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Introduction to

Malachi

Overview

Malachi addressed the covenant community of Israel during a time of great discouragement and disarray following its return from exile in Babylon. Although heirs of the prophetic promises of restoration, God’s people lacked any sense of his love (1:2–5). Their worship was impure and dishonoring (1:6–2:9). Spiritual betrayal disrupted the community, especially its marriages (2:10–16). God’s people neglected the tithe (3:6–12) and considered God’s cause futile (2:17–3:5; 3:13–4:3). Malachi set about repairing the covenant relationship in two ways: by calling the community to renewed obedience to the Mosaic covenant, and by describing the coming “day of the LORD” (4:5; cf. 3:1–5; 4:1–3), when God would bring justice and restoration to his people.

Author

We know nothing about Malachi except his name (1:1), which means “my messenger.” Some have understood this as a title, but every other OT Prophetic Book begins with the prophet’s name, so it is best to assume the same here. The book, which closes the OT prophetic canon, deflects all attention from the prophet toward the disputations between the Lord and his people.

Date and Occasion

We do not know the exact dates of Malachi’s ministry. Since the Minor Prophets seem to be arranged in roughly chronological order, we can infer that he ministered after Haggai and Zechariah. The people have returned from exile and the temple has been rebuilt (cf. 1:10; the temple was rebuilt in 516 BC). The reference to a governor in 1:8 shows that the Persians were still in power. Malachi’s addressing issues of concern to Ezra and Nehemiah may suggest they were contemporaries (cf. mixed marriages, Mal. 2:10–16 and Ezra 9:1–15; the tithe, Mal. 3:6–12 and Neh. 10:32; 13:10–14). However, it is also possible that these problems were perennial (Nehemiah ends with reforming mixed marriages [13:23–28], even though Ezra had already addressed this issue).

The contents of Malachi make his motivating concerns easier to discern. Already in Nehemiah, the task of rebuilding the city physically and the people spiritually was daunting (cf. Neh. 1:3; 2:3, 17; 4:2; 5:1–5). Malachi’s audience was cynical: serving God seemed like drudgery, while spiritual rebels enjoyed the blessings God promised to his own (3:14–15). God seemed absent (2:17). Major aspects of proper worship in the old covenant were neglected, as if nothing of importance were at stake. The thought seemed to be, “If God does not care, why should we?”1 Malachi addresses this state of exhausted despair.

Genre and Literary Features

Each of the six major sections of the book unfolds according to the same fourfold pattern: God lays a charge against his people concerning some failure in covenant, to which the people respond by asking how they have failed. The response always begins with “But you say” (which was perhaps not stated verbally—Malachi may be exposing only half-conscious resentment and resistance to God). The third step in this pattern shows God answering his people’s question; the fourth closes each section with the Lord applying this answer, with warnings and promises for the future. For example, the first passage of the book begins with an initial statement from God, which is immediately questioned (1:2a). God answers by reaffirming his unmerited love for Israel (v. 2b) and his treatment of Edom according to his hatred of that nation (v. 3). The passage closes by promising the full outworking of this love and hatred in the future (vv. 4–5).

Malachi does not use this form mechanically. Even in the passage mentioned above, the initial statement beginning verse 2 is not an accusation of negligence but a statement of love. Sometimes the people ask two questions (1:7; 3:7–8), while 2:10–14 shows two charges before the first question. Despite these variations, the form is consistent, because Malachi’s purpose in each passage is the same. The initial charge brings to the surface the hidden sense of neglect and unfair treatment the postexilic community nursed toward God. The question-and-answer exchanges give the audience a chance to air their grievances and thus leaves them without argument, open to the surprising claims of the prophet. The final applications of each section inspire new hope by contradicting the audience’s certainty. The disputation form is exactly suited to the resistance of Malachi’s audience and its need of a new vision for the future.

