jerusalem, but only because they had been displaced from their traditional tribal lands.  In effect, they were more ‘homeless’ than the Israelites.  At least the Israelites had occupation of their precious Jerusalem.

With this history background, we can now unpick what was said in Malachi’s prophecy.  When the Lord declared ‘... I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau’, He was saying what was obvious to most people.  His faithful consistent Covenant love had remained with the people of Israel, but the nation of Edom had been without this love.  The Hebrew word for ‘hated’ is simply the opposite to the word ‘ahavah’ (unconditional love), and it is hard to find an English equivalent for it.  In some places in the Bible, the word does not mean ‘hate’ as we would use that word, but refers to someone who has become an enemy due to their own decision to reject the advance of another.  Esau, and hence Edom, had always rejected the Godly ways of Israel, and this meant that their relationship with God was ‘non-existent’, and this is the best way for us to think about what is said here.  God was not pursuing Edom with an active or evil ‘hate’, but Edom had chose to turn away from God’s love and had consequently become the object of God’s ‘non-love’.

The rest of the prophecy in verses 3 and 4 is a matter of historical understanding.  When the Lord declared that the Edomite lands had been turned over to ‘desert jackals’, it has been reckoned by some that this was a nickname for the ‘Nabateans’, whose primary ability was to occupy desert regions by stealth, like ‘jackals’.  The Hebrew words for ‘desert’ and  for ‘jackal’ contain consonants that figure strongly in the name Nabatean’.  In addition, the Lord’s prophecy was that the Edomites would not be able to recover their lands and rebuild, which they longed to do just as the people of Israel longed to rebuild Jerusalem.  The prophecy in Malachi 1:4 was not given lightly or incorrectly; it was a matter of fact.  The Edomites had no future, and they have indeed disappeared from history.

God is great! (1:5)

The last part of our passage today prophesies that the people of Israel will see what has happened to the Edomites, their closest relations, and appreciate that God has indeed blessed them in comparison to the Edomites; ‘You will see this with your own eyes and say, “Great is the Lord, even beyond the borders of Israel!”’ (1:5).

Instead of pursuing Israel’s groaning and antagonism, the Lord was content with the truths of history that He believed would become evident in the future.  The whole of the beginning of Malachi’s prophecy was a statement of confidence that the Lord’s would be vindicated; it did not chide or argue, but stated the truth and appealed to God’s people to open their eyes and see both what God had done in the past and what He was doing in the present day.  Enlightened by Malachi, the Lord wanted His people to perceive that He did indeed love them, and He was to be worshipped, and honoured.  As we will find out tomorrow, this is exactly what the prophecy moves on to next.  Once they accept that God loves them, the people of Israel must once again show this properly within their worship.

Malachi 1:1-5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

It is almost impossible not to observe that God’s people go through phases of unfaithfulness to their Lord even today, and we do well to learn the lesson of Malachi.  They speak specifically to people who are asking questions about whether God is really blessing His people, and feel that recent history shows that God has not exactly been active.  The truth was that God had not been active in Israel because they had not been doing God’s will.  No one can read 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles and doubt that these great historic documents of the Old Testament have one thesis, which is that the people of Judah and Jerusalem were taken into captivity by Babylon because despite the love of their God, they acted towards Him with unfaithfulness and sin.  The sad and difficult process of rebuilding the nation of Israel after the Exile started with great enthusiasm under the leadership of two prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) and the leader Zerubabbel.  However, this was not enough to deal with weight of historic sin amongst the people, and Ezra and Nehemiah had to deal with this through prayer and re-structuring (the general theme of their books).  If we now add to this the prophetic word of Malachi, then the picture makes sense; but for us today, all this tells us that if we are to go forward, we must deal with what went wrong in the first place.

If there is one thing we can learn from the opening words of Malachi it must surely be this, that God’s love for us does not change, but we must both look to history (1:2) and also open our eyes to what is happening in our own world (1:5) to perceive the way forward.  Our Lord does love us, but we will not learn how to go forward in our own strength or by ignoring our past, or by wallowing in the self-centredness of faith that tries to live by questioning God.  In my own country, I have seen many people who think it helpful to promote faith as a process of journeying without ever reaching any answers, for example, or they suggest that we must ditch what we have inherited from the past and just follow what the Spirit says to us now.

These are only examples, but they are so sad!  Faith without assurance is no faith at all!  It may be religion, and it may have a ‘spirituality’ that appeals to some, especially to those who question God because they think that the world has moved on beyond His ancient revelation!  In addition, any attempt to ditch our historic doctrines, the Bible and the practices of our churches is a form of denial.  We have received faith from people of faith and others before them, so who are we to say that what they believed so passionately is not good enough for us!  It is only with a most extraordinary blindness to our own sinfulness that we stand up to God and say ‘we know best’, and act like those to whom Malachi delivered his prophetic ‘burden’, so many centuries ago.  Malachi’s prophecy has much more to say to us, because the Lord’s love for us does not stop, and He will never give up on us!

Malachi 1:1-5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. Discuss in your group the parallels between the times of Malachi and our own times.  What does this prophecy say to us today?
2. Does God really ‘hate’ some people?  What does verse 3 mean, and how can we reconcile this with the ideas of God’s love for all people?
3. If Israel had to perceive the Lord ‘beyond the borders of Israel’, where might we perceive the Lord to be today?

Personal comments by author

I have been deeply saddened to see people who know that something is wrong with the church attempt to sort out what they think is wrong without any recourse to studying God’s Word, the history of the church, or undertaking any form of careful study of God’ ways and works at all.  Where this has gone alongside a belief that the Holy Spirit is active only in the present and the inspirational, and not through the past or through care and attention to detail, then we have a recipe for disaster.  Satan has played all these cards before to try and put God’s people off the ‘scent’ of renewal and revival; surely we must accept that the Lord has already told us how to find our way through the distress of feeling that the Lord is absent?  A proper study of Malachi is an important part of preparation for God’s renewal, especially for today.

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Have you ever felt that you have a ‘burden’, a message from the Lord that must be delivered?  Have you felt that you do not know how to deliver this message, and struggle to know what to do with it?  Then it may help you to know that many Christian people feel the same.  Only when we get together, talk about it, and discern between the truth and the devil’s distractions will we find the way forward.  How can you do this?
• Pray for all those who feel that God has abandoned them, especially those who are part of God’s church, and do not know how to deal with their feelings.

Final Prayer

Holy Lord, great God of wonders and great Lord of all glory; do those amazing feats and signs in our midst that will encourage us to be bold and strong in our faith; prepared to take risks and join the heavenly battle against all evil.  Praise You, Holy Lord for Your great power and Majesty! AMEN

Bible study for Malachi 1:6-14

Malachi 1:6-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

In this remarkable passage, we find ourselves thrust into the Malachi’s most heartfelt concerns about the worship of God’s people.  As we read, we are thrust into the arcane world of sacrificial worship, which is an area of the Old Testament that many Christians avoid because it is so far removed from our worship today.  Nevertheless, we can easily perceive that the problem with this worship was that the priests had begun to treat their duties with contempt and the worship performed was far from what the Lord expected of His people.  Although the ancient laws of sacrificial worship are hard to comprehend, they can help us with our faith today; for example, they can help us appreciate more fully the meaning of Christ’s death on the Cross (as in Hebrews 9).  As far as this passage is concerned, our study of it will help us gain insight into some valuable spiritual lessons about the worship of God, even today.

What we have read is an anguished call from God, the ‘Lord of Hosts’, disputing the negative attitudes and practices of the priests in Jerusalem during the fifth century BC, after the Exile and the rebuilding of the Temple (see yesterday’s study).  People were poor, and Jerusalem was a shadow of its former self.  Malachi’s prophecy reads like an argument between God and priests, who stood accused of having a slack attitude towards worship because they were ‘defiling’ the altars in the Temple and the ‘table of the Lord’ (1:7,12).  Their attitude towards God was wrong (1:6,7), because they not only offered ‘defiled food’ on the altar, they also told others that the quality of sacrifice did not matter (1:7).  Leviticus tells us (see 1:3,10, 3:1,6 etc) that the only animals acceptable for sacrificial worship were perfect males, and from the point of view of both breeding and eating, these were the most valuable specimens.  The idea was that only the best was appropriate for the worship of God; but instead of helping the people sustain this proper attitude to worship during difficult times, the priests changed the rules!

The Lord’s anger at this downgrading of worship was considerable; was he of less worth than an earthly master (1:8)?  More than this, however, Malachi’s prophecy said something far more significant; defiled and impure offerings were not just an insult to God, they were unacceptable to Him!  If Israel would not offer the Lord proper worship, then He would prefer that the doors of the Temple be shut (1:10)!  Moreover, He would accept worship from whosoever offered it amongst the nations (1:11)!  It is here that we read the famous words; ‘From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations.’  These words have been passed down in Christian tradition in the form found in Psalm 113:3; ‘From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is greatly to be praised.’  Malachi’s vision may have come from the Psalm, or the Psalm come from Malachi’s vision, but it expresses superbly the authority and majesty of God.

We should not fail to appreciate the importance of this text.  God’s rejection of inappropriate worship was not a matter of His not being sensitive to the circumstances of His people, but of the people’s unwillingness to honour the Lord as truly God.  Second class worship of God is not good enough, irrespective of life’s circumstances.  Even if life is tough, it is still possible to show true faith and give one’s best to God.  Offering the best does not mean ‘doing things perfectly’, but it does mean being disciplined enough to do things well because we worship God who is our Creator and Redeemer.  Christian worship must surely reflect a pure heart of love, devotion, service and care according to the revelation of Christ in God’s Word, throughout history and in our own lives.  Poor standards of worship are an insult to God today just as much in Malachi’s day; for example, in sermons that show little dedication to God’s Word, or in shabbily organised services of worship that are incomprehensible to those to whom we witness (see 1 Cor. 14).  Together with Malachi, we must show spiritual discernment in matters of worship.

Going Deeper

If we are to understand this passage properly, then we must work our way through the ‘to and fro’ comments of this prophecy because these reflect what the priests were saying about sacrifices and worship, and God’s responses.  As we do this, we will find that the prophecy links with other Old Testament prophecies that are Messianic in nature, and look forward to the New Testament.

Malachi 1:6-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V7 ‘how have we defiled you?’

You will find that some Bible versions have ‘how have we defiled it?’ with the implication that what they are talking about is the defiling of the altar.  However, the Hebrew Bible clearly has ‘... defiled you’ and the argument here is between the Lord and the priests.  The confusion has arisen because the ancient Septuagint translation (see dictionary) has ‘it’ instead of ‘you’, just because the translators could not make the sentence work properly in Greek!

V8 ‘... accept you’

The Hebrew text says ‘lift up your face’, but this must mean some form of acceptance, as a colloquial expression.

V10 ‘who from among you would shut the Temple doors’

The word ‘temple’ is not in the Hebrew text, though it can hardly be anywhere else.  Most translators include the word ‘Temple’ simply to make the verse comprehensible to an English reader.

V11 ‘and what comes from it ...’

The Hebrew word here is ‘fruit’.  Here, then, the ‘fruit of the Lord’s table’ means the food that has been offered upon it and is now available for eating. For the full meaning of this, see the study.

V13 How troublesome this is,' and you sneer at it,’

The word ‘troublesome’ is difficult.  It is a form of a word meaning ‘weariness’ or ‘burden’ and the emphasis is upon the appearance of problems and trouble.  Also the word for ‘sneer’ means something like ‘blowing out’ or snorting with displeasure.

Malachi 1:6-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

At the very beginning of our passage, we realise that we are listening to a speech by God reported by Malachi.  I have separate out the different sections of the speech so that the reader can more easily appreciate each phase of what ‘the Lord of Hosts says’, even though everything is clearly connected within one speech.  Most Bibles place the whole passage in one paragraph, but this means that few can appreciate what is being said at a first reading.  Forcing the passage apart to smaller paragraphs helps us follow what is being said with more ease.

Respecting God  (1:6-7)

The beginning of the passage uses a typical image of the relationship of God and Israel as like father and son (see also Exodus 4:22, Deuteronomy 32:6, Isaiah 63:16, Jeremiah 3:4,19, Hosea 11:1).  This bond was close in ancient times, and a son was expected to give absolute respect to his father, as is indicated by the fifth commandment ‘You shall love you father and mother ...’ (Ex 20:12) which also links respect of child for parent as a condition of ‘living long in the land’.  The piercing question God put to the priests was whether they wished to sustain this relationship, because if they did not, they would live no longer in the land than their predecessors who sinned and were taken into Exile!

The trouble that afflicted God’s people was due to a broken relationship with God, and in verse 6, God challenged the priests by telling them directly ‘you despise my name’.  In answer to this challenge, the priests retorted ‘how have we despised Your name?’ (1:6).  Either they had lost the art of spiritual discernment and did not know how, or they knew what they were doing and thought nothing of it!  So the Lord was forced to answer by telling them that they had contravened one of the essential laws they were required to fulfil in performance of the sacrificial system of worship; they had offered ‘defiled food upon my altar ...’!  At this point it is not yet said what ‘defiled food’ meant, but another important point arises.

In verse 7 the priests responded not by responding to the charge, but by pressing home their own defence.  In truth, they were fully aware that they had broken Moses’ laws about sacrifice, but they demanded to know why this affected God and insisted; ‘how have we defiled You?’ (1:7)  They did not perceive why their actions were an affront to God, because they felt that they had the right to set out the requirement of worship according to the needs of the people (see introduction).  However, the very fact that they asked this question illustrated the nature of the break that had occurred between them, and as soon as we hear this question from the priests we know there is no longer a ‘father and son’ relationship between God and His people.  The priests had set themselves up as religious authorities on what God wanted, and had departed from their proper role as intermediaries between God and His people.

The true job of a priest (1:8-9)

Naturally, therefore, the response of the Lord was to give the priests a small lecture about their duties as priests, and this is found in verse 8 and 9.  Here, Malachi reports the basic requirement of the law that sick, lame and blind animals were not to be slaughtered for sacrifice (Lev 22:18-25, Deuteronomy 15:21).  The logic of God’s argument here is simple; no such animal would be acceptable fare for the preparation of a meal for any earthly master (here called a ‘governor’, meaning some form of ruler).

More than this, however, the Lord presented the priests with a challenge that went further, and pressed home the perilous nature of what they were doing that God knew all about.  It was the job of a priest to offer sacrifices for a number of reasons, including intercession for the people.  Now today we think of intercession as rather like responding to events as they happen; so when someone is ill, we circulate their name on a prayer list of those who will pray for that person in intercession.  However, in ancient times, although the priests did indeed have functions to help people when life was difficult or discern illness and pray (e.g. instructions for leprosy, Leviticus 13), their intercession was generally quite different.  Their job was to offer continual worship to the Lord in order to secure His favour on the people for the future (e.g. the ‘day of atonement’ – Exodus 30:10f. and Leviticus 16, 23:28).

In the light of this, God’s challenge in verse 9 becomes clear.  If the priests do not do their job of interceding for the people properly, how will they expect the Lord’s protection when troubles come in the future?  It is a little difficult to read verse 9 and work out who is saying what and why, but it is essentially all God’s speech though He is cynical because of the failure of the priests to do their work properly!

