Malachi

Introduction to the book

• Malachi’s name means “my messenger.”
• The book was most likely written around 435-432 BC.
• The general message of the book was for the people to clean up their lives and worship!
• The style of writing is more like a debate between the people and God.

Notes on the text

• Malachi 1:1-5 – God declares His love for Israel.

• Malachi 1:6-10 – The people offered unacceptable sacrifices. They people questioned the charge, but God listed their offenses in Malachi 1:7-8. They had worshiped according to their own desires.

• Malachi 1:11-14 – Israel had profaned God’s name (Malachi 1:12), but it would be great among the Gentiles (Malachi 1:14). This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ.

• Malachi 2:1-4 – Priests would not repent, and they were hopelessly cursed by God. See Exodus 29:14

• Malachi 2:5-9 – The priesthood as God ordained it is compared to the actual state of the priesthood at that time. They had turned out of the way and caused people to stumble (Malachi 2:8).

• Malachi 2:10-17 – The people had not respected God’s marriage law.

  • Matthew 19 – God’s marriage law. God hates divorce!

  • Galatians 5:24-25

• Malachi 3:1-7 – God’s messenger (John the Baptist) would come before Christ.

• Malachi 3:8-15 – They had robbed God with their tithes.

• Malachi 3:16-18 – God’s book of remembrance (looking forward to Christ). Compare Nehemiah 5:19.

• Malachi 4:1-6 – The ultimate destruction of the wicked and triumph of the righteous.

  • Malachi 4:5 – Elijah here is referring to John the Baptist (Matthew 17).

Lessons for us

• Honor God as a good son honors his father (Malachi 1:6).
• God will not accept an offering of scraps.
• We must be regulated by what God likes.
• God hates divorce.
• God writes the faithful in His book of remembrance.
• Those who walk not with God will be destroyed, but the righteous will enter the joy of their Lord.
• All acceptable preaching must have a “thus sayeth the Lord.”

• Do I shut off the kingdom of heaven from people?

  • Matthew 23:13

  • John 7:45-53 – Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but honestly sought truth.

  • The Pharisees assumed they were right and others were wrong without honestly seeking truth.

• Am I selfish?

  • Matthew 23:14

  • Do I look like a Christian, but avoid the work a Christian should be doing?

• Do I bind tradition instead of truth?

  • Matthew 23:15

  • The Pharisees converted people to their own traditions – not to God’s law.

  • II Corinthians 4:5

  • Acts 8:35; 17:2; 18:28

  • There is no such thing as “church of Christ doctrine.” There is Christ’s doctrine and that’s all!

• Am I dishonest?

  • Matthew 23:16-22; 5:33

• Do I neglect what’s important?

  • Matthew 23:23

  • Details are important, but don’t forget the big things!

• Do I pretend to be what I’m not?

  • Matthew 23:25-28

  • Titus 1:15-16

  • James 2:15-17; I John 2:4

• Do I think I would have been a better child of God in some other time or place?

  • Matthew 23:29-36

  • Amos 7:14-15

  • We can’t make excuses. We have to serve God the best we can in our present circumstances.

• Themes and take-aways from 1 and 2 Thessalonians:

  • Compliments / indications they’re doing well

    • I Thessalonians 1:2-3, 9; 2:19-20; 4:1, 9-10

    • II Thessalonians 1:3-4; 3:4

  • End of the world

    • I Thessalonians 4:15-17

    • II Thessalonians 1:8

    • Acts 24:24

    • We need to know about the end of the world and teach our children about it!

  • Example / imitate / model

    • I Thessalonians 1:5-7; II Thessalonians 3:7-9

    • Follow good examples and be good examples!

  • Non-Christians (others / outsiders, contrast to converts in Thessalonica)

    • You are not like this anymore!

    • I Thessalonians 2:14-16

    • II Thessalonians 1:8

    • I Thessalonians 4:4-5, 13

  • Word / instruction / gospel

    • I Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13; 4:2; 5:19-20, 27

    • II Thessalonians 2:15; 3:14

    • God’s word is the instruction in your life.

  • Prayer

    • I Thessalonians 1:2; 5:25 – Prayer beings and ends the letter.

    • I Thessalonians 5:17; 3:9-10

    • II Thessalonians 1:3, 11; 3:1

  • Persecution

    • II Thessalonians 1:6; 3:3-4; 1:4-6

• Help! We’re in a crisis of Bible illiteracy!

• We just don’t know what the Bible says.

  • Hosea 4:1-2, 6; 8:12-14 – Hosea was one of the prophets who pointed out that problem.

  • Survey after survey indicates that our knowledge of the Bible is going down.

    • Albert Mohler – The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem

    • Ephesians 3:4-5

• Therefore, we need to read it!

  • II Timothy 3:14-17; II Timothy 1:5

  • I Timothy 4:13 – All churches need to preach and teach it!

    • Dan Kimball – How Not to Read the Bible

  • The Bible is NOT being taught in many pulpits.

    • Malachi 2:4-7

    • Matthew 23:13-15

• We also need to make the effort to understand it!

  • II Timothy 2:15

  • II Peter 3:15-16

  • A.J. Jacobs – The Year of Living Biblically

• Psalms 119:105

• Zechariah 8:1-14:21

• Zechariah was mentioned in Ezra 5:1; 6:14 and possibly also Matthew 23:35.

• Zechariah 8:1-15 – God would again bless them.

• Zechariah 8:16-17 – God’s blessings would be conditional. Their fast days would become feasts of joy.

• Zechariah 9:1-17 – God pronounces judgment on the Gentile nations, but a remnant of even these would return to God – clearly a Messianic prophecy.

• Zechariah 10:2 – Idols are false and can never give blessings.

• Zechariah 11 – Allegory of the good and foolish shepherds.

  • Zechariah 11:7 – The good shepherd made two staffs: Favor and Union.

  • Zechariah 11:11 – The staff (covenant) was broken.

  • Zechariah 11:13 – Prophecy of Judas Iscariot and his betrayal.

  • Zechariah 11:14 – Union was broken, signifying the breaking of the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

  • Zechariah 11:15-17 – The foolish shepherd would not care for the flock. Hebrews 13:17

• Zechariah 12 – Jerusalem defeats the nations because God fights for her.

  • Zechariah 12:7 – Allusion to Judah receiving the gospel first.

• Zechariah 13-14 – The Messiah: the kingship and church.

  • Zechariah 13:1 – Fountain = Christ’s blood.

  • Zechariah 13:2-3 – There would be no more prophets.

  • Zechariah 13:7 – The shepherd would be smitten. Matthew 26:31

  • Zechariah 14:3 – God is with us in our battles.

  • Zechariah 14:8 – This might be implying that Jesus’ blood cleanses those in the Old and New Covenants.

  • Zechariah 14:17-18 – All people must come to the new Jerusalem (the church) to serve God.

• Lessons for us:

  • God’s people must walk in His name to be His people.

  • Jesus’ blood is for all in all time.

  • Woe to foolish shepherds.

  • Jesus is now king.

  • Prophets and unclean spirits are gone.

  • All preaching must have a “thus sayeth the Lord.”

  • All must come to new Jerusalem (the church).

  • Good shepherds care for God’s flock.

  • God won’t bless those who don’t serve Him.