Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.
MALACHI - OLD TESTAMENT - PROPHECY
39th book of the OT
39th book of the Bible
What is it?
The Book of Malachi is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.
How Long is it?
It has 4 chapters with the last one being very short (only 6 verses).
When was it Written?
It is generally thought to have been written between 433 & 424 BC
Who Wrote it?
Malachi
Neither the book of Malachi nor the Bible tell us who Malachi was.
All we know is Malachi is a Hebrew term that means “my messenger”
The Overview Bible tells us the following
The prophet Malachi isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, but he deals with some of the same issues that Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah the governor deal with when the Jews disregard God’s law in their times:
- Corrupt priests
- Intermarriage with pagans
- Lapses in tithes and offerings
But we do know that Jesus quotes Malachi within the passage Matthew 11:7-15
Who was it Written to?
It was written to the people of Israel as we see in the very first verse.
"The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi."
Why was it Written?
It was written because God wanted the people to know that they were falling into sin again and they could hurt themselves and others.
They were not treating God or His sacraments properly and the Priests were also held to account by God as we can see in chapter 2
The Overview Bible tells us the following
"God has been faithful to Israel, but they continue to live disconnected from him—so God sends Malachi to call them out."
Teach Sunday School tells us the following
"By the time of Malachi, the people had been back after the Babylonian exile for over 100 years. They were looking for blessings. The temple had been rebuilt. However there was corruption in the priesthood and the people were becoming spiritually disinterested."
What distinctive thing did God tell them about himself?
That He never changes - chapter 3 verse 6
How does it end?
Chapter 4 starts by giving great encouragement in v. 2
but this verse also has a condition to it - the people must fear God.
Then
"Remember the Law of Moses, My servant,Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With the statutes and judgments."
OUTLINE of MALACHI
The Overview Bible gives us the following
- God loves His children (Mal 1:1–5)
- God disciplines His children (Mal 1:6–2:17)
- For the priests’ dishonesty (Mal 1:6–2:9)
- For intermarriage with foreigners (Mal 2:10–12)
- For husbands’ infidelity (Mal 2:13–17)
- God will purify His children (Mal 3:1–15)
- Some people again revere The Lord (Mal 3:16–18)
- God will bless those who fear Him (Mal 4)
OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE
