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All things work together….
Count it all joy……
For I know the plans…
The Lord is my shepherd…
Do not be conformed…
I can do all things…
Do not be anxious…
Seek first…
Cast all your anxiety…
Fear not, for I am with you…
Be strong and courageous…
Whoever dwells in the shelter…
Read this 3-minute introduction to help you find your bearings in the Bible story, and be inspired to read Malachi!
This overview video illustrates for us the literary design of the book of Malachi using creative animations.
Book of Malachi Summary: A Complete Animated Overview is copyright 2016 by BibleProject and is available for viewing at www.bibleproject.com.
This video is part of the series, The Gospel One Chapter at a Time, where Paul David Tripp summarizes each book of the Bible and shows how it points us to Jesus.
This video was originally published by Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc. on their YouTube Channel.
The prophet Malachi (whose name means “my messenger”) probably lived at the same time as Ezra and Nehemiah, around 460 BC.
From Bibles.net: Remember that the ultimate author of every book of the Bible is the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). He has written this book to equip you for life, to help you know the true God, and to give you hope (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). The Holy Spirit wrote Malachi for your good and to lead you into joy.
Malachi’s ministry took place nearly a hundred years after the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC, which ended the Babylonian captivity and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple (2 Chronicles 36:23). This was some 80 years after Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the rebuilding of the temple. Those two earlier prophets had said that the rebuilding of the temple would result in peace, prosperity, the conversion of people from other nations, and the return of God’s own glorious presence (see Haggai 2; Zechariah 1:16–17; 2:1–13; 8:1–9:17). To the discouraged people of Malachi’s day, these predictions must have seemed a cruel mockery. In contrast to the glowing promises, they faced economic difficulties due to drought and crop failure (Malachi 3:11). They remained an insignificant territory, no longer an independent nation and no longer ruled by a Davidic king. Worst of all, despite the promise of God’s presence, they experienced only spiritual decline.
Almost 50 years later [after the exile], in 538 BC, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, released the Jews from captivity. He commissioned them to rebuild the temple to their God and reinstitute worship according to their laws (Ezra 1). Although the initial building project began with great energy and optimism, external pressures as well as internal struggle caused the building project to grind to a halt. Eighteen years later, in 520 BC, the temple remained in ruins as the people of God had become preoccupied with securing their own worldly comforts. Into this situation the postexilic prophets [Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi] come with a powerful word of both warning and promise. They warn Israel of the dangers of forsaking their God and remind Israel of God’s unwavering commitment to his people’s welfare. These three themes come to dominate the message of the postexilic prophets: God’s sovereignty over the nations, his presence with his people, and his commitment to the future glory of both Israel and the nations. With these truths pressed firmly on their hearts, Israel will have to wait with patience for the final and ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises, when their deliverance will be complete and the God of Israel will be recognized as sovereign over the whole world.
—Stephen M. Coleman
Source: Content quoted from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study © 2018 by Stephen M. Coleman. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Unless otherwise indicated, this content is adapted from the ESV Global Study Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2012 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Encouragement for Faithful Believers by Colin Smith
In this wonderful 3-part message series, Pastor Colin will help you understand the background of the prophecy of Malachi, as well as how it is relevant to your life today. Pastor Colin highlights the challenges God’s people faced during Malachi’s day, as well as how this book challenges and encourages us to live as faithful believers in Jesus today.
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As you read through Malachi, you might come across words and ideas that are foreign to you. Here are a few definitions you will want to know! Note that this dictionary was created for the New International Version (NIV) Bible.
A place where sacrifices were made to worship God. An altar could be a pile of dirt or stones, or a raised platform of wood, marble, metal, or other materials. The bronze or brazen altar was used for burnt offerings in the tabernacle’s courtyard. It was a large box, eight feet square and four-and-a-half feet high, made of wood covered with bronze. A much larger altar replaced it when Solomon built the temple. The altar of incense (also called the golden altar) was smaller, covered with gold, and placed just in front of the veil to the Holy of Holies. Every day, both morning and evening, incense was burned here, symbolizing the prayers of the people.
A spot or mark that makes something not perfect.
To praise or make holy. The word bless is used in different ways in the Bible: (1) When God blesses, he brings salvation and prosperity and shows mercy and kindness to people. (2) When people bless, they (a) bring salvation and prosperity to other persons or groups; (b) they praise and worship and thank God; (c) they give good things or show kindness to others.