The Lord rejects false worship and accepts pure worship (1:10-11)

Then, the Lord issued an extraordinary call; ‘Who from amongst you would shut the Temple doors so that you would not light up my altars in vain?’  This was a call for the total shut down of worship in the Temple!  It sounds extraordinary, but we must remember that during the exile, in the living memory for most Israelites of that day, the Temple had indeed been ‘shut’ because it had been destroyed by the Babylonians.  All Malachi was doing was reminding the people of what the great prophet Jeremiah had said so many years ago whilst the people were in exile in Babylon.  He prophesied that God laws would be ‘written on the hearts’ of the people (Jeremiah 31:33) when they ceased to present sacrifices in the Temple.  Indeed, of the prophets who spoke about sacrifice it is hard to find one who had a good word to say about the system because of the way it was constantly abused (see Amos 4:4, Hosea 9:4, Isaiah 1:11 and many more).  If all the returning exiles wanted to do in Jerusalem was to sacrifice to God in what was merely ‘pretend’ worship, then the Lord God, said Malachi, would rather shut the Temple doors; He said ‘I take no pleasure in you ... I will not accept an offering from your hands’!  Little wonder that by the end of Malachi, he was prophesying the days prior to the coming of the Messiah and a complete change on God’s world order (4:1-6)!

Astonishing, however, Malachi gave what many today call a ‘picture’, which is very similar to Psalm 113:3,4.  For ease of comparison, I have placed these two side by side below:

‘From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations’ (1:11).

‘From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.’  (Psalm 113:3,4)

It is quite impossible to know which came first, Malachi’s prophecy or Psalm 113!  It may be that Psalm 113, one of the great ‘Hallel’ psalms, was written after Malachi’s prophecy was known and understood (‘Hallel’, means ‘praise’, and comes from the last word of the Psalm).  It may be that Malachi perceived the truth of Psalm 113 as God brought it graphically to his mind.  The manner of the inspiration is not the point, but the message is, and it is clearly the same.  The Lord was taking His eyes off His own wayward people and looking towards the day when all people from every nation would give Him praise and worship!

It is not always accepted sufficiently that most of the major prophets and many of the psalms look forward to the day when Israel’s task is fulfilled and the Lord’s name is ‘lifted up’ in the whole world.  Here in this passage, Malachi observes what would have been almost unthinkable to many an orthodox Israelite; the pure praise of God given Him by people of the ‘nations’, the Old Testament name for what the New Testament calls ‘Gentiles’.

The curse of God on defiling worship (1:12-14)

In the last section of the passage today, the subject of the prophecy returns to the problem of defiled offerings and a defiled ‘altar’.  You will probably have noticed that in verse 7 and in verse 12, we read the expression ‘the Lord’s table’ when we are expecting to read ‘the altar’!  This, of course, is the expression many Christians use for the table set at the front of a church building on which the meal of the ‘Lord’s Supper’ is set.  In some denominations, this is called an ‘altar’, but many others reject the idea of an altar because it does not figure in New Testament descriptions of worship and the celebration of the Communion or the Lord’s Supper (e.g. 1 Cor 11:23f.).

What is this table?  It is a difficult question to answer, because this is the only place in the whole Bible where this expression exists!  The term the ‘table’ was used generally to refer to the table of the ‘Bread of the Presence’ in the Temple sanctuary (Exodus 25:23f.), on which was placed a symbolic loaf of bread.  The Table here in Malachi is not this table, however, because it is used as an altar (see 1:13).  The most likely explanation for it can be found in Ezekiel 41:22 and 44:16, where in describing the building of the new Temple, Ezekiel indicated that a table should be placed near to the doorway of a Temple courtyard, and used in placing sacrifices.  It is an entirely general description, and beyond this, we can find no other reference in Scripture to help us.  It may be best to think of this table as a general place for putting sacrifices, because Malachi was not interested in the details of the sacrifices or what was done with them, merely in what was brought for sacrifice, and whether it was appropriate or not.

It is shattering to report, but it lies at the heart of our text today.  The priests in Malachi’s day had so lost touch with the spiritual truths of what they were required to do that they regarded it as a chore to perform!  This is the only interpretation we can give to verse 13, where the Lord is aghast at the casual and lazy attitude of the priests; to them the whole sacrifice system had become troublesome and the object of their scorn.  What an insult!

In response to this, the Lord placed a curse on those who had much to offer but who refrained from offering it (1:14).  The principle is clear to us, but where our translation has ‘promise’, the Hebrew word indicates something quite specific.  In Malachi’s day, as in most of the Old Testament times, it was usual for people to make a promise or a vow to God that they would perform some special act of worship or thanksgiving (perhaps a sacrifice) if they were successful in some venture, or they travelled safely.  Psalm 107 gives a number of good examples of where people offered promises of thanksgiving for such outcomes, mentioning journeys, recovery from sickness, survival of drought, amongst other things.  Many ordinary Israelites brought sacrifices to fulfil vows or promises as a form of thanksgiving to God.  Here in our text, the Lord God curses those who have promised such thanksgiving but fail to deliver it!  What do people think they are doing, that they ‘play’ with the King of all the world and the author of all Creation?

What we do not easily recall because it is not part of our own understanding of things, is that the Old Testament regards a ‘curse’ of God as something that leads to death, but the blessing of God leads to life (see Deuteronomy 30).  This is why God’s name is truly to be ‘feared’ amongst the nations!  He has power over life and death!

Malachi 1:6-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

This extraordinary passage of scripture reminds us of many things and all are important for God’s people today, despite the fact that much of it is about sacrificial worship.  I doubt if you have read this study and not been prompted by the Spirit to make some connections with the worship of God’s people today!

Amongst the most important of these is the basic problem reflected in this passage of Malachi.  A true relationship of trust and communication had broken down between God and the priests (representing the people).  For whatever reason, the priests were now making the rules for worship as they went along, but people could not determine the worship of God; they could not then, and they cannot now!  Worship happens when people are obedient to their God and faithfully do what He says!  This is something of a challenge to us today, because we tend to think of worship as like a ‘freewill offering’ in which we can do what we want providing we feel that it expresses our own sense of what we want to do for God, perhaps to say ‘thanks’.  There is great merit in people’s genuine desire to worship the Lord from the heart, but both the New Testament and the Old indicate that worship starts with our placing ourselves before the Lord God in abject submission; we are people and He is God.  There is no place for self assertion or enjoyment before God; only complete self-effacing honesty and reality.  Much more flows from this, but you will see that in Malachi’s prophecy, God required the priests to accept His authority as Father and Lord.  Without this attitude of heart and mind on the part of people and priest, there was no worship that God would accept.

Other themes to do with worship and our relationship with God follow on from this, but I will not pursue them unnecessarily.  There is material in this passage for a good discussion about what it means to offer only the best to God (1:8,9,12,13).  The passage affords us the opportunity to consider that our worship is an essential part of our testimony to God within the world, rather than an experience like a private party (1:10-12,14); and more.

Whatever theme we choose to look at, there is no doubt that by speaking about worship Malachi put his finger on the heart of the true relationship between God and His people.

Malachi 1:6-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. In what ways do Christians not respect God today?  What can we do to try and ensure that our worship does not become ‘false’?
2. Discuss what is the equivalent today of offering blemished animals to God in worship.
3. What does this passage have to say about the responsibility of Christian leaders in the life of the Christian community today?

Personal comments by author

I have attended many acts of worship in different settings, and I fear that too many people appear to need certain personal needs to be fulfilled in what they do to worship, but this is just the opposite of what real worship is.  I have in the past been sorely taxed by this myself, because I have been to church Sunday by Sunday and felt uninspired to worship, wishing that I might perhaps move church and find something better.  Each time I have felt this, the Lord has had to remind me that my worship of Him is something far deeper, and whether I remain in this or that fellowship may be something I need to consider, but not on the basis of whether I like or dislike the worship!

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Read through this passage several times, and check out your own response to what it says about worship, now that you have read the whole study.  Ask yourself, what ‘worship’ is to you, and what should you do to worship God?
• Pray for those who are not taught that God is to be worshipped in obedience and subjection, and thereby succumb to being dominated by ‘feelings’ about worship rather than the real life changing presence of God found in true worship, whatever the setting.  Pray that the Lord will move His people to learn more about true worship.

Final Prayer

Bring us to that place of contentment, Lord God, where all that happens to us begins to makes sense, and we can perceive Your hand at work within our lives.  Even if we only catch a glimpse of all You are doing, may we rejoice to know You have included us in Your eternal plan.  Thank You, Lord God: AMEN

Bible study for Malachi 2:1-9

Malachi 2:1-9 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Here, Malachi turns his prophecy against the priests, who stood accused by God of leading a general rebellion against Him as illustrated by their slack attitude to worship (as in yesterday’s study).  The prophecy clearly indicates specific action taken against the priests by the Lord in the form of a curse (2:2) a rebuke (2:3) and also a general fall from grace in the eyes of the rest of the people of Israel (2:9).  But although the tone of the passage is clearly sad and almost angry at times, the remarkable thing about all these verses is that it tells us more about the priesthood in Israel than we can find in many other parts of the Bible.  The central section, verses 4 to 7, for example, describe the relationship between God and the Levitical priests as a covenant relationship, and nowhere else in the Bible does it describe a ‘covenant with Levi’ (2:4).

The main theme of our passage today is failure of the spiritual leadership of the Levites as the priests of Israel, and the penalty they bore for their erroneous instruction and guidance of the people.  But if we are to understand what Malachi was saying and where his prophecy was leading, then we must seek to understand some more about the Levites and their relationship with God.  In particular, we must explore the meaning of the ‘covenant’ in verse 4 and 5.  Now, we know that the relationship between God and His people in the Old Testament is frequently described as a ‘Covenant’.  This Covenant was first established between God and Abraham (Gen 12,13,15,17) and was clarified by the giving of the Law through Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20, 24:3-13).  It was later focussed on the leadership of David and his ancestors (see 2 Sam 23:5, 1 Kings 8:24 etc.).  Today, Christians think of Jesus’ descent from David as enabling us to talk about a ‘New Covenant’ of His saving grace, which is the final and complete expression of God’s love for His people, who are now the Church of God.  So where does this ‘covenant with Levi’ (2:4) fit in with this picture?

We will look at the details later, but the tribe of Levi was set aside from the other tribes of Israel to serve God and act as priests representing God to the people and the people to God.  It is true that out of the Levites a particular ‘class’ of priests arose who formed the ‘high priestly’ families (descended from Aaron, and later, Abiathar and Zadok); but by virtue of their priesthood, the Levites did not so much have their own covenant with God, but they represented the general Covenant between God and His people.  It was therefore important that although the Levites had failed in their tasks, it was God’s express intent that the Covenant itself should not fail (2:4,5).  When the prophecy of Malachi dwells on this fact in verses 4 to 7, it speaks in a wonderfully positive way about the original task of a true priest of God, a perfect ‘Levi’.  Surely, these words are like a vision of the Messiah, of Christ Himself;

‘truthful instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips.  He walked with me in contentment and uprightness, and he turned many away from iniquity.’ (2:6)

Of course, Malachi does not speak directly about the Messiah here, but in the context of the whole of Malachi’s prophecy and its final anticipation of God’s coming in judgement (3:1f. 4:1f.), we cannot fail to spot the significance of this description of ‘perfect’ priesthood.

So, on the one hand, this passage tells us the sad news of God’s rejection of Levi and his descendants, using a number of rather awful pictures of judgement including being spattered by offal (2:3) and being humiliated (2:9).  On the other hand, it also picks up a strong theme of the role of a good priest, and although we can learn a great deal about good leadership from this, there is a hint that Malachi’s prophecy may ultimately have more to say to us than this!

Going Deeper

We will now spend the further stages of our study looking at two things; firstly, the accusations made against the Levites and the punishment they were given.  We will find that this is not a mere whim on the part of God, but the fulfilment of long established prophecies.  Secondly, we will study the perfect picture of Levitical priesthood given here, and see what it teaches us not just about Christ, but about the spiritual leadership of God’s people today.

Malachi 2:1-9 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V1 ‘this instruction’

Most Bible versions have ‘commandment’ or ‘command’.   The Hebrew word used here is ‘mizwah’,  which means an authoritative word of God; for example, God spoke the world into being with ‘mizwah’.  The same is true for the same word in verse 4. I have chosen the translation ‘instruction’ to emphasise the specific nature of the command in this context.

V2 ‘moreover, I have already cursed them ...’

The Hebrew reads ‘I have already cursed it’, but this must be a grammatical error because the subject of the sentence is already clearly  plural, that is, the blessings.  For this reason, all translators say ‘them’, not ‘it’.  There is just one possibility, which is that the singular could mean that the writer was thinking about the ‘covenant’ (see study).

V3 ‘I will rebuke your descendants!’

Some Bible versions have ‘I will cut off your descendants’, and others use the word ‘offspring’ rather than descendants.  The word rebuke is the one usually used for the Lord’s rebuke of nations other than Israel.  For this reason, ancient scholars who translated the ‘Septuagint’ (see dictionary) changed this to ‘cut off’.  For our purposes, the original is powerful enough!

V3 ‘offal’

This is clearly what the Hebrew word means, and it refers to the inner organs of animals removed and thrown away before sacrifice.

V3 ‘and you will be removed with it!’

Every translator struggles to make sense of this phrase, which in Hebrew says this: ‘’he lifts you up against it (or on account of it).’  When faced with some expression like this, the translator must accept that the phrase must have meaning in the context of the Scriptures at this point, and it is therefore right to assume that it refers to the throwing out of the offal before a sacrifice.

V4 ‘that my covenant with Levi may continue’

The last word in this sentence is a way of trying to translate a Hebrew word that means ‘to the happening of ...’ or ‘for the existence of ...’.  Because it is not immediately clear what this may mean, some have suggested over the centuries that this word has been copied incorrectly and should rather be a word that means ‘ceased’.  There are some translations that use this suggestion, but this is not worth considering because nowhere in the Old Testament does the Lord ever break a covenant.  It is only ever broken by people.  It is highly unlikely therefore that this passage says that God will break or stop a covenant that He has entered!

V5 ‘I gave it to him as something to fear, and he revered me and stood in awe of it before my name.’

This part of the sentence is rather complex, but each part of it says something important about why Levi was given this covenant (see study).

V6 ‘contentment’

The Hebrew word here is ‘shalom’, which means wholeness or completeness, and I have interpreted it as referring to a contented relationship.

V9 ‘have shown partiality in your instruction.’

The Hebrew says ‘you have lifted up the face in your instruction’.  This therefore means looking favourably towards certain people, and hence ‘partiality’ as we understand it.  It is a strange expression, but fortunately very clear and agreed by all scholars.