Theology of Malachi

Malachi is a capable and practical theologian in his role of repairing the postexilic community’s relationship with God according to the Mosaic covenant. For instance, in frequently addressing the priesthood, Malachi addresses them with reference to what they already know (1:8–9, 12–14; 2:5–7). Therefore, although he does not seem to advance our understanding of the priest’s role in the OT, he masterfully applies it to his own setting.

Malachi exhibits a number of significant insights into the character and action of God. As discussed in 2:10–16, Malachi explores God’s intentions in, and the deeper significance of, marriage. God’s grace as expressed in undeservedly good treatment of his people is a constant theme in the book. Malachi addresses none of the people’s failures before first insisting on God’s ancient love of his people (1:2). The book’s second major section (1:6–2:9) shows that God intends his solemn warnings to establish and maintain the covenant so that the community can engage in the worship that will one day fill the earth (1:14). The day of the Lord passages show God taking the initiative to prepare his people through a messenger for his fiery appearance (3:2; 4:1). If God’s people tithe, he will give everything he has in response (3:10). Indeed, even the disputation form itself is a sign of God’s persistent pursuit of his people when they had given up on him (2:17; 3:13–15).

God’s action on the day of the Lord is treated in two significant passages focusing on the direct appearance of God to reestablish justice. In 2:17–3:5, the Lord spiritually refines his people by means of a messenger (3:2–4) before coming to establish justice (v. 5). The book’s final passage more clearly describes the discriminating effects of God’s judgment on that day (4:1–3) to show that whatever injustices his servants now suffer will be made up for abundantly on that day (3:17).

Relationship to the Rest of the Bible and to Christ

The Mosaic covenant—especially laws for priests and sacrifices—stands in the immediate background of many passages, but Malachi’s engagement with these passages involves mainly their application. At a few points, however, Malachi extends or reapplies earlier texts and themes; for instance, the necessity of pure worship according to Mosaic legislation is set within the context of the worldwide worship of God in 1:8–14. The status of God’s people as a “treasured possession” (Ex. 19:5) is reapplied to God-fearers within the Judahite community in Malachi 3:17.

Malachi is clearly tied to Haggai and Zechariah as a third prophet speaking to God’s people after their return from exile. While Haggai and Zechariah prophesy the rebuilding of the temple, however, Malachi addresses how the community must live as it enjoys worship there.

Malachi suitably closes the OT prophetic corpus with his description of the day of the Lord, specifically Elijah’s preparatory role (3:1; 4:5–6) before the Lord himself comes to his people (3:5; 4:2). The Gospels understand John the Baptist to have fulfilled this role of a second Elijah (Matt. 11:14; Mark 9:11; Luke 1:17). In this way, Malachi forms an important bridge between the Testaments and provides a means to appreciate fully the significance of God’s coming to his people in the person of his Son.

Preaching from Malachi

Christian disciples in the new covenant occupy a redemptive-historical situation similar to that of Malachi’s audience. Just as the Judahite community was heir to earlier prophetic promises of restoration, yet struggled with poverty and the difficulty of rebuilding their lives after the exile, so Christians often struggle with a sense of dissonance between their victory through Christ and the present reality of their lives. A sense of being unloved by God can set in (Mal. 1:2–4). Worship becomes a burden and we excuse laxness in it, forgetting God’s greater purpose to fill the earth with his praise (1:6–14); giving is neglected, forgetting God’s promise to bless generously (3:6–12). Pastors can (unintentionally or not) hinder and harm those under their charge (cf. v. 8 in 2:1–9). Unfaithfulness in marriage and frivolous divorce may be tolerated as a compensation for the difficulties of serving God (2:10–16). Finally, jealousy of those defying God might spark complaints of unfair treatment (2:17–3:5; 3:13–4:3). Malachi addresses each of these situations by reminding the people of what they already know (as taught by Moses) and looking forward to the day of the Lord. Christian pastors can apply Malachi’s words to their own congregations by reminding them of what they already know of Jesus, who fulfills the pattern of priestly ministry and teaching established by Moses, and by directing their gaze forward, as we, “on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11), await the full flowering of God’s action for us on that day.

