Malachi 1

Study Guide 78: Malachi LOVE GROWN COLD Overview This last of the Old Testament prophets ministered in Judah between 460 and 430 b.c. His words sketch a tragic picture of the little company that had returned from Babylon to settle there over 115 years before. The temple had been completed, and the people worshiped there, following the prescribed rituals and offering the required sacrifices. Haggai and Zechariah were gone, and the religious enthusiasm these prophets stimulated had now drained away. Nehemiah’ s ministry as governor, during which he held the Jews in Judah to the Old Testament Law that they were so prone to break, was over. The complaints that Malachi recorded indicate the same sins still plagued God’ s people. And Malachi’ s blunt report of God’ s words (the Lord speaks in 42 of the 55 verses in this book) exposes the attitude of those whose love for God has grown cold. How important for us, when God seems distant or unreal, to remember the message of Malachi.

Outline I. The Chosen PeopleMal_1:1-5 II. Neglect God1:6-2:9 III. Break CommitmentsMal_2:10-16 IV. Doubt God’ s Presence2:17-3:5 V. Deny God’ s Significance3:6-4:3 VI. Closing ExhortationMal_4:4-6 Commentary Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament is a discouraging document. The days of Ezra and Nehemiah were past, and no imprint seemed to be left on the people of Judah. Again we find them sliding down toward sin and spiritual lethargy, trapped in the old patterns, but now completely indifferent to Malachi’ s call for another fresh start. Haggai ended his ministry in 520 b.c. with words of hope: the kingdoms of this earth were about to be shaken, and God’ s servants would be worn by Him as a signet ring, “‘ for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:23). Malachi ended nearly a century later, on a note of warning and near despair. God must send another Elijah to His people before the great and terrible day of the Lord; the people must be reconciled not only to Him but to one another, “ or else I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:6). Reading this book, the last testimony to the men and women of the return, a peculiar realization grows. God’ s people have lost their vision of God, and of their own future. This is important for us to grasp, because the principle applies to us as well as to Israel. We too are forced to live with imperfection — our own imperfection as well as that of those around us! It is so easy to become discouraged when we try and try again, and still seem to fail. I remember the frustration my children felt when they were younger. Paul wanted to push our old man-powered lawnmower when he was 5. And he couldn’ t. When he was 12, he wanted desperately to beat me at basketball. And he couldn’ t do it (then). Tim sometimes felt deep frustration because he couldn’ t draw as well as his older brother who is an artist. He tried, but his hands just couldn’ t form the lines as he saw them in his mind’ s eye. From the first stumbling steps of the toddler, and his tears when he falls, on through the teenage athlete’ s crushing defeat, life teaches us that we haven’ t arrived yet. And still, with each child, I’ ve known that destiny lay ahead. “ Soon you’ ll grow tall. Soon. . . .” It never seemed soon. And yet each child knew it was true. I think there’ s an important analogy here for us in our spiritual experience. We are not yet what we shall be. And what we shall be always lies just beyond our grasp . . . our destiny is always ahead. Yet we can stretch out now, straining toward it. What’ s more, we’ re not doomed to remain as we are until destiny comes. We can grow toward it: God calls us to grow toward it. Like the toddler who stumbles, we are called to get up, to put our hand in our Father’ s, and to try again. In spite of our stumbling steps, each one we do take does bring us closer to what will be. When we lose sight of our destiny, and when we fail to grasp the reality of growth, our motivation to live for God begins to die. This is what happened to the people of Judah in Malachi’ s day. They had looked inward, lost sight of the destiny ahead, and abandoned hope for personal growth and change. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Prepare your group for a study of Malachi by “ dreaming.” Ask each member to jot down where he or she wants to be in 10 years. Explain that “ where you want to be” should include all one’ s goals — personal, financial, and especially spiritual — the kind of person you want to be. After each has jotted down his or her dream, share these in groups of four or five. Then explain that what we find in Malachi is a definition of what can keep an individual or a people from realizing its dreams of growth and change.