Malachi 2:1-9 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

Rejection by the Lord (2:1-3)

Malachi knew what he was doing, and as with all the great prophecies of the Old Testament, the origins of what he said are to be found earlier within the Old Testament.  When Malachi said ‘I will send the curse on you ...’ he was referring to one specific curse, and all who knew the Law knew what this was.  In Deuteronomy 27 and 28, Moses told the Israelites that upon entry into the Promised Land they should to go to Mounts Ebal and Gerazim to hear His ‘blessings’ and ‘curses’.  These related to their obedience or disobedience to Him whilst they lived in the land He had given them.  If we read these texts we will understand the importance of remaining obedient to God Almighty!

In summary, these blessings extend those first given when the Lord first created the Covenant relationship between Himself and Abraham’s descendants (Gen 12 etc.).  The curses are the largely the removal of those blessings, specifically by the intervention of other nations in Israel’s affairs.  In our passage you will read the rather strange comment ‘I will curse your blessings; moreover, I have already cursed them and you do not take it to heart’ (2:2).  The point Malachi made is that Israel had already received the curses placed on them because of their sins, and the blessing of occupying the Promised Land had already been taken from them.  This became a ‘curse’ when they were invaded by Babylon, but they survived this, and yet the Levites still did not ‘take to heart’ the lesson of obedience to God found in the Law!  They did not even bring the proper sacrifices to God (1:6-10)!

The last part of this text sounds very strange to us.  If you read Malachi 2:3 in most Bibles today, it sounds even more strange, because it speaks of spreading ‘dung’ on people’s faces (see notes above).  When sacrifices were prepared after slaughter and before presentation on the altar, the inner organs were removed (as in any butchery process – see most of the early chapters of Leviticus) including the intestines and stomach and its contents.  These were disposed of at what was called the ‘dung gate’ in Jerusalem.  It was about the most dreadful offense possible for God to say to the Levites that their future descendants were to Him indistinguishable from the offal of festal sacrifices thrown out on the ‘dung-heap’!  This sounds profoundly anti-Semitic; but this passage is part of Jewish Scripture, and not even part of the New Testament.

The covenant with Levi (2:4,5)

There is only one place in Scripture where a ‘Covenant’ is mentioned in connection with Levi, and this is found in Deuteronomy 33:8-11.  This descibes the blessing of Levi given by Moses near to his death, and all of this is highly relevant to our passage today:

And of Levi he said: Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your loyal one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah;  who said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’; he ignored his kin, and did not acknowledge his children. For they observed your word, and kept your covenant.  They teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law; they place incense before you, and whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless, O Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; (Deuteronomy 33:8-11)

This passage confirms that the tribe of Levi are Israel’s priests, because of the reference to the ‘Urim and Thummin’ (objects used by priests for determining God’s will – see Exodus 28:30, Lev 8:8 etc.).  The section saying ‘he ignored his kin’ refers to the terrible events when all Israel had begun to worship a golden calf set up by Aaron in the wilderness, and Moses called all who loved the Lord to take their stand with him.  The tribe of Levi backed Moses (because Moses was a Levite) and they fought with the rest of Israel.  The Levites and Moses won the ensuing battle at the cost of many lives (Exodus 32:26-29).  It is a dreadful event in the life of the Israel, but on that day, the Covenant of God with His people was defended solely by the Levites, and consequently, Moses set them aside for priesthood (Ex 32:29).

If you read the rest of the quote from Deuteronomy above, you will find that it speaks about Levi’s responsibility to do several things; to teach God’s ways according to the Laws of Moses, and to offer ‘incense’ and ‘whole burnt offerings’.  The connection with our passage is clear.  The responsibilities of a priest were to offer proper worship to God and to teach the people God’s ways (2:6f.).  Other passages of Scripture expand on this understanding of priesthood, and include the concept of intercession for people within the notion of worship, for example (Deut 9:20, Psalm 106:30); but this text crystallises the priestly call.  It was a high calling, and one to be ‘feared’.  The Covenant was supposed to bring a secure and whole relationship to God and His people (2:5), and there was a time when Levitical priests in Israel performed the role to which they were called.  Despite the experience of the exile, it seemed that no lessons had been learned.

The ideal priest (2:6,7)

In a quite extraordinary change of emphasis, the prophecy of Malachi now diverts to describe the real duties of a priest, offering ‘truthful instruction ... and no wrong was found on his lips ...’ (2:6).  One could say that Malachi said this simply to explain to the priests what they should be doing, but there is more to it than this.  His prophecy has already stated that the curses of failure have begun and could not be held back (2:2,3).  It is more likely however that the reason for this change of direction was to describe the true role of a priest from the past, but looking forward to a future when it would be fulfilled in a new way.  Malachi did not identify the Messiah, but we can see why later generations saw this prophecy as being about the Messiah!  Whether or not we can see in these words a description of the Messiah, it is nevertheless easy for us to find in them a good description of spiritual leadership, especially for today.

Honesty, truthfulness, proper and faithful instruction, uprightness, turning people away from ‘iniquity’ (2:6); all these qualities found in verse 6 sounds as if they have come from a letter of Paul describing the qualities of a good leader!  They would fit well in 1 or 2 Timothy, or Titus, for example!  The connectedness of scripture is an important issue, and in this case, it confirms our belief that this prophecy in Malachi can help us appreciate the true functions of leadership amongst God’s people, even today.  The spiritual nature of these qualities is demonstrated by the fact that they remain constant throughout Scripture, and they are also true of Jesus, who fulfilled every one of these qualities to perfection.

In verse 7, Malachi’s prophecy adds, as if by emphasis, the important requirement for a priest or spiritual leader to be someone who is familiar with ‘knowledge’ about faith in God, and who can be consulted by the people for instruction.  In my view, this is an essential aspect of spiritual leadership, because the study of God’s Word is of great importance for all who wish to exercise a ministry amongst God’s people.  There are many natural leaders who have the potential to do the job, but those who are allowed to do it should be prepared to study in order to fulfil these requirement of this Scripture; and such a one must be a ‘messenger of the Lord of hosts’ (1:7).  Note that the word ‘messenger’ (Hebrew ‘Malach’) in this verse is virtually the same as the name of ‘Malachi’ (which means ‘my messenger’).  Is this a hint that Malachi was a priest, and deeply aware of what a priest should be?  Did he make connections between this and his own name?  We do not know, but it is possible.

The failed priest (2:8,9)

In contrast to the perfect picture of priesthood just presented, the rest of our passage is a description of failure; it tells us about priests (leaders) who have ‘turned aside from the way’ (1:8), and having lost touch with the true things of God, make others ‘stumble’ because they do not know the truth of God’s Word!  Some of the harshest words of Jesus are reserved for those who make others stumble (see Matthew 16:2318:8,9, Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2), but the clear implication of this text is that spiritual leaders cause stumbling when they lose touch with ‘the way’ and are consequently unable to teach.  This ‘losing touch’ is not just a matter of failure to study and know the things of God, but of losing touch with spiritual reality for example, through lack of prayer and personal contact with God.  This is what corrupts the ‘covenant’ (2:8).

One other small phrase indicates the nature of failed leadership, and it occurs in the last verse; the phrase is ‘partiality in your instruction’, and refers to the giving of favours within the advice they offered.  It is not necessarily obvious to us what this might mean, but Malachi knew that priests were excusing people the strict demands of sacrificial worship, hence the criticisms in chapter 1 (1:12f.).  In this way, the priests were currying favour with people and showing partiality, and this was unacceptable to God, for whom the Law was to be applied to all, equally.  Likewise, in the New testament, Paul insists throughout his own writing that God is not a God of partiality; for Him there is ‘no partiality’ (Romans 2:11, Galatians 2:6, Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:25).

In the last verse, Malachi describes the contempt and humiliation of those who fail in spiritual leadership, for because of the nature of leadership, their failure is public.  Having spent time with individuals who have failed in ministry, I can assure you that what Malachi says here is accurate, because the sense of personal humiliation and degree of public contempt thrown at those who have failed can be extraordinary.  In the New Covenant of grace, those who fail have a route back to their Saviour through repentance.  However, as we have already seen (2:3), where priesthood is hereditary, failure has catastrophic consequences for future generations.  By the time Jesus came, the gulf between God’s will and the leadership of the people under the Pharisees was huge, and Jesus painfully exposed this.  For this reason and for many others, this prophecy of Malachi heralds the Messiah.

Malachi 2:1-9 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

There are some awesome passages within our text today that speak to us about appropriate spiritual leadership within God’s Church.  The worst thing that has happened in the training of leaders for churches today is that in many places the Bible is taught less.  Consequently, people do not have the chance to engage with texts such as these with any kind of depth or meaning.  I recall too many colleagues in ministry who have told me quite openly that they do not read the Bible at all apart from preparing for preaching, and for that, they only use the New Testament!  I wish I was joking, but I am astonished!  It is only because I had the opportunity to do a theology degree instead of the usual ministerial training programme in the 1980’s that I had the privilege of learning Greek and Hebrew at University.  This led me to extend my love of Scripture and to explore texts such as this, which have developed my understanding of Christian ministry and spiritual leadership.  I have witnessed too much training for ministry that has been based on a loose understanding of the gifts of the Spirit combined with theories from the world of management training.  This will not do, when we have at our disposal the whole of God’s Word, which is packed with advice about spiritual leadership.

As is said in the rest of Scripture, those who lead God’s people are expected to know God’s Word and teach it (see for example Hosea 4:4-6, which is remarkably similar to today’s passage from Malachi).  Leaders are not just people with new ideas, but those who can apply their gifts and talents to the sustenance and advocacy of the Church, which is God’s Covenant people, particularly through teaching and the leadership of worship.  Moreover, there are enough warnings in both Old and New Testament about ‘partiality’ and causing people to stumble surely, for the leaders of God’s people to make sure that they act in the interests of the Kingdom of God at all times, rather than the interests of individuals or any sectional interests in church or society that exclude others.

Once we have spotted the connections we can make with this text, it becomes relatively easy to see how important the whole passage can be for the church today.

Malachi 2:1-9 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. Read through some of Deuteronomy 27-29 and check out the curses and blessings mentioned there.  What do they teach us today?
2. What advice from this text can help us identify the good qualities of a leader, and what are these qualities?
3. How should the church deal with the failure of Christian ministry?

Personal comments by author

It is so tempting for the leaders of God’s people today to look in any direction they can for advice about how to make the Gospel relevant to today, and the one place where people will often not look is the Bible, because they suggest that its ‘culture’ bears no resemblance to our own.  Oh dear!  Human nature does not change!  There will always be new things that the Spirit will reveal to us about the world in which we live today, but we need to be based not just in historic truth but in God’s historic truth, which has stood the tests of time.

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• After reading this passage, write down a list of leadership issues that concern you, and if possible, make an appointment to see a minister or church leader and discuss this with them.
• Pray for those who are aspiring to leadership within the church of God, and pray for those who teach them.  May they use God’s Words to the full.

Final Prayer

Jesus, the very fact that we can talk to You is a miracle of Your grace.  Thank You for being able to hear all the prayers of those who love You, and for being able to care for each one of us individually.  It is beyond our understanding, and Your love is very real!  Thank You, Lord Jesus; AMEN

Bible study for Malachi 2:10-16

Malachi 2:10-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

There is nothing like this passage elsewhere in Scripture!  As we read it, we might wonder how such outspoken comments have come to be a part of the sacred text!  Here, the Lord disputes with His people because they had committed the ‘abomination’ of marrying foreign women (2:11).  Moreover, not only had such impure marriages taken place but Israelite women had been divorced, and the Lord abhorred this and threatened to cut off His inheritance from all involved (2:12).  His opposition to inter-racial marriage and to divorce is clear cut (2:14-16).  Israelite society had broken down and family life with it, and the Lord spoke through His prophet Malachi to denounce what was happening!

We must be careful, however, for it would be unwise to presume that this Scripture bans all divorce or marriage between races.  It deals with a specific problem, and we cannot generalise its message unless we understand the background.  What had happened in Israel was this; some mostly wealthy families had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple after the exile (as in Ezra 1-6).  They found the city in a state of poverty and disrepair and were not able to live as they were accustomed.  Other peoples had taken the land that their families once owned and many Israelites were reduced to poverty.  Hence the poor quality of sacrifices brought to the Temple (see 1:6-10).  Some men found a way of restoring their fortunes however, for if they divorced their wives and married the daughters of local landowners, they were able to lay claim again to lands once owned by Israel, and this could yield both food and income.  This was clearly happening when Ezra and Nehemiah instituted their reforms (Ezra 7:1f. and Nehemiah).

Malachi was shocked, as were Ezra and Nehemiah, later.  Through his prophecy he denounced those who did such things as ‘breaking faith’, not just with the Israelite women who were their first love (see 2:14-16), but with their fellow Israelites.  Indeed, they also broke their covenant with God!  This is what Malachi meant when he said he was appalled at the ‘abomination ... committed in Israel and Jerusalem’ (2:11).  Marriage outside the Covenant people of God had always been allowed in Israel (e.g. the marriage of Boaz to the Moabite Ruth), but in such cases, the non-Israelite party was required to accept the God of Israel.  But marriage for convenience outside the covenant laws was forbidden, because it would lead to a breakdown of what it meant to be God’s people (2:10-12).

It was no use complaining that God did not accept their worship when the people had broken His laws (2:13)!  Verse 14 and 15 reflect the profound importance to God of the marriage union.  Marriage itself was regarded as a covenant relationship, and the union of a man and a woman was regarded as being a reflection of the very ‘image’ of God (see Genesis 1:27).  In addition, marriage was the means used by God to create future generations.  The people of Israel could not expect God’s blessings to flow from their worship when they flagrantly abused this beautiful gift.  The Lord could not stand by and see the union of man and woman treated so casually, and he was repulsed by the hidden violence of the way that women were rejected in order for men to remarry (2:16).

Some in the church say that this scripture forbids divorce, and some churches therefore refuse to re-marry people who are divorced.  Frankly, this is an appalling overreaction to what is said here.  God hates divorce where men discard women like a mere possession, and that does not change.  But what this text says about marriage is primarily for the strengthening of God’s people and the building up of faith, and the idea that God rejects divorced people who have been in abusive relationships is scandalous.  Our text, properly translated, shows God’s love for such people (2:16).  This prophecy is not primarily about outlawing divorce.  The breakup of marriage is a tragic symptom of godlessness in the world, but the Lord has so much more for those who are obedient to Him.

Going Deeper

This is no ordinary passage of scripture, and I have written more about what this passage means to us today in the ‘application’ section of this study.  In ‘going deeper’, we will explore some of the extraordinary comments made by the Lord in this prophecy, and you will see from the translation notes that the meaning of this powerful text is understandable, but it is not at all straightforward!

Malachi 2:10-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V10 ‘Why then does a man break faith with his brother’

The Hebrew verb ‘bagad’ means to act treacherously, or to ‘break faith’.  The translation I have given is literal, which in my opinion is perfectly understandable.  Nearly all Bible versions prefer to avoid the references to man and brother, and translate ‘why then do we break faith with each other’.  This is a good paraphrase, but it remains a paraphrase.

V11 ‘for Judah has defiled the holiness of the Lord’

This passage is notoriously difficult to translate because no-one knows what ‘the holiness of the Lord might mean here.  It is either the Temple, the people or the land, and you will find that most translations suggest one or other of these.  I have left the translation as it is in the Hebrew, and left the discussion of what it means to our study.

