Book of Malachi, Background
Quick
Rundown
The temple of the Lord was finally
reconstructed but with great disappointment, it did not take long for old
habits to return. The tone of Malachi’s oracle is more a message of sharp
rebuke directly from the Lord against Israel’s priests and people who became
indifferent, disrespectful, and hard-hearted against the Lord. This attitude
led to great social injustice throughout Israel and Jerusalem highlighting the
broken covenant with the Lord (2:10-17). Malachi, whose name means “my
messenger” would serve as the last messenger to Israel and the world until over
400 years later when John the Baptizer prepared the way of the Lord on the very
first Christmas day. The coming of “Elijah” the prophet is the glorious
capstone of Malachi’s oracle in 4:5-6.
Title
The title of Malachi’s writings is derived
from his name. Being the last work of the “Minor Prophets” God closes the Old
Testament canon historically and prophetically with His messenger’s message.
Author and
Date
Interestingly,
some hold the view that Malachi is an anonymous text suggesting the title is
the message rather than ascribing credit to the author, Malachi. Malachi does
mean “The Lord’s messenger and occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament, and
the is hardly any material background provided on Malachi. But like with all
the prophets they identify themselves as the author in the beginning of their
writings. According to Jewish tradition, Malachi was a member of the Great
Synagogue that collected and preserved the Scriptures.
Looking solely at internal evidence, the
date of the prophecy points to the late fifth century B.C. most likely during Nehemiah’s return from
exile to Persia around 433-424 B.C.
(Nehemiah 5:14; 13:6). Sacrifices were being made at the second temple (1:7-10;
3:8), which was finished in 516 B.C.
(Ezra 6:13-15). Many years had passed since then as the priests increasingly
became complacent and corrupt (1:6-2:9). Malachi’s reference to the “governor”
in 1:8 speaks of the time of Persian dominance in Judah when Nehemiah was
revisiting Persia (Nehemiah 13:6), while his emphasis on the law coincides with
a similar focus by Ezra and Nehemiah (4:4; cf. Ezra 7:14,25,26; Nehemiah
13:23-27), withholding of tithes (3:8-10; cf. Nehemiah 13:10-14), and social
injustice (3:5; cf. Nehemiah 5:1-13). Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem around 445 B.C. to rebuild the wall, and returned to
Persia in 433 B.C.
He later returned to Israel around 424 B.C. to deal with the sins Malachi described
(see Nehemiah 13:6). So, it is likely that Malachi was written during the
period of Nehemiah’s absence, almost a century after Haggai and Zechariah began
to prophesy. Similar to Revelations 2 and 3 in which Christ writes what He
thinks about the conditions of the churches, here God writes through Malachi to
impress upon Israel His thoughts about the nation.
Background
and Setting
Only 50,000 exiles had returned to Judah
from Babylon between 538-536 B.C.
The temple had been rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel in 516 B.C. and the sacrificial system had been restored.
Ezra had returned in 458 B.C.
followed by Nehemiah in 445 B.C.
After being back in the land of Palestine for only a century religious routine
led to hard-heartedness toward God’s great love for them and further widespread
departure from God’s law and covenant by both the priests and the people.
Malachi rebuked and condemned these abuses, forcefully indicting the people and
urging them to repent. When Nehemiah returned from Persia a second time about
424 B.C., he vigorously
rebuked the people for these abuses in the temple and priesthood for violating
Sabbath rest and for unlawful divorces from their Jewish wives, so they could
marry Gentile women (Nehemiah 13).
As over two millennia of Old Testament history
since Abraham concluded, none of the glorious promises of the Abrahamic,
Davidic, and New Covenants had been fulfilled in their ultimate sense. Although
there had been a few high points in Israel’s history, e.g., Joshua, David, and
Josiah, by all appearances Israel had lost all opportunity to receive God’s
favor since less than 100 years after returning from captivity they had already
sunk back to a depth of sin that exceeded the former iniquities which brought
on their deportations by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Beyond this the long-anticipated
Messiah had not arrived and did not seem to be in sight.
So, Malachi wrote this capstone prophecy
of the Old Testament in which he delivered God’s message of judgement on Israel
for their continuing sin and God’s promise that one day in the future, which Israel
would repent. Messiah would be revealed, and God’s covenant promises would be fulfilled
this time not only to Israel but also to the whole world. There were over 400
years of silence from the divine, with the last from Malachi delivering
condemnation before the next prophet would come. That was John the Baptist
preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2). Politically,
at the time the temple was completed the Persians were in control. When Messiah
had come, the Romans were now in power (learn about the Greco-Persian
Wars & the Spartans).
A map of Persia’s empire2
A map of Alexander’s
empire and the successor kingdoms it broke into3
Historical
and Theological Themes
The Lord repeatedly referred to His
covenant with Israel reminding them from His opening words of their
unfaithfulness to His covenant relationship which was exactly like a marriage (1:2-5;
2:4,5,8,10,14; 3:1). It was painful for the Lord for His bride to act this way
and His love for His people pervades the book. Apparently, the promises by the
former prophets of the coming Messiah who would bring final deliverance and
age-long blessings, and the encouragement from the recent promises of Haggai
and Zechariah (ca 500 B.C.)
had only made the people and their leaders more resolute in their complacency.