An agreement. In the ancient Near East, sometimes covenants were made between two people or groups of people. Both sides decided what the agreement would be. However, in the Bible, the word usually refers to agreements between God and people, when God decides what will be done and the people agree to live by the covenant. The old covenant of law set standards of behavior in order to please God. The new covenant of grace presents God’s forgiveness based on faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
To be afraid of something or someone. The Bible often uses the word fear to describe the sense of respect or awe that sinful people (and we are all sinful, according to Romans 3:23) should have for God because of his perfection, sovereignty, and holiness.
Money, property, or traditions received from another person. Often a person receives an inheritance after another person’s death. The Bible tells us that everything that is God’s belongs to Jesus Christ. By his death on the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to share his inheritance with him.
A gift of money, time, or other possessions given to God by a person who loves him. In Old Testament times, people brought food and animals to the tabernacle or temple as offerings to God. The offerings were often burned on the altar. Animal offerings were always killed. Their blood symbolized sins being forgiven by death. Christians believe that offering sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins is no longer necessary because Jesus’ death was the once-for-all sacrifice through which our sins can be forgiven. See also Sacrifice below.
Among the Jews, a man who offered prayers and sacrifices to God for the people. Priests led the public worship services at the tabernacle and later at the temple. Often the priests also taught the Law of God to the people. The priests of Israel were all descendants of Aaron’s family. All Christians are also priests (see 1 Peter 2:9). We are to help others learn about and worship God.
To correct someone sternly; to scold someone.
Thinking and doing what is correct (or right) and holy. God is righteous because he does only what is perfect and holy. A person who has accepted Jesus as Savior is looked at by God as being free from the guilt of sin, so God sees that person as being righteous. People who are members of God’s family show their love for him by doing what is correct and holy, living in righteous ways.
A gift or offering given to God. A sacrifice usually involved killing an animal to pay for sin. The New Testament tells us that Jesus died as the once-for-all sacrifice for sinners and that no further sacrifices for sin are necessary.
The permanent place in Jerusalem where the Jews worshiped God. The first temple was built by King Solomon and the people by following the instructions God had given Solomon’s father, King David. The temple was a very beautiful place. It was destroyed and rebuilt twice. In AD 64, the temple was destroyed again but was not rebuilt.
To give God one-tenth of what you earn. For example, if you had ten dimes, you would tithe by giving one dime to God.
Anything a person does to show love and respect. Some people worship idols. Some people worship the one true God.
Very great anger.
Dictionary Source
This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
We have found answers to some tough questions that we anticipate may arise as you read Malachi. We know we can’t answer every question you will have; therefore, we have written this article, so you know how to find answers for your kids: How Do I Answer Tough Questions About the Bible?
The following insights are from pastors and scholars who have spent significant time studying the book of Malachi.
Malachi, whose name means “my servant,” speaks to a people who have forgotten the love of God and whose hearts have consequently begun to grow cold in worship and obedience. The book of Malachi consists of a series of prophetic disputations in which the Lord reveals various sins that are spiritually crippling his people, such as halfhearted worship and the fear of man rather than of God. With tremendous rhetorical force, Malachi calls for heartfelt repentance and worship born of a deep and living faith, reminding Israel of the divine promise, “Return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7 NIV).
—Stephen M. Coleman
Source: Content taken from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study © 2018 by Stephen M. Coleman. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The book of Malachi is an oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi (1:1). This was God’s warning through Malachi to tell the people to turn back to God. As the final book of the Old Testament closes, the pronouncement of God’s justice and the promise of his restoration through the coming Messiah is ringing in the ears of the Israelites. Four hundred years of silence ensues, ending with a similar message from God’s next prophet, John the Baptist, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2 NET).
—Got Questions
Source: “Summary of the Book of Malachi,” Got Questions Ministries, accessed May 26, 2023, [https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Malachi.html]
In Luke 1:16 and 17, an angel told Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, “[John] will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children” (RSV). He identifies John the Baptist with the expected Elijah of Malachi 4. And Jesus confirms for us (in Matthew 11:10) that the first messenger of Malachi 3:1 is the same as the forerunner of Malachi 4:5 and is indeed John the Baptist.
He says concerning John, “This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee’” (Matthew 11:10 RSV). So he explicitly relates Malachi 3:1 to John the Baptist. Then in Matthew 17:12 he says that John is the Elijah to come: “‘I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist” (Matthew 17:12, 13 RSV). Therefore, the fulfillment of the forerunner in Malachi 3:1 is John the Baptist.