V11 ‘... and he has loved and married ...’

It is quite unclear where the verb ‘he loved’ should be placed, and most translations attach it to the previous clause, giving ‘Judah had defiled the holiness of the Lord that he loves, and has married ...’.  However, this involves changing the tense of the Hebrew verb, which is clearly in the past tense; ‘loved’, and the translation I have given here makes more sense (see study).

V12 ‘travellers or residents’

Every version of the Bible has a different expression here, because the two Hebrew words are virtually untranslatable!  The general meaning of the text is that this is a brief phrase, probably a colloquialism designed to be inclusive of anyone in Israel.  The first word could be related to the idea of activity and the second could indicate response; so some translations have ‘awake and alert’ for example, and others have ‘witness and advocate’.  I have preferred to see these words as indicating the major division in Israel at the time between those Israelites who remained active in the wider world, and those who chose to respond to the call to come and life in Jerusalem.  Today we might say ‘ex-patriots and residents’, but this would stretch the Hebrew too far, and the expression I have used is sufficient.

 V13 ‘And you do this as well.’

The Hebrew says ‘this second you do ...’ but it simple means something additional.

V15 ‘Did He not make them one, and give them a portion of the Spirit?’

This is an extraordinarily difficult passage to translate.  The Hebrew appears to say ‘did He not make one and a residue of spirit was for it?’  You will find all kinds of translations of this in different Bible versions, but I feel that this translation best reflects the general meaning of the Hebrew here and the general meaning of the relationship of man and woman as given in Genesis 1 and 2.

V15 ‘And what oneness is He seeking? Godly offspring. So guard your spirits...’

Again, this is profoundly complex Hebrew, giving roughly ‘what is the one seeking, seed of God, so you must guard over your spirits’.  I have taken ‘the one’ in this sentence to refer to the unity of marriage which is the general subject of the sentence.  Many Bible versions take an alternative view and believe this refers to God as ‘the One’, leading to some highly confusing translations.

V16 ‘and the hiding of the violence used to send a woman away.’

You will not find this in any of the other Bible Translations, most of which say something like this: ‘covering one’s garment with violence’.  On further inspection of the text, I found that the word normally translated ‘garment’, is used elsewhere in scripture in a colloquial expression for sending a woman away in divorce.  In addition, the particular form of the verb here can mean ‘hide’ rather than ‘cover’ (as in most translations).  It is not a verse that is easy to translate, but the translation I have given fits very well with the passage.

Malachi 2:10-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

Breaking faith  (2:10)

Verse 10 is like an introduction to this section, telling us that real problems happen in the life of God’s people when they ‘break faith’.  Throughout this passage, the word ‘break faith’ occurs frequently, mostly when talking about marriage and divorce, but also when describing the covenant relationship between God and His people, as in this verse.

The verse begins, however, with a powerful pair of phrases; ‘Do we not all have one father? Were we not created by one God?’  This is a powerful way of describing the covenant relationship of God with His people, because the ‘one father’ is Abraham, from whom all Israel was descended, and the ‘one God’ was the Creator of the world who had chosen to reveal Himself to Abraham and his descendants.  There are other places in scripture where similar comments are made about ‘one God’ and ‘one father’ of Israel (Deut 32:6, Isaiah 63:16, 64:8).  Surely this unity, said the prophet, grounded both in God and in the earthly lineage and ancestry of a nation, was not something to be broken just because of the prevailing social conditions.

Contrary to what many believe, the covenant relationship between God and His people did not exclude people of other nations.  An Israelite was free to marry a non-Israelite providing they accepted the God of Israel.  There are a number of such mixed marriages recorded in the Old Testament, and the non Israelite partner had to accept circumcision (if male), and join the ritual of the Passover celebration (see Exodus 12:48, Numbers 9:14, Ruth 1:16) to signify their assimilation into the Covenant of Israel with God.  Ruth, of course, is the most famous story of a woman who married into Israel in this way, and her story warns us not to allow ourselves to believe that Israel’s exclusivism implied an inherent racialism within God’s laws and commands.

Intermarriage in Israel (2:11)

However, the Old Testament gives testimony to a prevailing sin of the kings of Israel and Judah, which caused untold trouble and eventually led directly to the downfall of both Israel (in the north) and Judah (in the south).  This was the sin of a marriage in which a wife was taken from the surrounding nations but was not required to ‘convert’ .  King Solomon was the first to practice this and he did it on a large scale, frequently marrying women to secure international treaties, and moreover, allowing them to bring their own gods and also worship them in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 11:1-8,9).  Another classic example of this pollution of the Israelite inheritance was the marriage of King Ahab to the Sidonian princess Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31f.).  This marriage led to the whole scale introduction of the worship of Ba’al in northern Israel, and despite the extraordinary feats of Elijah (1 Kings 17-19), the influence of Jezebel was extensive and exceeded her death.  One of her daughters, Athaliah, married into the line of David and usurped the throne to reign as queen in Jerusalem during one of the most awful periods of Judean history (2 Kings 11:1f.). 

In our passage Malachi was amazed to discover that the people of Israel who had returned from exile were returning to these same sins that their forefathers had committed.  Now, in verse 11, we read the following; ‘Judah has defiled the holiness of the Lord, and he has loved and married the daughter of a foreign god.’  Many scholars have attempted to work out what the ‘holiness of the Lord’ might be, and they suggest it might mean the Temple, or perhaps the people of Israel, both of which are described in other places as ‘holy’ to the Lord.  If you read different translations, you will see that most of them assume that the phrase refer to the Temple.  However, I am not convinced this is the best way to understand this phrase, because at this point, the prophecy is not about the Temple.  For this reason, I believe that Malachi means exactly what this passage says in my translation, which is close to the Hebrew text.  Judah has defiled God’s own holiness, because by marrying foreign women who worshipped other gods, not the Lord, they compromised God’s holy Covenant plan to bring salvation into the world by means of His own people.  Surely the passage means this and no more.

Sin and despondency in Israel (2:12,13)

It is no wonder, therefore, that Malachi calls for all who have contravened God’s holiness to be cut off from ‘the tents of Jacob’ (2:12).  This was a poetic way of speaking about the people of Israel in its widest sense, and in the fifth and sixth centuries BC, the Israelites had communities throughout the far flung Empire of Persia.  Nevertheless, what happened to those in Jerusalem was essential to the survival of all Israel.

The people in Jerusalem were a proud people struggling with hard times, and perhaps they knew their sin.  Those who lived in Jerusalem could not do so unless they were well connected with farms and villages in the lands around Jerusalem that supplied the crops and the cattle for food in the city.  In the past, lands rights were held within Judah, but after the Babylonian exile, all these legalities disappeared.  It is hard to imagine that people put away their wives and families in order to marry into property and attempt to secure inheritance rights for a land the people believed was theirs by right.  It is not hard to imagine that this situation meant that many tears were shed.  Verse 13 indicates that these tears were shed along with ‘weeping and groaning’ so as to ‘cover the Lord’s altar’!  However, no lay person was allowed near the courtyard where the altar of sacrifice stood, and only priests were able to go there!  Either the social troubles including intermarriage affected priests as well as other people, or the Temple was abused by ordinary Israelites invading the inner courtyards of the Temple!

God’s desire for marriage (2:14-16)

It is easy to understand that the people of Israel asked ‘why?’  They may have felt they were doing the right thing for the future of the Covenant relationship with God, but they were not.  Malachi provided the answer to the question by stating in the clearest possible terms the Lord’s view of marriage.

Verse 14 describes the marriage covenant as being a reflection of the covenant relationship between God and His people.  It is as if the marriage covenant is as precious to God as His covenant with His people, and the more we think about it, the more we realise that this must be so.  When God first introduced the covenant to Abraham (Gen 12), Abraham had to learn over many years that this it was reflected in his own life and his relationship with Sarah, his wife.  In fact, the covenant with God depended upon their marriage covenant and their ability to produce son!

True marriage is something God creates and bears witness to, and it is based on a pure love, described here by this phrase; ‘between you and the wife of your youth ... your companion and your wife by covenant’ (2:14).  This is surely a relationship of complete inter-dependency and love, in which one man and one woman become ‘one flesh’ (Gen 2:24) and together reflect the ‘image of God ... male and female’ (Gen 1:27).  This is marriage that the world cannot give witness to, and without God, it may be experienced, but not fully appreciated for what it is; the highest ideal of God for men and women.

Verse 15 confirms this view; ‘did He not make them one, and give them a portion of the spirit?’  This is a most wonderful comment on the meaning of marriage and is so close to what Jesus says in Matthew 19:5!  I must tell you that unfortunately, many translations of Malachi do not say this; but I can confirm that my translation keeps as close to the original Hebrew text as possible (see notes above).  The reasons why some translators do not feel able to translate this directly may be varied, but I fear that some do not feel comfortable with the plain text and the explicit idea that God’s ‘Spirit’ is responsible for Godly marriage.  For example, this is what the New Revised Standard Versions gives for this same text (quoted at the beginning of this paragraph) after making some changes to the original Hebrew it feels appropriate: ‘Did not one God make her? Both flesh and spirit are his.’

A problem in verse 16

The famous verse 16 begins with a well known phrase; ‘for the Lord … hates divorce’.  Please note that I have not translated ‘I hate divorce, says the Lord …’ as must translations say.  It is not that these translations are wrong, but the emphasis is not as categorical in the Hebrew as it is sounds in English, and I have attempted to follow what the Hebrew says more closely.  Clearly, the Lord hates divorce that breaks the high ideal of marriage just announced, and this is why most Bible versions make this comment very blunt.  It was utterly offensive to God for Israelite men in normal and good marriages to break them in order to achieve what they thought was best for their own long term security (see above).

However, the next phrase adds an interesting insight that needs to be heard.  I have explained the reason for my translation in the notes above, but the idea that it exposes is that the Lord God hated the divorce proceedings used by men in an offensive way to vulnerable women.  Women and children were effectively abused by the violence of such divorce, and we catch a glimpse here of God’s passion and concern for the victim of divorce.  It is vital that we tell people today that God cares passionately for the victims of abusive marriages and the victims of divorce.  It is my prayer that a translation such as I have given will help church leaders stand back from treating people who are divorced as if they have a stigma of godlessness.  The fact that thousands of church leaders have been taught for centuries that divorce is a sin that warrants something close to excommunication is an appalling slur on those who have been the victims of abusive marriages.  A high view of marriage must mean a high view of the love, care and compassion required for those whose marriages have failed.

Both verses 15 and 16 conclude with these words; ‘so guard your spirits, and do not break faith.’  The phrase in verse 15 has a little more added, but the repetition of the phrase is fascinating.  It is God’s final advice to those who seek to do God’s will in marriage.  We must guard each other’s spirits, so that we do not break faith, either with each other, or with the Lord who is the ‘witness’ to all true marriage.

Malachi 2:10-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

I have always believed that marriage is a high calling and is a perfect gift of God, perhaps the most perfect gift God gives to many people.  It is not listed as a ‘gift of the spirit’ like ‘prophecy’ or ‘healing’, for example, because marriage is a different kind of gift.  Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman, and it is designed by Him to reflect His relationship with His people, as perceived by John, who in his revelations saw the ‘marriage supper of the Lamb’ (Rev 19:9).  It is therefore obvious that God intends Christian marriage to be a sharing of love and interdependence, and a single ‘spirit’ (2:15).  This does not just happen automatically when a man and a woman make promises and sign a register, and it is an insult to the natural processes of life and the reality of human relationships to suggest that the mere ‘act’ of marriage confers all the blessings of what a Godly marriage is intended by the Lord to be.  Many who have been married for years and know the love of one another and of God intimately, will confess that their unity has grown over the years.

Unquestionably, God hates divorce, especially the actions of men for dubious and presumptive reasons, when they abandon women and children for their own perceived good.  In fairness, we must add that God also hates divorce in which women leave men because of their abuse of a husband.  I write about divorce in this way because I know of no divorce that is truly ‘amicable’, as people sometimes like to pretend today.  From a worldly point of view, the psychology, sexuality and spirituality of divorce is barely understood.  Yet the Word of God is clear; it is an offense.  However, the Bible is not so callous as to bury its head in the sand about the reality of what happens when a marriage breaks down.  People are left hurt and devastated, and the Lord seeks to show His love for such people, as should all His servants; indeed, if marriage is a priority to God, I believe that dealing with the after-effects of divorce should be a priority.  I write in this way because the history of the use of this text in Malachi within the church is not good, especially 2:16.  I urge all in the church to find out what it means to reject divorce in principle and to deal with real human relationships in practice.

Malachi 2:10-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. In what ways do God’s people ‘break faith’ with each other and with their God today?
2. To what extent is marriage and divorce an issue in the life of the church, and how can God’s people deal with these issues for the best?
3. How can the Church minister to the victims of abusive marriages, and also make a stand against divorce?

Personal comments by author

There is a delicate balance to be made between insisting upon a view of marriage that has no place for divorce, and yet also offering the best pastoral care and counsel possible for those who have suffered the trials of divorce and separation.  Personally, I feel that church leaders need to discuss and review this issue, because there can be great misunderstanding between clergy and church members for example, over this.  It is best to have these discussion out in the open.

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Has your own attitude towards divorce been affected by your own experience, or by what the Bible says?  Consider this carefully, and pray about this before God.  Discuss it if necessary with someone you trust.
• Pray for those who are going through divorce at this time,  Pray that they will be blessed with the help and care that Christians should give each other at such times.  Pray that God’s people who are married be helped to stand firm in marriage through all trials.

Final Prayer

Stay with us, Lord, through all the dangers and perils of this day.  Hold on to us as we hold on to You.  Give us such a firm grasp of You that we do not let you down, and hold on to us with all the strength of Your love, we pray.  Then, when our trials are over, and we can take our rest, restore us by Your Spirit, we pray:  AMEN

Bible study for Malachi 2:17-3:5

Malachi 2:17-3:5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Malachi saw the most terrible ungodliness amongst His own people, and the Lord gave him a clear message about it.  In what we have read today, we find ourselves at the heart of this message, explained by Malachi simply and astonishingly directly; God will shortly come to sort out the problems of His people’s sins (3:1f.)!  We now realise that up to this point in the prophecy of Malachi, all we have read has been about the sins of Israel and God’s reactions to them.  Malachi has uncovered the lack of faith and obedience on the part of God’s people (1:2-5), the defiling of worship and the casual attitude of the Temple priests (1:6-2:3), the failure of the priesthood to lead and teach God’s people (2:4-9) and the tragedy of marriage breakup because of greed and poverty (2:10-16).  Each of these reflects a breakdown of trust between God and His people, but up to now, the main reaction of God has been His understandable offence at being rejected by His people. 