They thought that this loving relationship could be maintained solely by formal
ritual but was disjointed by how they lived. In a penetrating rebuke of both
priest in 1:6-2:9 then the people in 2:10-16, Malachi reminded them that the
Lord is coming. This is what they were seeking according to 3:1, but His coming
would be judgment to refine, purify, and purge them (3:2-3). Malachi assaulted
the widespread corruption, wickedness, and false security by directing judgments
at their hypocrisy, infidelity, compromise, divorcing, false worship, and
arrogance. All this was a direct net result of them not wanting outward nor
inward compliance with God’s law nor acceptance of His will. When the church gets
sick, so goes the community.
Malachi set forth his prophecy in the form
of a dispute, employing the question-and-answer method. The Lord’s accusations
against His people were frequently met by cynical questions from the people
(1:2,6,7; 2:17; 3:7,8,13). At other times the prophet presented himself as God’s
advocate in a lawsuit, posing rhetorical questions to the people based on their
defiant criticisms (1:6,8,9; 2:10,15; 3:2).
Malachi indicated the priests and the
people on at least 6 counts of willful sin: 1) repudiating God’s love (1:2-5);
2) refusing God His due honor (1:6-2:9); 3) rejecting God’s faithfulness
(2:10-16); 4) redefining God’s righteousness (2:17-3:6); 5) robbing God’s
riches (3:7-12); and 6) reviling God’s grace (3:13-15). There are 3 interludes
in which Malachi rendered God’s judgment: 1) to the priests (2:1-9); 2) to the
nation (3:1-6) and 3) to the remnant (3:16-4:6).
Interpretive
Challenges
There is a fare debate around the meaning
of Elijah being sent “before the coming of the great terrible day of the Lord”
in 4:5. Was it John the Baptizer who fulfilled this prophecy or was it yet to
happen in the future? Will Elijah be reincarnated? It seems best to view
Malachi’s prophecy as a reference to John the Baptizer and not to a literally
incarnated Elijah. Not only did the angel announce that John the Baptist would
go “before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), but John the
Baptizer himself said he was not Elijah in John 1:21. Thus John was like
Elijah, internally in “spirit and power” and externally in rugged independence
and nonconformity. If Israel would receive the Messiah, then he would fulfill
this part spoken of in Matthew 11:14; 17:9-13); if Israel refused the King then
another Elijah-like prophet would be sent in the future, perhaps as one of the
two witnesses revealed in Revelation 11:1-19.
Application
It is helpful to read the Old Testament to
establish an understanding of who God is and who man is (Exodus 15:11). Malachi’s
oracle serving as the Old Testament’s bookend shows just how broken humanity is.
But he also illuminates the cause of that brokenness, being broken covenant
with our Creator God. Michah assaulted the widespread corruption, wickedness,
and false security of the priests and then the people. This did not please God
at all, in fact it grieved the Lord who had encouraged and helped His people
rebuild the Temple during the time of the Persian empire. But Israel kept defaulting
to mere ritual rather than relationship (Malachi 1:7-9). All this was a direct net
result of them not wanting outward nor inward compliance with God’s law nor
acceptance of His will, ultimately a lack of understanding His love. Israel and
the temple were supposed to serve as the light and love of their Lord God, but
they did the opposite. When Christ comes, those who are His whether Jew nor
Gentile. In Malachi and previous texts, we see what happens when the temple
goes rotten (Lamentations 4:11-13; Zephaniah 3). When the church gets sick, so
goes the community (Malachi 2:10). Christ repeats the Father’s solution in 4:2
by explaining to the scribes and Pharisees who asked, “Why do you eat and drink
with the tax collectors and sinners.” Christ answered and said to them, “Those
who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not
come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:30-32).
Outline
I. Denunciation
of Israel’s Sins (1:1-2:16)
A. God’s Reminder of His Love for Israel
(1:1-5)
B. Rebuke Against the Priests (1:6-2:9)
1. Israel’s Contempt for God’s Altar
(1:6-14)
2. Israel’s Contempt for God’s Glory
(2:1-3)
3. Israel’s Contempt for God’s Law
(2:4-9)
C. Rebuke of the People (2:10-16)
II. The
Declaration of Israel’s Judgment and Blessing (2:17-4:6)
A. The Coming Messenger (2:17-3:5)
B. Challenge to Repent (3:6-12)
C. Israel’s Criticism Against the Lord
(3:13-15)
D. Consolation of the Faithful Remnant
(3:16-4:6)
Reference:
MacArthur
Study Bible, NASB, Updated Edition. 2006. Nelson Bibles, Thomas
Nelson. La Habra, CA.
2.
Israel Institute of Archaeology