Malachi Little is known about the prophet himself. But his writings give us a sharp portrait of conditions in Judah. The hard years seem to have passed. The city and its walls had been raised, the temple rebuilt. Prosperity as well as relative independence from the peoples around had returned. God’ s people had settled down to live the “ good life” in the land of Palestine. But with blessing had come a peculiar reaction. The sense of need for God had receded; yearning for the coming destiny had disappeared. God Himself was ignored, even despised. All the meaning of life seemed summed up in the experience of the good things of this world’ s “ now.” Malachi’ s book is organized around a series of seven sarcastic questions posed by the people of God in response to his words to them. These questions show a definite rejection of the divine viewpoint; they show how far Judah’ s loss of a sense of destiny had caused them to drift spiritually. In looking at these questions, it is easy to see some of our own attitudes reflected. In God’ s response we can hear His call, inviting us to turn our steps again toward our destiny. Love lost (Malachi 1:1-5). The Book of Malachi begins with an affirmation: “‘ I have loved you,’ says the Lord” (Malachi 1:2). What a starting point in our relationship with God! It is not that we loved God. He loved us and, acting in love, He delivered His people. Yet the people of Malachi’ s day replied with a plaintive whine: “ How have You loved us?” It is as though a child, used to plenty, complains because he’ s been denied some new toy. With all the evidence of history and with all their present prosperity, Judah could still claim to be uncertain of God’ s love! God’ s answer is to point to the fact that He chose their ancestor Jacob over his twin Esau (who was the ancestor of the people who even then surrounded Judah). God’ s love was demonstrated primarily in that He chose to establish a relationship with His people; love draws us to Himself. The phrase, “ Esau I have hated” (Malachi 1:3), bothers many. It seems best to understand this expression not as a statement of feeling or attitude but as a legal term. In that day a father used this terminology in legally designating one son to inherit his possessions while decisively rejecting the claim of another. By custom such a rejected son really was loved. And he was given resources to make his own way. But the legally “ loved” son inherited. God has shown His love for us in that He has chosen us to inherit all that He has and is, for we are His people, and He is our God. Honor denied (Malachi 1:6-9). God’ s complaint against Judah is that, though He has called this people into a relationship with Himself, the people have refused to honor Him. This goes beyond disrespect; they have despised God’ s name (Malachi 1:6). As the prophet pointed out, a son honors his father — and God had been a Father to Judah. A servant shows respect to his master; and God was rightly called “ Lord” and “ Master” by His people. Why then was God treated in Judah as unimportant? The people of Judah react to this charge with another caustic reply. You can almost hear the tone of outraged innocence. “ How have we despised Your name?” In answer God simply pointed to the mildewed bread on His temple’ s altar; to the ill and injured animals offered as sacrifices. Why, these people were offering to God what they would never dare to present to a human governor! Worship defiled (Malachi 1:10-14). Worship essentially is an expression of our awareness of who God is; it is honoring and praising Him for Himself. Any true worship must honor and exalt the Lord. Now we are shown the priests and the Levites of Malachi’ s day, who were to be closest to God and to serve Him (and in return be provided for from the sacrifices and offerings brought to the temple), complaining about their lot. They were unsatisfied with the offerings that God had chosen for Himself; they wanted the cuts of meat that others ate. They were bored with worship (Malachi 1:13). And the people constantly sought to swindle God out of what they had vowed to Him. Obedience ignored (Malachi 2:1-12). In this passage God reminded Judah that in the Sinai Covenant He promised the obedient that He would bless them. The Law outlined His plan for holy living, but this people had not taken God’ s ways to heart (Malachi 2:2). If they had only chosen to live by the Law, they would have known life and peace and righteousness (Malachi 2:5). But the very priests charged with teaching God’ s way denied it — first with their actions (Malachi 2:8) and then in their distorted teaching of God’ s truth (Malachi 2:9). This corruption could not be overlooked. In spite of their relationship with the Lord as His people, they were faithless and cruel to one another, and faithless to the God they claimed as their common Father, for they persisted in marrying pagan wives who worshiped foreign gods. Prayer unanswered (Malachi 2:13-16). When God warned Judah that He would not answer prayers, the people responded with a complaint: “ Why?” They had prayed fervently, flooding the altar of God with tears. Why then didn’ t God pay attention to their offerings? Here another sin of the people, and another evidence of their hardheartedness is brought into focus. This society had adopted divorce as a lifestyle. This is not divorce stimulated by a partner’ s sin or unwillingness to maintain the marriage covenant. It is divorce motivated by lust — by an older man’ s desire for a new and younger wife! This kind of faithlessness is something that God cannot stand. Evil affirmed (Mal. 2:17-3:4). Malachi’ s charge that Judah had “ wearied the Lord with your words” is met with another sarcastic inquiry. “ How have we wearied Him?” (Malachi 2:17) Malachi’ s answer went to the roots of another symptom of spiritual sickness. “ By saying, ‘ All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord’” (Malachi 2:17). How quickly humanistic values replace God’ s revelation of true goodness and purity. In modern doubletalk, pornographic movies are called “ mature,” and campaigns are launched to present homosexuality as an alternative and perfectly acceptable lifestyle. In Malachi’ s day too society slipped into the practice of calling evil good. This last charge led Malachi to a promise and a warning. He spoke of the coming of God, but warned, “ Who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears?” (Malachi 3:2) Destiny, in the person of God’ s messenger, was approaching, and He would purify the land by judgment. Then the offerings of the remnant would be pleasing to God. When we refuse to purify ourselves, God must act for us. It is not pleasant to be placed over what Malachi calls the “ refiner’ s fire” (Malachi 3:2). The fire that removes impurities burns while it cleanses. Return rejected (Malachi 3:6-12). Approaching the end of the dialogue, God now confronted Judah with a call to restoration. “‘ Return to Me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” But the hardened people responded, “ How are we to return?” (Malachi 3:7) The meaning of the question is clear: “ What do You mean, return? Why, we’ ve never strayed!” So again God brought into focus evidence of Judah’ s desertion of His path. They had been robbing God of the tithes and offerings commanded in the Law. They could return by once again putting God first, and — if they did — God would open the very windows of heaven and pour out blessings. Not because they “ paid” for them, but because, when God’ s people are close to Him, He enjoys doing them good. The Lord denied (Malachi 3:13-15). One final word remained. God called Judah to account for saying harsh things about Him personally. And again came the whining reply, “ What have we said against You?” The answer is simple. “ You have said, ‘ It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?’” (Malachi 3:13-14) This people had chosen to set God aside as irrelevant; they had determined to pay Him no more attention. They might go through the motions. After all, appearance at the temple was one of those things well-bred people did! But in their hearts there was no longer a place for God. Malachi ended with two special notes. First, he reported that while the society refused to turn to God, there were individuals who “ listened and heard.” And Malachi told us that their names were recorded in God’ s record book (Malachi 3:16-18). “‘ They will be Mine,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘ in the day when I make up My treasured possession.’” And Malachi shared a promise. “ Surely the day is coming” (Malachi 4:1). It will come, burning like a furnace, and then all the arrogant will be like chaff. Destiny does lie ahead for the good and the evil alike. Destiny is ahead for those who look for it, and those who look away. We may not welcome destiny, but we can not escape it. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT To reach personal spiritual goals — and other healthy goals that can be achieved only through God’ s blessing — we need to avoid the attitudes and actions that we see revealed in Malachi. Lead your group in a chart study of this book, looking together at each section of the book as discussed in the commentary. As you look at each section, first identify the issue that Malachi dealt with. Then look at the patterns of thought and behavior that revealed the attitude of the people of his day toward this issue. Finally, in the third column of the chart, jot down modern parallels. What contemporary attitudes and acts would show that we have become lukewarm, as did the Jews of Malachi’ s day?