The trouble was that despite Malachi’s masterful exposure of the problems, the people did not accept they were doing anything wrong!  So when Malachi said ‘You have wearied the Lord with your words’ (2:17), the people’s reply was ‘How have we wearied Him?’  The people persisted in self-justification, and we can almost hear the comments of Israelites of the time, complaining that they had come from far away and given their time and energy  to rebuild the Temple.  They expected that as prophesied by Ezekiel (see chs 40-48), the renewed Temple would be filled with the glory of God in a remarkable and spectacular new visitation, as had never been seen before!  But this had not happened, so the people stopped bothering with the rituals, teaching and covenant regulations!

When there is a crisis, many will often see what is happening, but only one will stand to speak the truth and confront the situation.  Here, God chose Malachi firstly to challenge the people (1:2-2:17), but secondly, to prophecy in unforgettable terms what God would now do (3:1f.).  The picture presented by Malachi is clear, precise, and startling.  The Lord would indeed come in awesome majesty to dwell amongst His people again; He would ‘come into His Temple’ (3:1).  More than that, His coming would be preceded by a ‘messenger’ who would prepare for Him to come just as Isaiah had prophesied (see Isaiah 40:3f.), and this would happen suddenly after the appearance of the messenger!  This prophecy can hardly be more precise in foretelling John the Baptist’s preaching and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, as early Christians quickly perceived (though the connection between John the Baptist and Elijah is found later in Malachi 4:5).

There is more to this prophecy, however.  In the light of what he saw, Malachi prophesied that the Lord would come to deal with the essential problem of the breakdown of His relationship with His people.  The Lord would come in judgemental power to finally get rid of the impurities amongst His people, just as a refiner burns away the dross whilst smelting silver or gold so that the precious metal may be purified (3:3,4), and like the action of soap in cleansing stains from filthy rags (3:2).  In addition to these measures to eradicate all the evils mentioned in the prophecy so far, Malachi prophesied that the Lord would act with a far greater range of justice than so far hinted at.  He would deal with every sinful and unjust practice amongst His people so that His people would learn to ‘fear Him’ again (3:5).

God would no more endure the errant sinfulness of His own people, and the picture of the refiners fire is that of a final and inescapable judgement.  As God’s people today, we must remember that although we find the talk of justice and judgement hard without the message of God’s love, salvation has only come to us because Christ has dealt with sin and has fulfilled this prophecy!  There is much more to the Gospel than Malachi’s prophecy, but it suggests an extraordinary and powerful connection between the Old and the New Testaments.

Going Deeper

Verse 17 is like a final summary of the situation of God’s people before the terrifying power of Malachi’s great prophecy.  Strangely, there are few difficulties in the translation of this powerful text.  The words of the ancient Hebrew are powerful and direct, and most Bible versions are the same.  The Lord will come soon, preceded by His messenger!

Malachi 2:17-3:5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V17 ‘All who do what is wrong are acceptable in the Lord’s sight’

Most Bible versions say ‘all who do evil are good in the Lord’s sight ...’.  The Hebrew words for ‘evil’ and ‘good’ are very general words as they are in English, and I have translated them with the broader meaning the Hebrew suggests.

V1 ‘to clear the way’

The well known version is ‘prepare the way’ but the Hebrew tells us that this is an actions of putting aside objects that get in the way of the return.  It is not easy to say this in a simple way, but this does have an important role in explaining the text (see study).

V2 ‘’who can endure ... who can stand’

The Hebrew verb ‘endure’ comes from the idea of being sustained or keeping going.  In other words, who can ‘continue in their own strength’.  The notion behind ‘who can stand’ is to take a stance in opposition to something, in this case, against God.

V2 ‘fullers’ soap’

A ‘fuller’ is someone who washes things.  I have retained the traditional ‘fullers’ soap’ because there are few other words available for someone who washes things full time for a living!

Malachi 2:17-3:5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

Upside down world!  (2:17)

How many times in Christian history have we heard people say ‘where is God’, or ‘why does God not listen to our prayers’, or ‘is God really interested in us?’  Malachi perceived the same hopelessness within the people of his day, that we can see today when things do not appear to go well, or when people’s own expectations do not appear to be met by God’s response.  Malachi knew that God always stands above the problems we perceive, and he had the courage to accept that the breakdowns that happen between God and His people are the fault of people and not God.  Only when such faults are identified and dealt with can restoration occur.  I believe that Malachi was someone who longed for the coming of Christ, and because his prophecies show evidence of his knowing the work of Isaiah, he may have had some idea of the potential of God’s redeeming work through a ‘suffering servant’.  However, he was called to identify sin that had to be confronted.

The key part of this verse occurs in the middle, where Malachi reports what the people said in this stunningly awful comment; ‘all who do what is wrong are acceptable in the Lord’s sight’ (2:17).  The people had turned morality on its head; right was wrong and wrong was right!  This was exactly what was happening when priests said to people that they could bring whatever they wanted (wrong) to worship God (right – see 1:6-10).  It also describes what happened when the priests gave false instruction (wrong) even though they possessed the eternal covenants of God (right – see 2:4-9), and when the great covenant of marriage (right) was abandoned for the social convenience of divorce (wrong – see 2:10-16).  God’s moral law had been turned upside down because people believed that God would accept anything!

It is often commented that Jesus came into the world to turn it ‘upside down’, and people quote ‘the first shall be last and the last first’ (Matt 19:30), but the truth is that Jesus challenged the world to accept again the true moral nature of the world God made.  People persisted in believing that conflict resolves problems (and still do today), but Jesus said no; only love does (Matthew 5:39f.).  People said that only adults could understand spiritual things, but Jesus said no; babies can (Matt 18:1-5).  Jesus came to turn the world the ‘right way up’!

The Messiah and the Messenger (3:1-4)

Malachi did not use the word ‘Messiah’ when speaking about the coming of the Lord.  He spoke forthrightly saying that Ezekiel’s prophecy would be fulfilled and God would come into His Temple in magnificent glory (3:1), but what people would experience would be the purifying power of this Glory!  As he says himself; who can survive such a coming of God (3:2)!  Who can ‘stand’ when He comes (3:2)?  Will the purifying power of God’s coming consume the people together with the evil?  The answer must be that although Malachi prophesied the judgement of God, when we read the whole of his prophecy, it assumes that after the purification, there will be something left for a new start.  Something valuable is left after gold and silver are refined (3:3), however much dross is burned away, and the one who washes does so to clean and not to discard.  The ‘sons of Levi’, therefore, are purified so that they can offer proper worship again in the Temple (3:3).

At the end of this small section of prophecy, Malachi says; ‘then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord as in days of old and as in years gone by.’  If we have read Malachi’s prophecies with understanding, we will know that Malachi was aware that returning to the past was not an option; but he was confident God would do a new work that would deal conclusively with sin so that the truths of God available in the history of his people would be rediscovered again (3:4).

It is sometimes said that this does not fit well with the picture of Isaiah a prophet from earlier centuries.  Isaiah rejected the idea that there were any who were ‘good enough’ before God or who could be purified, except the ’suffering servant’ (Isaiah 53f.) who acted for the redemption of all those who would believe in him.  It is not easy for us to place ourselves back in the lives and times of people such as Malachi, but if the only other information Malachi had about the Messiah was to be found in the prophecies of Isaiah, then I do not see why he could not have accepted that great prophetic vision.  Then, knowing that the appearance of the Lord God in the Temple would be something far beyond people’s understanding, he was impelled by God to warn the people that this coming would purify them as through fire and through washing (3:2,3).  Malachi knew that the people of his own day doubted the quality and worthiness of the rebuilt Temple (see Ezra 3:10-13, which describes some weeping in shame at the sight of the Temple), and may have been one who felt this way himself.  He may then have perceived that what he was talking about was a physical coming of God of a totally different order.

Of course, the early Christian church was able to read Malachi’s work from the Old Testament and connect the purification by fire with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2), and the purification by washing as a foretaste of baptism first practiced by John the Baptist and then by Jesus and the disciples (Matthew 28:19).

Judgement (3:5)

Malachi refused to stand back from confronting sin, reflecting the fact that God does not accept sin in His presence even to this day, and the list of what he identified in verse 5 is a fascinating comment on the life of God’s people at the time.  Malachi said of course that judgement was God’s and God’s alone, and it was He who would come to act in judgement.  Malachi simply warned; he did not implement the judgement.  He had just delivered a prophesy explaining how God would act, and this verse is like the address on the envelope of the package.  It identifies for whom the just punishment of God is intended.

More is covered by the list than most people imagine, for the categories are very broad and are intended to be a representative list.  Malachi identifies firstly ‘sorcery’, otherwise known as the practice of divination.  This is the attempt to discover the mind or will of the gods using various earthly means, whether through throwing stones, reading stars (as in astrology) or in any other form of superstition.  Sorcery is, of course, the most extreme form of idolatry in which dedication to a god other than the one true and living God is taken to extreme lengths.  If the sin of sorcery reminds us of the sin of idolatry, then most of the other sins mentioned in this list equally remind us of the Ten Commandments.  Perjury is, of course, the giving of false witness and this is subject of the Ten Commandments number nine, and adultery is also number seven.  It would be exhaustive if Malachi listed sins relating to the whole of the Ten Commandments, but we get the idea.  What is most interesting is that all these sins are also mentioned in the ‘moral law’ of Leviticus 19, frequently quoted alongside the Ten Commandments as summarising the laws of God.  This also includes the exploitation of wage earners there (Lev 19:13).  In addition to this, Malachi include the classical command from Deuteronomy to respect the alien, the widow and the orphan (see Deut 14:29).

This is not a casual list of sins, but a considered list that reflected both what Malachi saw and also a description of what he observed using the classical definitions of sin from the laws of Moses found in the first five books of the Bible; the great Israelite ‘Torah’, or ‘Law’.  Israel had abandoned God’s ‘Law’ and they thought that it did not matter; as Malachi said ‘yet they do not fear me’.  This is why God had to come again in a new way, announced beforehand by a special messenger.  It is Malachi’s unique contribution to the prophetic heritage.

Malachi 2:17-3:5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

This, the climax of Malachi’s prophecy, appears on the surface to be a very mixed package.  Judgement by ‘refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap’ does not sound pleasant, and possibly not survivable, but Malachi certainly regarded this judgement as something new that God would do with something positive on the other side.  Levi would bring offerings ‘acceptable’ to God, people would fear God again, and the true heritage of God from the past would be recovered.  It is tempting to wonder whether we must not simply cast Malachi in the mould of the prophet who told us about the coming of the Messiah preceded by one ‘preparing the way’.  This is of course of major importance, and we will see that as Malachi draws to a close over this and the final chapter, more is said about this amazing prophecy (see 4:1f.).  Nevertheless, the passage we have read today implies something more to us about how God works in the midst of His people at any time, especially and significantly, at a time of renewal and revival.

The combination of the preaching of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus is worth recalling if we want to see how God works to confront sin in the world even today.  Both had the same sermon ‘repent for the Kingdom of God is near’ (Matt 3:2, 4:17).  However, it was the preaching of John that warned people of the absolute and dire consequences of sin; and the work of Christ built on that to give us the greatest gift of all, salvation.  It is perhaps wise for Christian people to revisit the words of John  the Baptist, Malachi and the Old Testament prophets so that they understand the truly endemic and destructive nature of sin in the world.  I have frequently heard Christian people say of sin, quite lightly, ‘I am sure that God will sort it all out’, as if sins such as anger, wrong attitudes in worship or relationship issues, were minor personality issues that do not affect Christian discipleship or faith.  We suggest to each other that Jesus will deal with these things providing that we say the right thing when we die and do our best now; but this is not good enough.  The Biblical message is that sin destroys, and all sin is an affront to God.  I once said this in a teaching session to some preachers, and one person retorted quite crossly; ‘really?’

Surely those of true faith long to be rid of any sin, knowing that it separates them and their Lord, and knowing that the smallest sins can often be the biggest obstacles precisely because they appear insignificant from a worldly perspective.  The absolute call to purity as in a ‘refiner’s fire’, is an important part of Malachi’s abiding prophetic contribution to Scripture.  We must ask ourselves whether we are prepared to be refined in this way, for to place our trust in Christ and the grace of God does not mean that we escape judgement, but that by submitting to the refiner’s fire now, our lives produce gold and silver for the Kingdom of God!

Malachi 2:17-3:5 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. In what ways do we weary God with our words, complaints and practices today?  What do you reckon that He thinks of this?
2. Discuss in your group what verse you would each preach from in this passage of Malachi.
3. How does the image of the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s soap affect you, and what do they say to you about being cleansed from sin?

Personal comments by author

This passage of Scripture is one that I feel contains almost as much of God’s Word as we will give it time to speak to us!  The closer I look at each word and phrase, the more I find and the more I am captivated by the possibilities.  There is more spiritual and practical truth for us to discover from the messenger, the Temple, the Lord’s appearance, the sons of Levi, the offerings in Jerusalem, to name but a few features of the text.  Perhaps the best result of any Bible study is to leave it knowing that you can return and gain so much more!

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• If you can get hold of a Christian biography, read through as much as you can of it over several days, and assess in your own way the impact of sin on the life of the person you have read about.  Compare this to what Scripture says about sin.
• Pray for those who find the subject of sin difficult, and in particular the notion of the ‘refiner’s fire’.  Pray that evangelists will have wisdom in deciding when to speak about sin and when to speak about the love and grace of Christ that overcomes it.

Final Prayer

Give us humility, Almighty Father, in the face of the great truths of the Gospel.  May we handle them with dignity and care, and always remember that we are dependent upon You for everything, including our wisdom and understanding.  Guide us in all truth, Almighty Father; AMEN

Bible study for Malachi 3:6-12

Malachi 3:6-12 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

This is one of the well known parts of the prophecy of Malachi.  Verses 8 to 10 have become known in recent years because they speak about the importance of tithing, and they also identify the relationship between being obedient to God and receiving His blessings.  These are important issues, but they are only the beginning of what the Lord can say to His people through this passage.  Malachi also tells us about the unchanging character of God, the cost of repentance, the relationship between curse and blessing, and the nature of God’s blessings both for individuals and for the community of His people.  In addition, the whole passage is part of a broader theme in Malachi about the cleansing of the people before the Lord’s coming, as we saw in the previous study (3:1-5).  What we have read today is not just a teaching about tithing; it is part of Malachi’s broad understanding of what happens when God’s people become disillusioned and let go of the disciplines of faith.

At the very beginning of our passage, we read the words ‘I the Lord do not change ...’, which is a powerful confirmation of a basic characteristic of God.  However, what comes next is a little surprising.  It is often said that the God of the Old Testament is a God of judgement, but this passage reminds us that He is also a God of Salvation from the beginning of the Bible to the end.  The people of Israel had neglected God and had acted in bad faith towards Him (1:6f.), but despite this they had ‘not perished’ (1:6).  The Lord had not condemned them completely; He wanted them to ‘return’ to Him and He would return to them (1:7).  This sounds simple, but history speaks of how hard people find it to do, and we still find it hard today even though we have the assurance of forgiveness through Christ.