Interpretive Challenges

Malachi does not present many interpretive challenges. Even the passages describing the day of the Lord, although naturally leaving many questions unanswered, are still clear with regard to what God will do “on the day when I act” (4:3) and what God’s people can hope for.

One ambiguity involves the relationship between priests and Levites in the book and in the postexilic period generally: although the Pentateuch separates Levitical duties from those of the priests (Numbers 3–4), Malachi speaks of them interchangeably (cf. 1:6; 2:1, 4–7). It is probably not helpful, however, to reconstruct the history of the Israelite priesthood on this difference alone. We simply do not know much about the history of the ancient Israelite priesthood.

Outline

  1. I. God’s Love for Israel (1:1–5)
    1. A. Charge: God’s Love (1:1–2a)
    2. B. Question: How Have You Loved Us? (1:2b)
    3. C. Answer: God’s Destruction of Edom (1:2c–3)
    4. D. Application: The Future Destinies of Edom and Israel (1:4–5)
  2. II. God’s Honor in Pure Worship (1:6–2:9)
    1. A. Charge: The Priests Dishonor God’s Name (1:6)
    2. B. Question and Answer: Unclean Sacrifices (1:7–14)
      1. 1. Analogy from Human Relationships (1:7–8)
      2. 2. Impossibility of Acceptance without Reform (1:9)
      3. 3. Uselessness of Further Worship (1:10)
      4. 4. God’s Ultimate Goal in Worship (1:11)
      5. 5. Charge Repeated to the Whole People (1:12–14)
    3. C. Application: Priestly Reform (2:1–9)
      1. 1. Warning of Curse Unless the Priests Repent (2:1–3)
      2. 2. God’s Intention in This Warning (2:4)
      3. 3. God’s Standards for Priests (2:5–7)
      4. 4. The Priests’ Present Failure (2:8–9)
  3. III. Betrayal in Marriage (2:10–16)
    1. A. Charge: Communal Betrayal (2:10–11) and Its Judgment (2:12)
    2. B. Second Charge: Useless Grief (2:13)
    3. C. Question and Answer: Betrayal of Wives (2:14)
    4. D. Application: God’s Intentions for Marriage, and Final Warning (2:15–16)
  4. IV. The God of Justice and the Coming Messenger (2:17–3:5)
    1. A. Charge, Question, Answer: The Lord’s Weariness with His People’s Cynicism (2:17)
    2. B. Application: The Day of the Lord (3:1–5)
      1. 1. The Messenger (3:1)
      2. 2. The Messenger’s Refining Ministry (2:2–4)
      3. 3. God’s Arrival for Judgment (3:5)
  5. V. Robbing God in the Tithe (3:6–12)
    1. A. Charge: Return to Me (3:6–7a)
    2. B. Question and Response: Robbing God in the Tithe (3:7b–8)
    3. C. Application: Explanation of the Present Curse (3:9) and the Promise of Future Blessing for Obedience (3:10–12)
  6. VI. The Great Day of the Lord (3:13–4:3)
    1. A. Charge, Question, Response: The Futility of Serving God (3:13–15)
    2. B. Narrative: The Book of Remembrance (3:16–18)
      1. 1. The God-Fearers Repent (3:16)
      2. 2. The Lord Honors Their Repentance (3:17–18)
    3. C. Application: The Day of the Lord (4:1–3)
      1. 1. Judgment of the Wicked (4:1)
      2. 2. Salvation for God-Fearers (4:2–3)
        1. a. Joy (4:2)
        2. b. Participation in Judgment (4:3)
  7. VII. Conclusion: Remembering Moses, Waiting for Elijah (4:4–6)
    1. A. Faithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant (4:4)
    2. B. The Coming Elijah (4:5–6)
      1. 1. His Anticipatory Commission (4:5)
      2. 2. His Preparatory Mission (4:6)

1 Douglas Stuart, “Malachi,” in The Minor Prophets, ed. Thomas McComiskey, 3 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009), 3:1255.