Book introduction
The book of Malachi
Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament in Christian Bibles. Speaking to a tired, cynical people after the exile, he answers their complaints one by one, and promises a messenger who will prepare the way for the Lord.
Read Malachi 3Start at chapter 1
Who wrote Malachi?
“Malachi” means “my messenger.” It may be the prophet’s name or a title. Nothing else is known about him.
When was it written?
About 460–430 BC, around the time of Nehemiah.
Main themes
- God’s love
- The book opens: “I have loved you.”
- Honest worship
- God rejects blemished offerings and broken promises.
- The messenger to come
- The Gospels see John the Baptist in 3:1 and 4:5.
Outline of Malachi
Key verses
I have loved you, says Yahweh. But you say, “How have you loved us?” Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? declares Yahweh. Yet I loved Jacob,
Look, I am sending my messenger, and he will clear a path ahead of me. Then suddenly the Lord you are looking for will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant, the one you long for—look, he is coming, says Yahweh of Armies.
For I, Yahweh, do not change, and you, children of Jacob, have not been destroyed.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says Yahweh of Armies, and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven for you and pour out on you a blessing until there is no more need.
Quoted from the Lumin Translation.
Where to start
Read chapter 3, then the last verses of chapter 4, which lead into Matthew.
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Questions about Malachi?
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