The central section of our passage reminds God’s people that they are under discipline, and just as they owed God the proper animal sacrifices in worship (1:6-14) they also owed the Lord the proper tithes.  It is likely that because they were poor, the people felt they did not have enough to bring a full tithe to the Temple just as they did not bring ‘perfect’ animals for sacrifice (1:6-14).  God, however, said that by holding back the tithe they were cheating Him (3:9).  Some Bibles say they  ‘robbed’ God, but the idea in the Hebrew text (see notes on translation below) is that by not bringing the tithe the people were avoiding God as well as not giving Him His due.  Now, if they were avoiding God, did this mean that the people felt guilty because they knew that they were doing wrong?  It seems likely!

God’s call to His people was clear and direct; ‘bring the whole tithe into the storehouse’ (3:10).  His graciousness can be seen however in the promise He gave should the people do what they knew they should.  He said that if they completed their obligation in respect of tithes, then He would give them so many blessings that heaven would have no more to offer!  The blessing God promised was, of course, to break the cycle of poverty in which the people were trapped.  They had little and therefore gave inadequately, but if they gave the full due, then as verse 11 says, God would act to remove the pestilence and disease from their crops and give them a higher yield.

This passage explains that God’s blessings are not things like ‘spiritual gifts’ or material goods; God was not responding to prayer requests for ‘things’ people wanted!  The fullest blessing of heaven was that God would enable His people to be seen as blessed by others (3:12); and therefore fulfil their basic Covenant calling (see Genesis 12:2,3) to be a witness to the world!.  So when we fulfil the obligations placed on us by God, then we can expect to be able to fulfil the calling God has placed on us today to be His witnesses.

Going Deeper

God’s intention has always been for His people to witness to Him in the world so that He can bless more and more people and overcome the evil in the world.  Tithing and blessing is not a contract for our spiritual enjoyment of life!  As we ‘go deeper’, we will find out more about the importance of honouring our obligations to God and what ‘blessing’ really means!

Malachi 3:6-12 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V6 ‘you, O children of Jacob, have not perished’

The meaning of this verse is very important, and the final word ‘perished’ comes from a Hebrew word meaning ‘to be complete’, or ‘to be finished’.  The whole verse has general meaning that God has not yet finished with His people!

V8 ‘will anyone rob God?’

The Hebrew word used here for ‘rob’ is uncertain, and it is not found anywhere else except possibly in Proverbs 22:23.  There is some evidence that it could mean ‘circumvent’, or perhaps the idea of ‘avoidance’.  I have decided to use ‘cheat’ because it retains something of both these ideas

V9 ‘you are accursed ...’

The Hebrew is an emphatic double, reading ‘with a curse you are cursed’ and the strength of this curse is probably due to the fact that it comes from God.

V10 ’until there is nothing left’ 

The version with which you will be most familiar is this; ‘until it overflows’.  However, a strict rendering of the Hebrew is ‘as far as a failure of sufficient’!  The general idea of abundance is quite clear, but it adds an interesting twist to the phrase to retain the idea of there being nothing left (see study).

V11 ‘I will stop pests destroying ...’

There is a strong hint that what is meant is locusts; but this is not specifically said, so I have left it vague with ‘pests’.

Malachi 3:6-12 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

God’s purpose for His people (3:6-8)

It is always good to be able to read in Scripture a plain confirmation of one of the basic beliefs about God, in this case, that He is unchangeable (3:6).  We should be careful about the concept of being ‘unchanging’ however, because this is not the same as being ‘unyielding’!  What is always unchanging about God, as Paul perceived in his famous first letter to the Corinthians (chapter 13), is that He is love.  God’s character does not change, even if the way we perceive Him changes, His intention is always to be loving to those He has made.  In addition to His unchangeable character, His plans for the world do not change.  He is always working to bring the world to its final triumphant conclusion, but there may be all kinds of things that He wants to happen within this world before then, and we do not know what this might be. 

Beyond God’s character and His plans, it is difficult for us to be precise about any other ‘unchangeable’ characteristics of God, because there is so much evidence of His responding to people and engaging with us in ‘changeable’ ways.  For example, in this text, He says ‘Return to me, and I will return to You’ (3:7), and the fact that the end result of this is dependent upon what people do means that God allows Himself to be responsive to events on earth.  If this were not so, then our relationship with God would be little different from that with an entirely predictable computer, for example!  However, it is part of God’s extraordinary graciousness towards us that He engages with us and responds to our choices.  Indeed, He longs for us to make the right choices and appeals to us in His love, and He has to bear the heartache of rejection when we say ‘no’!

In this passage from Malachi, the ‘children of Jacob’ (an expression meaning ‘God’s people’, or simply ‘Israel’) stand accused of continual rebellion against God (3:7), but God still stands waiting for them to fulfil their calling.  In the days of Abraham He gave them a Covenant call to be a ‘blessing to all nations’ (Gen 12:3 etc.) and then gave them the moral guidelines by which they could achieve this goal (see Exodus and the giving of the Law).  It was a miracle of grace that God did not give up on His people despite their inability to live up to their calling.  At the time Malachi wrote, it was becoming clear that in order for God’s will to be done, He could not depend upon Israel, but would have to purify them and work through them in a new way.  This is what the great prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel had already said, and is what Malachi also accepted (see 3:1-5).

If you read through Malachi chapter 3, you will see that verses 1 to 5 (which speak about the need for God’s people to be purified) conclude with the thought that once purified, the people would be able to offer ‘acceptable offerings’ (3:4).  It is highly likely that by writing about tithing, Malachi was giving an example of what he meant by ‘acceptable offerings’.  He did not simply return to the notion of bringing the Lord animal sacrifices that were unblemished and ‘whole’ (as in chapter 1); he spoke about tithes.  Tithing was undoubtedly a part of Israelite life, but for Malachi, it represented a tougher and more demanding form of response to God; it was a sign of costly repentance.

Presenting tithes (3:8-10)

Today, we tend to think of tithes and worship as two different things, but to the people of Old Testament times, both were a part of the ancient laws that governed worship.  The tithe is not mentioned a great deal in the Old Testament (Numbers 18:21f., Deuteronomy 14:22f. and 2 Chronicles 31:5f.) but largely concerns the giving of one tenth of agricultural produce to the Priests and the Temple.  Some of this was reserved ‘for the Lord’, but most was given to the priests because they had no land and no personal source of food.  Clearly, the whole Temple system of worshipping God would collapse if priests could not do their duties because they had no food!  In the hard times of the fifth century BC it would have been easy for people to say ‘we’re poor, so we will not give our tithe’, but God said that such an attitude was as much an insult to Him as failing to bring proper animal sacrifices (1:6-10).

So, to give God proper tithes was to give God proper worship in the Temple.  Indeed, giving God one tenth of a crop of grain was a far more demanding requirement than finding the best animal sacrifices!  This reminds us of Jesus’ approach to teaching about doing things properly.  In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), Jesus constantly called people to a higher standard than ‘the law’ required, for example, he said that not only should people not murder other people, they should not entertain anger in their hearts (Matt 5:21f.).  For this reason, it is unwise for us to fix too closely on one tenth as the proper and correct amount of money or property to be given to God ‘as a tithe’; we should perhaps regard Malachi’s prophecy as calling God’s people to aspire to the highest standards of worship and giving possible.  Remember, giving and worship were one and the same to Malachi.

This is something we will look at further in the ‘application’ section of this study, because this passage of Scripture raises the whole issue of tithing amongst God’s people today.  As a matter of fact, however, where tithing is specifically mentioned in Scripture the percentage is assumed and never mentioned, as it is here.  There are places in Scripture where the giving of one tenth is described (as in Abraham’s offering to Melchizedek – Genesis 14:20), but it is not called a tithe!  This does present us with a problem, because it seems right to assume that the tithe was one tenth.  In addition to this confusion, scripture does not always describe a ‘tithe’ as being given automatically, or all the time.  In Deuteronomy 14:28 and 26:12, for example, the tithe is described specifically as being given only one year in three, but from the third year’s crop alone!  It would be neat and tidy to think of the Biblical tithe as simple ‘one tenth of everything’, but this is simply not the case.  We must accept that Malachi was more interested in God’s people doing what was required of them rather than the exact details of which tithe he was talking about or whether it meant one tenth of everything all the time, or what Moses said in Deuteronomy!  In this passage, what God wanted was obedient people prepared to do what He asked, not people who felt they could escape any further obligation once they had met a certain level of giving! 

Putting the Lord to the test, to receive blessing (3:10-12)

By being obedient to the Lord in the matter of giving, the people were granted the opening of the ‘windows of heaven’!  This is a powerful picture of God’s blessing pouring down from heaven, and it has inspired many people who are in search of ‘blessings from heaven’.  It is of course true that God does bless those who are obedient, but this text is specific and not general.  We will understand this picture or vision more accurately, if we know that in the Old Testament, the idea of a ‘window’ in heaven was not mere poetry.  A brief look at Genesis 1 will reveal that people believed that beyond the ‘dome’ of the sky and under the ground on which people stood, the universe was not an expanse of ‘nothing’ (as science tells us nowadays), but a vast expanse of water (Gen 1:4-7)!  In the minds of the ancients, therefore, rain from above came from ‘openings’ or ‘windows’ in the sky that were opened by God.  In addition, because crops were entirely depended upon rain, people believed there was a clear link between God’s activity in opening windows in the sky and every kind of earthly blessing.  To put in bluntly, if it rained, crops grew and people lived; if it did not rain, then crops failed and people died.

No wonder therefore, that Malachi saw a direct connection between giving God the proper tithe of grain and the blessing of rain that would enable people to live without fear of famine and death!  The agricultural picture is completed by the reference to God’s additional blessing of destroying ‘pestilence’ (3:11).  What God was saying was clear enough, however.  He expected His people to show that they were ‘purified (3:1-5) by giving Him the honour that was His due.  This would enable them to receive the kind of blessings that people of those days would have understood as being evidence of God at work.  Any nation that was blessed by sufficiency and abundance would have been the envy of the world in those days.  This was what the Lord invited the people to seek; because this course of action meant that they would then have fulfilled their call to demonstrate God’s presence in the world.

The picture presented on Proverbs 11:24-26 is remarkably similar:

24 Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.  25 A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water.  26 The people curse those who hold back grain, but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it. (Proverbs 11:24-26)

Malachi 3:6-12 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

Whilst explaining this text, you may have wondered how this could possibly help us understand tithing today and the connection between tithing and blessing.  Many churches teach the principle of tithing, meaning that people should given one tenth of their total income to the church (or perhaps to charity in general and some of this to the church).  They naturally suggest that this should result in God’s blessing of His people.  Most churches will readily teach that such blessings are not material blessings according to our desire for earthly wealth, but blessing appropriate to the fulfilment of God’s will through His people.

This seems admirable, and I would not wish to suggest this is wrong.  However, I think it worth refining this notion a little in the light of our study.  Firstly, the lack of scriptural connection between ‘tithe’ and ‘tenth’ (which has always been observed by those who study the Bible) does suggest that we are unwise to be too legalistic about the notion of one tenth.  Indeed, if you read my recent study on 1 Corinthians 16:2, you will realise that the dominant theme of giving in the New Testament is not that of tithe, but of give ‘all’ and only keeping for oneself the minimum necessary to sustain normal life.  It is my opinion that in advising Christians about how to give money, whilst ‘one tenth’ is a useful starting point in guiding people about how to apportion money received, this is only one part of a much wider issue, which is how to ensure that we give ‘everything’ to God.  In these ‘New Testament’ times, if we think that one tenth meets our obligations, then we are wrong.  Malachi’s implicit call for ‘higher standards’ of giving and worship amongst God’s purified people suggests that the New Testament is the right place for us to look for guidance about how to use our resources.  A legalistic approach to giving can be a part of our life and worship, but we should be wary that people sometimes use it to avoid God rather than engage with Him.

When it comes to blessings, we must remember that Malachi prophesied before the time of Christ.  I boldly suggest that he was not simply suggesting that if God’s people paid tithes then they would be blessed.  I think that he was saying more than this.  He was indicating a direct connection between us giving our best, and God giving everything in return; remember that the text says that God will give everything He is able to give from heaven!  Indeed, this has surely now been done, and God has given His ‘all’ by sending Christ!  The only right thing for us to do as a consequence, is to aspire to give our ‘all’ to God as well; and according to this prophecy this means that we will be able to experience such blessing that other people will see God in us (3:12)!

Giving one tenth seems to me to be but a small part of what this prophecy is about, and I find no difficulty in suggesting that Malachi was looking further into the future to the blessing of God’s salvation poured out to all who believe and who respond to Him with total commitment.

Malachi 3:6-12 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. In what ways does God change?  In what ways does God change?  What is the difference between the two?
2. Is it necessary for Christians to give one tenth of what they own to God?  Is tithing necessary for all Christians, always?
3. In what ways does God bless His people today when they do His will?  Speak from personal experience if possible.

Personal comments by author

The issue of tithing is complex, and I have said what I think about this passage already.  We need guides such as the principle of tithing, but each one of us needs to make sure that we have a broader understanding of what the Lord requires of us today, so that we ensure that we are doing all we can to fulfil this.  I find that this requires me to be vigilant and careful, and when I pray I need to check out with the Lord whether I am ‘on the right tracks’.  It is too easy to live according to presumption or habit, even in our relationship with the Lord.

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• If you have a fellowship group of which you are a part, then try to ask people about their attitude to tithing and other obligations to God.  People can often find this subject really difficult, but it is not an issue that should be avoided.
• Pray for all who struggle to meet what they know are their obligations to the Lord and feel guilty about it.  Ask the Lord to help such people take the simple steps necessary to begin to put right what is wrong, and so receive God’s blessings.

Final Prayer

Glorious Lord, the truth of Your Gospel is amazing, for we have been touched by it and know it is true, and yet it presents us with a powerful challenge.  Give us the courage to follow where it leads with all truthfulness and grace, and help us to value the guidance it gives.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord; AMEN

Bible study for Malachi 3:13-18

Malachi 3:13-18 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

What we have just read is extraordinary.  To begin with, Malachi presents us with the classic problem of unbelief, as reflected in Old Testament texts from Genesis to Job and Isaiah; people have seen others who reject God becoming successful in the world, and they question the value of following Him (3:13-16).  Then, by way of complete contrast, the second paragraph contains an extraordinary prophecy about the last days and the judgement of God!  Moreover, this is the first occasion that a ‘book’ is described in the Bible recording names that God will remember on His day of judgement; what we now call a ‘book of life’.  There are some texts in the Psalms and Daniel that imply the existence of such a book (Psalms 40:7, 69:28, 139:16, and Daniel 10:21, 12:1f.), but this is the only place in the Old Testament where the book is described in detail.  The idea resurfaces in Philippians (4:3), and then appears strongly within Revelation (3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12-19).  The very fact that many Christians today speak openly about their names being ‘written in the book of life’ (or the ‘lamb’s book of life – see Rev. 13:8) testifies to the importance of the idea found within Malachi.

However, if we are to understand what is going on in these two paragraphs, then we must recall what happens in Malachi’s prophecy throughout chapter 3.  At the beginning, Malachi wrote to describe the coming of the Lord God of Hosts to bring justice to the earth, preceded by His ‘messenger’ (3:1,2), and this required the purification of God’s people (3:3-5).  In yesterday’s passage we read Malachi’s prophetic word about the proper response to God’s coming, in which the people were encouraged to give the proper tithes and consequently give a visible testimony of their blessing to the nations (3:8-12).  After this, our passage describes the sceptical response of many of God’s people in Malachi’s day; they complained that following God’s ways led to no benefit (3:13)!  Moreover, those who tested God by rebelling against Him appeared to escape His justice (3:15)!

Malachi probably observed people complaining about God in this way just as we do today and just as people have always done. However, with the perception of a true prophet, Malachi could see beyond this.  He did not record just one single prophecy, but something more interesting.  He described something he saw that appears to have triggered his great prophecy about the ‘book’.  Malachi described a group of people who ‘revered the Lord’ getting together, without saying directly that he was one of those people!  It is highly likely that he was, because he was able to say that the Lord’s presence was like a watchful eye; He ‘took note and listened ...’ whilst the group wrote down a list of names of like-minded people in a ‘book of remembrance’ (3:16).

We can easily imagine that in the atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust within Jerusalem, it had become necessary for those who truly trusted the Lord to make such a commitment to each other and to God, but what happened consequently is even more remarkable.  The whole event led to a prophetic vision, which Malachi’s wrote down next.  In this vision, the Lord spoke to confirm and verify what the group had done, and He declared that those who were listed were indeed His.  They were His faithful servants, a ‘special possession’, moreover, He would declare them as such on ‘the day when I act’ (3:17).  Then, at this final judgement, the difference between the ‘righteous and the wicked’ would become evident, and the Lord’s people would be vindicated through their commitment and service.

The vision of the end and the justification of the righteous is of course an Old Testament vision, and God did not speak to Malachi about the Messiah and His unique role in this vindication (as He did to Isaiah, for example).  In a very special way, Malachi’s vision reveals that God is watching His servants with love, and keenly awaits the day when they will be ‘spared as a man spares a son who serves him’ (3:18).

Going Deeper

There has been much scholarly dispute about these verses because some of the Hebrew is not clear, and it is also unclear who is ‘speaking’ at various points within the text.  I have attempted to make this clear through the translation, but there remain a significant number of further issues to be explored.

Malachi 3:13-18 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V13 ‘you have spoken strong words against me, says the Lord.’ 

The Hebrew says ‘your words were strong against me’, and if we compare the words used here with how they are used elsewhere in the Old Testament, then it is clear that what is described is an arrogant harsh attitude towards God.

V13 ‘what have we said to each other against You?’ 

You will find that most Bible versions have ‘what have we spoke against You? However, the particular use of the word ‘speak’ suggests discussing things, or speaking together, and so I have done what I can to convey this sense of conferring against God.

V14 ‘walk about mournfully’

This is a difficult expression in Hebrew because the exact word is found nowhere else in the Old Testament.  The Hebrew word is related to one meaning ‘dark’ in the sense of mourning, as found in Psalm 42:10.  Similar words are also found in Jeremiah 4:28, Ezekiel 31:15, Isaiah 50:3) meaning ‘mourning.

V15 ‘those who do evil not only prosper …’

The Hebrew word here says that those who do evil are ‘built up’, hence the idea of prospering.

V16 ‘spoke with one another’

The Hebrew expression says ‘a man and his companion’ spoke, and this gives us a feel of purposeful getting together.  The phrase is in fact a general one and does not mean just two people.

V16 ‘listing those who revered the Lord’ 

The Hebrew says ‘about those who revered His name’  However, in the context, it is clear that what was written was a list of names (see study).

V17 ‘my special possession on the day when I act’

It is rather uncertain what this sentence means, and it may be that it could be translated; ‘for the day when I make my treasured possession’  However, I have preferred the translation I have given because it makes more sense..  It is hard to work out exactly what the alternative might mean within this text.

Malachi 3:13-18 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

Antagonism towards God (3:13-15)

People were speaking ‘strong words’ against the Lord.  This phrase used in verse 13 suggests that people were angry with God.  All the way through Malachi we have noted how faithful Malachi was in declaring the word of the Lord against a background of opposition and mistrust.  Many of the great prophets had to speak in such circumstances.  Elijah had to oppose the combined efforts of four hundred of prophets of Ba’al on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18); and Amos, a southerner, had to preach strongly against the northern nation of Israel and the high priest at Bethel was not pleased to hear what he had to say (Amos 7:10-17).  Malachi should be recognised as one who faced fierce opposition of probably the worst kind, which was a combination of hypocrisy and denial.

It is difficult to translate the text exactly as the Hebrew requires, but if you look at the translation notes for verse 13 above, you will begin to see that Malachi was confronting a culture in which people spoke harshly and sharply against God whilst still going through the motions of worshipping and claiming the benefits of being God’s people.  They spoke strongly against God to each other, but when confronted, said ‘what have we said?’ (3:13)  Most Biblical commentaries tell us that Malachi’s ‘method’ was to present what he had to say in a ‘question and answer’ format, but it is also possible that Malachi did this because he was adept at asking the right questions and also perceiving the truth behind what people said because he listened properly!  Some people have that gift, and it can be unnerving.  I suggest that it is quite possible for Malachi to have been motivated to prophesy by what he discovered through his own conversations with people.

Malachi had discovered the awful truth that despite everything that the people of Israel had endured in recent years, including the return from exile they had longed for, they were not happy with God, continued to sin and hid it from Him!  Moreover, their complaint against God was the same complaint of earlier generations, such as those recorded in Numbers 21:5,7 (and Psalm 78:19), for example.  On these occasions the people complained against God because their lives were unfavourable and moreover, those who did what they wanted appeared to fare better than those who followed the Lord’s ways.  Malachi summed up the devious criticism nicely; ‘what do we gain if we keep His requirements’ (3:14).  This, of course, is the endemic sin of all humanity, especially when people tend to blame everyone else for what has gone wrong except themselves.

The gathering (3:16)

In the face of such attitudes, Malachi reports the famous gathering in verse 16.  In the opening section of the Bible study I have indicated my belief that Malachi was one of the number who gathered; how could he not have been present?  The whole report sounds like a personal recollection, but Malachi did not talk about himself out of deference to God and the spiritual significance of what happened.  Malachi regarded himself as the messenger reporting the message, and stood back from claiming involvement in the message itself! 

We can imagine a group of serious minded Israelites, perhaps including Levites who were acutely aware of the shortcomings of what was happening in Jerusalem.  The Hebrew describes the gathering in this way; ‘those who revered the Lord spoke, a man and his companion’.  It would be tempting to suggest that the group consisted of only two, but ‘a man and his companion’ is a well used phrase in Hebrew for a group of people (see notes above).  This indicates that whatever their background, the one thing these people had in common was a serious desire to honour God, and God responded to this by taking note and listening (3:16).  Yet again, the Old Testament presents God as far more than an idle spectator in the affairs of the world, but one who is keenly interested in what happens.  When people act in faith without prompting from the Lord Himself, then God listens with special interest.

In that solemn moment, Malachi records that a list of names was written down of all those who were serious about doing what was right and being purified by God (see 3:1f.), and the records states that this was done in God’s ‘presence’.  This phrase indicates the possibility that the writing of the book was done in the Temple, because a good Jewish person would have regarded God’s presence as residing there.  In addition, the implements for writing were not commonly available at that time, and it is a fair assumption that the tools to write and make a record were to be found in either a kings court (of which there was none at that time in Jerusalem) or in a Temple.

The many lists that have survived in various forms from those times (outside of Israel or the Bible) are largely lists of deeds done by people on behalf of the gods or on behalf of kings.  The list mentioned here is different from all these lists, because its primary purpose was not to record things done but people ‘who revered the Lord and valued His name’ (3:16).  This was a radical departure for the Old Testament, for we might expect that a good Jew would have felt it necessary to write down the deeds and work done that warranted inclusion in such a book; but no, the list was ‘names only’ and based on the attitude of the heart to follow God.  Here is the answer to any who might think that this prophesy of Malachi is rather too much like ‘salvation by works’ (see above); this small group of people perceived the same truth that Jeremiah had seen a century previously, that God looked at the heart to see whether someone was truly His (Jer. 31:31-33).

The prophecy of the end (3:17,18)

The Lord immediately went into action to corroborate the work done on earth by these few people.  The words in verse 17 are God’s claim upon those who had made such a significant step; the Lord said, ‘they will be mine ... my special possession.’  However, the significant feature of the prophecy is that the Lord said He would make this true ‘on the day when I act’ (3:17).  Each of the prophets of the Old Testament spoke about we call the ‘day of the Lord’ in different ways.  The phrase ‘the day of the Lord’ only occurs 17 times in the Old Testament, but there are many other phrases used to describe the same event.  Zechariah uses the expression ‘that day’ more than 20 times, for example.  Malachi uses at least four different phrases; the ‘day of His coming’ (3:2), ‘the day of the Lord’ (4:5), ‘the day that comes’ (4:1) and also ‘the day when I act’ (3:17 and 4:3).  It is obvious from the proximity of all these references at the end of the prophecy of Malachi, that each of these is a different way of speaking about just one event; God’s arrival and His ‘judgement day’ (we will discover more about this and how it relates to the coming of Jesus in the next study).

Here, Malachi paints a clear picture of what we might call a ‘final judgement’.  Of course, with the coming of Christ, God’s judgement begins but does not finish; but this was of no interest to Malachi.  His prophecy was concerned to establish the fact of God’s ultimate justice, and the firm belief that good would prevail and wickedness would be conquered.  Earlier, we read that in the midst of difficulty, the people had lost heart and stopped believing that good would indeed prevail.  But by their written declaration of faith, Malachi and his friends gave the Lord what He so much needed at that time; the commitment of faithful servants who would do His will.  So God rewarded their faith in Him by holding them ‘righteous’ in His judgement, and in our language today, ‘saved’.

Note the sequence of events in this passage.  Firstly, Malachi and his friends believed and stated their faith (3:16), then they were able to be used by God in His service (3:17), so that at the final judgement, their service would demonstrate the clear difference between the ‘righteous’ and the ‘wicked’ (3:18).  It is important that we note this sequence, because it confirms that Malachi described acceptance by God as beginning in a statement of faith rather than good deeds.  On the day of judgement, He said that God would of course expose everything people had done (as Jesus promised throughout His ministry), and right and wrong would be made clear.  This is extremely close to the New Testament theology that says salvation is found through faith that leads to service and not service that leads to faith.

Malachi 3:13-18 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

The trouble with the people who complained at the beginning of this passage was that they were not prepared to examine themselves first before they condemned God.  This, of course, is the dominant sin of today, and in the West, we are surrounded by people who do just this.  Christian preachers struggle to find ways to challenge people to self examination within a general culture of suspicion towards anyone who might suggest to people that they might be wrong and need to question themselves.  Those who make a stand for God and for faith today are not those who have found some personal spirituality by which they can live a confident and self fulfilling life.  They are people who have discovered through experience that God is generally right and they are generally wrong, and they are consequently prepared to sign up to trust in God rather than trust in themselves, secularism, or any other form of religion or belief system.

In many parts of the world today, Christians find themselves in a minority; disliked and ignored, and sometimes persecuted because of what they believe.  Malachi knew exactly what this was like and experienced much the same.  His vision of a book in which the names of the faithful are recorded is a prophetic triumph, because it has given great comfort and solace to millions of believers through the ages.  We may all now know that whatever the complaints and antagonism towards the one true God in whom we so passionately believe, faith is not in vain.  The ‘book of life’ (as it says in Revelation) is recorded on earth, and we are signed in according to our own free choice, just as Malachi and his companions wrote their names in a book five hundred years before the time of Jesus.  Nevertheless, these actions performed on earth have eternal consequences, and in God’s final judgement the book is opened and consulted.  Revelations records that God will not blot out any names from the book (Rev. 3:8), that those whose names are in it will experience suffering (Rev. 13:8), and that those whose names are written in the book will be saved (Rev. 20:12f.).  This, of course, if supreme justice.

Malachi 3:13-18 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. In what ways do people complain about the Lord today?  What reasons do people give for leaving the church?
2. Share your recollection of instances when you have been specially blessed by God’s presence when in a group talking or praying together.
3. What does it mean to you to speak of having your name written in the ‘book of life?  How helpful is this idea today?

Personal comments by author

I have been greatly blessed by occasions when I have been with other Christians, and felt the Lord has been blessing what we have done.  Sometimes these have been formal meetings, and on other occasions, they have been informal gatherings that have arisen on the spur of the moment.  It is always a joy to know that what we are doing is indeed what the Lord wants, and have this confirmed by a prophetic word.  I have often reflected that meetings and gatherings of Christians must be very boring without such inspiration and the presence of the Lord!  As God’s people, however, we should expect Him to be with us and thoroughly involved in what we do.

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Gather together with one or two other Christians and pray about the Lord’s return.  Share your feelings about this and talk about what it means to you; then pray about the concerns you raise and ask the Lord to give you a true perspective on this aspect of His will.
• Pray for those Christians who have never been taught about the Lord’s return, and have great difficulty coming to terms with the whole idea, let alone the concept of the ‘Lamb’s book of life’!

Final Prayer

Clean us, Heavenly Father, from the dirt and rubbish that accumulates in our lives, often without our even knowing it.  Give us the grace to accept Your cleansing, so that we are ready to throw away what needs to go, especially the accumulated debris of living.  May we remain true to You Lord God, in the way we live our lives:  AMEN

Bible study for Malachi 4:1-6

Malachi 4:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

The final words of the book of Malachi about the coming ‘day of the Lord’ (4:5) are as impressive as his other prophecies, and possibly more so.  Malachi began his prophecies by addressing the problems of his own day, and with the heart of a prophet he perceived the deeper roots of the trouble he saw.  The people and their priestly leaders had forsaken God’s clear moral teaching!  They questioned their relationship with God (1:2-5), their concept of right and wrong had become blurred (1:6f.), the priests had lost sight of the moral truths they taught (2:1-9) and the sacred covenant of marriage was abused for convenience (2:10-16).  Consequently, Malachi prophesied that God would come in a final act of judgement to purify His people (3:1f.).

This much is easy to follow, but as Malachi began to speak about the day of God’s judgement, he began to reveal more about what would happen.  Clearly, the main theme lying behind everything was that evil would be defeated and good would prevail.  In yesterday’s passage, Malachi revealed the complaints of the ungodly (3:13-15) and set against this, he described the creation of a book of ‘names’ recording all whose hearts were set upon faithful commitment to God (3:16-18).  This extraordinary account has strong spiritual connections with the New Testament, and indicates the abiding importance of commitment by faith in the final judgements of the Lord (3:18).  Then, in our passage today, the prophecy is completed by several additional and stunning insights.  Firstly, Malachi confirmed the defeat of evil (4:1), but added a wonderful picture of liberation like the dawn of a new day of righteousness (4:2) bringing healing and liberty from oppression.

