Malachi lived during the period when the Israelites had come back from their exile in Babylon. They had rebuilt the temple under the prompting of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (the books right before Malachi). The people expected that all of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be fulfilled, but unfortunately, life on the ground did not match their expectations. They started to grow weary, cynical and discouraged. The people exhibited distrust in God’s commitment to His covenant, leading to a failure in their love for Him and faithfulness to Him. This skepticism might have seemed justified to Israel, considering approximately 100 years had passed since their return from exile and still the prophesied kingdom had not materialized. They remained under foreign rule and faced economic hardships. (2:2, 3:9) But God’s providential timing is perfect and as one commentator has said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” At this point in Israel’s history, this was certainly the case. Also, a careful reading of the covenant in Deuteronomy would have revealed that these adversities were a consequence of their disobedience, not its cause. Despite this, Malachi identified a righteous minority that revered God at the time, suggesting not all had turned away. (3:16-18) Still, the nation as a whole needed to repent for their unbelief and commit faithfully to the Lord.
The prophet Malachi was providentially sent by a faithful God to bring the spiritual wake-up call. The themes of God’s love, faithfulness and greatness cannot be missed. The central thread of God’s faithfulness and our call to be faithful will be stitched throughout our series in Malachi.
- Read Malachi Chapter 1
- How do you feel when you receive something you don’t deserve?
- Malachi 1:2-3 is cited by Paul to make his case in Romans chapter 9. The prophet Malachi uses God’s choosing of Jacob and rejection of Esau as evidence for God’s love, mercy and kindness. What does it say about people who use this passage to make the exact opposite argument? (that the doctrine of God’s sovereign grace and election is unloving) What assumptions about man’s nature are being trafficked in? What should be the Christian’s response to underserved mercy and kindness from God?