Now, of course, John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Messiah. He said in John 3:28, “I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him” (RSV). And Jesus himself claimed to be that Messiah. For when John asked in Matthew 11:3, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (RSV)—Jesus answered, “Look at the signs and don’t take offense at me.” In other words, “I am the Messiah of which Malachi spoke. But the fulfillment of his prophecy is happening differently than you expect. The judgment and the glorious kingdom will not come immediately. I am here to give my life as a ransom this time. I will come again in the clouds with great glory. Don’t take offense at my humble coming, John. I am he. Christmas is not the whole story. But it is the beginning of the great day of the Lord.” So Jesus is the Lord who comes to his temple in Malachi 3:1.
—John Piper
Source: By John Piper. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org.
Going through the religious motions does not honor God, neither does a casual commitment to Christ without a real concern for obedience.
—Kevin DeYoung
Source: Kevin DeYoung, quoted from his article, “Glory of God: Honoring in Word and Deed.” This article originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition.
Malachi is the bridge between the Old and New Testaments. To understand this, read Malachi 3:1. Who is “my messenger”? Read John 1:23 and Luke 3:3-4. “Malachi” means “my messenger” (that is, “of the Lord”). Like John the Baptist, about whom he prophesied, Malachi was but a voice. There were 400 years of silence between the voice of Malachi and the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4).
By the time of Malachi, a hundred years or more had passed since the Jews had returned to Jerusalem after the captivity in Babylon. Malachi is the last prophet to speak to Israel in her own land. “Israel” here refers to the entire remnant of Israel and Judah who returned after the exile. The initial enthusiasm after the return from Babylon had dissipated. Following a period of revival, described in Nehemiah 10:28-39, the people had become religiously cold and morally lax.
The prophet Malachi came as a reformer, but he encouraged while he rebuked. He dealt with a confused and discouraged people, whose faith in God seemed to be in danger of collapse. If they had not already become hostile to Jehovah, they were in real danger of becoming thoroughly skeptical.
—Henrietta Mears
Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
There are three ways in which this book is the word of the Lord for us today.
First, Malachi saw that at the heart of God’s people, the church, must lie a deep, radical, and overwhelming conviction that God loves them. Without this at our heart, we are lost.
Second, Malachi knew that the greatest sin of God’s people is the sin against God. We easily get confused about sin. We see that we can sin against ourselves, and harm ourselves. We see that we can sin against others, and harm them. But we find it harder to take seriously our sin against God. Yet here is the fundamental sin, the source of all sin.
Third, in Malachi’s day the people of God were in a mess. While they were not actually running away from God, and were not worshiping idols, as they had in the past, they seemed to lack the energy to serve God wholeheartedly. They tried to live in neutral territory, neither serving God too enthusiastically, not turning away from God too enthusiastically. In this they were self-deceived. They thought they were in a grey no-man’s land, where they neither needed to respond whole-heartedly to God, nor refuse him. In fact they were in a vicious circle, a terrifying whirlpool, sinking further and further to destruction. Malachi is God’s effective remedy for such a situation among the people of God.
—Peter Adam
Source: Adam, Peter. The Message of Malachi. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013.
Simply put, the doctrine of election states that God saves those whom he has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to save according to his own good pleasure. As Scripture teaches, God’s decision to elect is based not on anything in the person (e.g., some moral or spiritual quality) or anything done by the person (e.g., some quantity of good works); rather, election is based solely on God’s free and sovereign decision to redeem particular sinners for himself (Titus 3:4-5). This is a difficult truth for many to accept. Why does God elect some and not others? How is election fair? Addressing these questions, Paul writes, “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:14-16 ESV). Although it is a great mystery in many respects, when studying election it is helpful to consider the intentions of the biblical authors in their discussions of election. One purpose is to instill humility in God’s people by reminding them that salvation is of and from God alone (Ephesians 2:8). Another purpose is to provide God’s people a ground for their assurance of salvation (John 10:25-30). Yet another purpose is to move God’s people to a greater love for and worship of the God who would freely set his affection upon such undeserving sinners (Ephesians 1:3-14).
—Stephen M. Coleman
Source: Content taken from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study © 2018 by Stephen M. Coleman. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Discover music inspired by the message and content of the book of Malachi.