Next, the last three verses present yet more fascination.  After reminding God’s people that the Law of God does not change, Malachi spoke again about the coming of one who would ‘prepare the way’ for God to come (see also 3:1f.).  This time, however, he identified this messenger as Elijah (4:5)!  We are wrong to think of Elijah as just one of the many great prophets of the Old Testament.  He was the first prophet to arise in Israel who effectively challenged wrongdoing in the nation, wresting moral authority away from the kings and raising the prophet as the moral conscience of the nation.  Malachi said that his voice would be heard again before God’s judgement day!  He did not explain this revelation; he simply passed on what he perceived in prophetic vision. Some suggest that these last few verses in Malachi were not a part o the original prophecy, but the evidence for this is slim.  It seems entirely correct that Malachi should conclude his work by saying more about the ‘forerunner’.  Moreover, this prophecy has one final ‘twist’.  This is not easily discernable but is an essential part of the prophetic vision of Malachi and essential to our understanding of why Malachi’s prophecy connects the Old Testament with the New.

In verse 6, Malachi says that the prophet will change the attitude of ‘fathers and children’.  This prophecy clearly refers to repentance; but Malachi then adds an extraordinary and little understood phrase; ‘so that I do not come and strike the land with a curse of destruction’.  This means that without repentance, God’s coming to the world would have resulted in its final judgement and destruction!  It seems that Malachi had some small degree of insight into the fact that the preaching of repentance by the forerunner (John the Baptist) would pave the way for God’s coming in Christ to preach salvation through repentance and by faith.  Indeed, the chance to repent and be saved is the key characteristic of the world in which we now live, and because of it, the world has been saved from its final destruction by the justice of God; an event now awaiting our Lord’s return.  Few scholars are willing to make the connection between this last verse and the characteristics of the age of salvation in which we now stand.  But we must surely accept these words for what they are; an essential insight into the heart and mind of God.

Going Deeper

There are many connections between this passage of scripture and other parts of the Bible, Old Testament or New, and as we investigate these, we will discover more about this powerful prophecy.  However the arrangement of the last twelve books of the Bible was decided, it was surely by the inspiration of the Spirit that Malachi came last!

Malachi 4:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Translation Notes

(consult Dictionaries)

V1 ‘... the day that is coming will set them ablaze,’

Note that the grammar of the sentence is very clear: the blaze is started by the ‘day that is coming’.

V2 ‘and healing will be on its wings’

You may be used to the version ‘with healing on its wings.’  However, ‘with’ is assumed and my translation here is equally possible even though there is little difference in the meaning.

V4 ‘that I gave him at Horeb to give to all Israel’

This translation picks up the subtle nature of the Hebrew here that indicates the charge given to Moses to hand on what he had received.  Many other translation have something like this  ‘... the statutes and rules that I commanded him (Moses) at Horeb for all Israel’, which seems rather clumsy.

V6 ‘so that I do not come and strike ...’

This is an awkward phrase, sometimes translated ‘lest I come and strike’.  The meaning of the Hebrew word for ‘so that I do not’, or ‘lest’, simply indicates some sort of aversion or changing round.  The coming of Elijah changes God’s mind about what He will do.

V6 ‘curse of destruction’

This word is the Hebrew ‘cherem’ which is the curse of being totally given over to the Lord for judgement and justice (see study).  It is best known for its use in the battles for the conquest of the Promise Land in Joshua.

Malachi 4:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

Sorting out the good and the evil (4:1,2)

The sorting out of evil from good is a constant theme of the Bible, and it is found in both the Old Testament and the New.  The moral problem of good and evil is raised in Genesis 3, and the choice made by Eve and then Adam to accept evil illustrates the predicament of all humanity.  However, it is a choice that must come to an end, and a dilemma that must finally be resolved by God’s destruction of all that is evil.  This will happen, of course, when God brings all things to their final conclusion at the end of time.

When Malachi speaks about the final destruction of the ‘stubble’ (4:1f.), he is doubtless referring to the evildoers who spoke against God and complained about justice (3:13-15).  Malachi was incensed at the thought that some of God’s people would attempt to maintain the outward appearance of religious observance whilst having a heart set against the God they claimed to worship.  It is probable that Jesus felt the same, and this is reflected in His parable of the ‘sheep and the goats’, in which those who regard themselves as ‘safe’ in  God’s eyes are precisely those who receive harsh judgement because they have not understood the nature of their relationship with the living God.  Their acceptability before Him is His to determine, not theirs to presume (whereas the Christian, of course, places trust in Christ, not in self).

Malachi perceived the coming judgement of God as like the action of a bush fire (4:1f.), late in the agricultural year.  Only stubble would be left in the open field after the harvest, susceptible to scorching by the hot southerly winds that ravaged Israel in late season.  The fruit and the harvest had gone, and at a time that could never be predicted, the heat of the day would ignite the dry stubble, setting the fields ablaze uncontrollably.  This picture, surely, is different from that of the fire of the furnace described earlier (3:1f.) in which God’s people would be ‘purified’.  God purified and saved the ‘sons of Levi’ (3:3) despite the apparent impossibility of surviving a furnace, so that they would be able to present offerings of true worship.  So judgement by fire means one thing for those whom the Lord saves, and it means another for those who have rejected Him.  This is the nature of ‘final judgement’.

The ‘sun of righteousness’ and the ‘Son of Righteousness’ (4:3)

Malachi’s vision for those who are not consumed by the judgement of God’s wrath is a powerful description of new life, and one that is unique in the Old Testament; ‘but for you who revere my name, the ‘sun of righteousness will arise ...’.  It is tempting for a Christian today to jump in immediately and suggest that this is Christ, the ‘Son of righteousness’!  However, this phrase is not a title; it is simply a picture.  What Malachi saw was the sun rising to represent a new beginning; the start of a new day heralding healing and liberty.  Before we consider how Christ fulfilled this prophecy, we should glory in the power of the vision as it stands.

At the conclusion of Malachi’s entire prophecy, dominated by his anguish at the rejection of the Lord by His own people, Malachi was granted a vision that spoke of a totally new start under God.  The word ‘day’ has great significance in the Old Testament, and often indicates a period of time or an age.  Creation happened in six days, of course, and the Sabbath was one ‘day’ belonging to God.  The ‘day’ seen here by Malachi is firstly a day of healing.  The prophecy tells us that the glorious healing power of God becomes available when the Lord has judged all sin and evil and all wickedness has been removed (4:1,2).  The Bible always maintains that there is a deep spiritual connection between sin and sickness (though it never says that those who are sick are generally more sinful than anyone else); and healing is therefore the logical consequence of the removal of evil.  Naturally, we want to know when this becomes available to us, but at the moment, all we know is that healing is one of the first things in God’s mind for His great day of judgement!

The second part of the verse describes joyous liberty, and although few of us look after cattle, it does not take too much imagination for us to relate to the picture of young steers leaping from their enclosures with all the vigour of dynamic youth!  This is what the Lord God wants to give to us when, as people who are committed to Him and have written our names in the ‘book of life’ (see yesterday’s study), we survive the judgement day and come into His glory.  So God’s response to our act of faith is to grant us a salvation which is like the release of all our energies and enthusiasm in the wide open spaces of the field that is God’s eternal Kingdom (4:3)!  The prophecy is a wonderful Old Testament contribution to our picture of eternity, to add to the restored wilderness (Isaiah 35), the banquet (Psalm 23, Luke 14:8f.), the house with many rooms (John 14:1f.), the ‘new Jerusalem’ (Rev 21:2) and many others.

We are left wondering when this will be and how this will all come about!  The last three verses of Malachi begin to hint at this, and allow us to perceive that although the final judgement is still yet to come, Christ has given access to this liberty and deliverance, and in this sense may be called ‘the Son of righteousness’.  It is only a play on words in English, of course, but it is not a misinterpretation of God’s Word!

The importance of the law (4:4)

In the midst of the whole vision, Malachi includes a verse that is remarkable and asks us to stand firm, and refrain from jumping ahead without realising that God’s revelations have been consistent throughout history.  He says ‘remember the Law of my servant Moses ...’.  It is important for us to accept that if we are talking about the difference between good and evil, which is a difference between life and death at the final judgement of God, then God has already revealed the true nature of morality within the Law and the Ten Commandments in particular.  The Law was given on Mount Sinai, and this is sometimes called ‘Horeb’ (even by Moses, who used ‘Sinai’ and ‘Horeb’ interchangeably – see Deuteronomy chapter 1, for example).

It is easy for Christians to dismiss the ‘Law’.  When we read Paul’s arguments about the importance of salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:5,8, Galatians 2:21, 5:4, Romans 6:14,15) we are tempted to believe that the law was for the Old Testament but Christ came to show us a better way of ‘grace’.  Unfortunately, the ‘law’ Paul was speaking about (by his own admission) was the Pharisaic legalism written down in the codes of the Mishnah  and Talmud (rabbinical document of the centuries before Christ).  At no point does the New Testament suggest that the moral codes of the Law are superseded in any way; it is simply that they are not the means of attaining salvation.  This is what Jesus Himself says in Matthew 5:17, for example, and the reason for this should be obvious.  Right and wrong do not change, and it is just as wrong to commit adultery and to be idolatrous today as it was when the Ten Commandments were written.  Indeed, Jesus commanded His followers to ‘love your neighbour’, quoting Leviticus 19:18.  God’s ‘Law’ is fixed, insofar as His morality does not change.

The coming of Elijah (4:5,6)

In the last two verses of this incredible passage, Malachi gives a prophetic announcement that has never failed to intrigue and inspire.  Elijah had been to Mount Horeb, of course, but under different circumstances to that of Moses (see 1 Kings 19), and met God in the inner reaches of a cave.  His pioneering prophetic ministry changed Israel for ever, and together with Moses, was one of very few people in the Old Testament whose passing from this life indicates a very special place in the spiritual life of God’s people; he went to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 King 2:11).  The connection with fire is yet another good indicator of the purpose of this prophecy; for Moses had met God in a burning bush (Exodus 3) and Elijah left this world surrounded by fire!  Malachi spoke about Moses and Elijah in his prophecy about God’s final judgement, because they are essential to our picture of the consuming nature of God’s final judgement .

We have already noted the incredibly important meaning of Elijah’s return, and the connection with repentance and the chance of being rescued from final destruction (see above).  However, the power of this prophecy has never been fully exhausted.  The ‘curse of destruction’ which is the last word of the Old Testament, is what the people of Israel read as ‘cherem’, meaning the curse placed by God on everything sinful that had to be destroyed.  This is the same curse of God placed on Jericho and Ai when the people of Israel invaded the Promised Land (Joshua 6-9), but we now find that this was no ancient feature of Old Testament culture (as has often been suggested).  God’s moral nature means that He will ultimately destroy sin, and this is the fulfilment of His ‘cherem’.  God does not want to destroy the world because of its sin; it is His desire to see people saved and rescued from ‘cherem’, but they need to be guided away from sin into righteousness!  This is the role of the returning Elijah, whose job is to call people to repentance.

So it is that Malachi prophesies the final opportunity for salvation before the judgement of God brings all things to their proper end, and the opportunity to change comes through people ‘turning’ from sin because they are warned (4:6).  This, of course is the exact starting point of the New Testament, and it is the ‘age’ in which we now live.  There is a great deal in the Old Testament about the Messiah, but little about what will happen to save the world from God’s wrath.  So to have this prophecy about repentance is remarkable and cannot be underestimated.  It is a small but essential Old Testament clue to what God will do in the New Testament.

Malachi 4:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Application

It seems to me that there are a large number of things that we can conclude from this amazing prophecy; however, if we begin by limiting ourselves to what the text says, then we will find that our minds are quickly led on to make a wide variety of connections with the New Testament and to the faith we profess.  Many of these connections are to do with the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ who followed Him; the passage also seems to say something about the event we call the ‘transfiguration’, when Jesus was seen with Moses and Elijah on a mountain top (Matthew 17:1f.).  The picture of fire and judgement that dominates the whole passage connects with Jesus’ oft repeated comments about judgement (Mark 9:43f., Matthew 25:41, Luke 3:17, 17:29 and many more), and the image of fire is used in Jesus’ life as an indication of the purification of the Holy Spirit as well as judgement (Matt 3:10, Luke 3:9, Acts 2:3 etc.).  In addition to all this, Malachi’s picture of the ‘sun of righteousness’ is a compelling description of the desire of God not to simply call down judgement and end the world, but to offer an opportunity for liberation, healing and repentance.

There is an almost endless stream of connections here to follow, and all have important contributions to make to the way we perceive God’s work in the world as it changed from the Old Covenant to the New.  It strongly doubt that I will have mentioned in this study all of the connections you will naturally make as you read this text, and you will probably think ‘why did he not write about this, or that!’  It may not be right to speak of the ‘application’ of this text in the way that we speak of application in many other scriptural contexts.  Surely, the ‘application’ of this text is the evidence that this prophecy has been fulfilled in the history of the life of John the Baptist and of Jesus Christ.  This affects us now because as Malachi prophesied, we all have a chance to repent and turn from sin, to avoid the judgement of annihilation with the stubble (4:1,2), and to be liberated (4:3).

The fact that God gave Malachi this much information about what would happen is amazing.  I doubt that he understood it as we do, but he communicated faithfully what was revealed to him, and as a consequence, we are able to find within this brief passage innumerable connections between the Old Testament and the New.  Many scholars are sceptical about whether we are justified in seeing very much within this prophecy, but the strength of this scepticism, mentioned in most commentaries about Malachi that I have read, is interesting in itself.  Why would this be said unless people do in fact tend to read these words and find that they say a great deal?  Why can we not read this passage with liberation and let the Holy Spirit lead us where He will, for then we will be able to gain a glimpse of the eternal strategies of God!  This is what the passage is all about!

Malachi 4:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Notes / Going Deeper / Application / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Questions (for use in groups)

1. Discuss in your group whether justice is served by the complete destruction of evil, and what this means.
2. What does the phrase the ‘sun of righteousness’ mean to you, and how does this help us understand God’s redemption?
3. What does scripture mean by describing the forerunner as Elijah, and why does John the Baptist say that he is not Elijah (John 1:21)?

Personal comments by author

I find many aspects to this passage fascinating, but the dawn of a new day is an intriguing prophecy (4:2).  Dawn brings with it the promise of new things, it offers a fresh start at what was a problem yesterday and the opportunity to take on new challenges, and it heralds the chance to achieve new things for God.  The fact that our Lord always gives us a ‘fresh start’ is a powerful feature of His saving grace, and whatever the difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves, He is always willing to show us a way forward.  A time will come, however, when the only way forward will be into His Kingdom, but we have the opportunity now to make the choice about whether we accept this!

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• What does repentance mean to you, and what does it mean to people today?  Go back over your life and try to recall those times when you have accepted that you were wrong and have had to change.  Spend time prayerfully considering this because faith without repentance may be less than it seems.
• Pray for those who find the relationships within their families difficult, and need the grace of God to help them deal with what happens.  Pray especially for those who experience difficulties between the generations.

Final Prayer

Let me hear Your voice, faithful God and Lord of all.  Speak to me so that I may know Your will, whether it be hard or easy, comforting or challenging, exciting or mundane; and let me value each and every word, which are the instructions You give for the life of Your servant.  Thank You Lord God;  AMEN