Malachi Study Chart IssueJudah’ s patternModern patterns

Destiny The Christian’ s destiny is ultimately found in resurrection. On that wonderful day, you and I will be transformed, to bear the image of our Saviour. We shall be like Him, John told us, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). And as we wait, we have His promise. God’ s Holy Spirit, given to us, is even now working an inner transformation, shaping us to be more and more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our destiny (resurrection) lies ahead, but as we live close to Jesus, we experience something of that destiny even now. The Old Testament vision of destiny was not sharp and clear as far as the individual was concerned. But the people of Judah, as the Hebrews of every era, did possess wonderful promises. God would act in their future — and they too could live in expectation, loving God, responding to His Word, experiencing present blessings. How wonderful that you and I, like God’ s people of every age, can set aside the attitudes that destroy our dreams of what we will become. And whatever the characteristics of our day, we can be like “ those who feared the Lord,” and “ talk with each other” (about Him), knowing that the Lord listens and hears, and that we who honor Him now will know the fulfillment of our dreams as destiny draws near to you and me.

Teaching Guide Prepare Jot down where you personally want to be in 10 years.

Explore

1. Have each of your group members jot down, and then share, where each wants to be in 10 years. See the “ link-to-life” explanation above.
2. Or have several group members read Malachi as a dramatic reading. Two or three can speak the mock questions of the Judeans, another can read the words of God which Malachi quotes, and another can read those which are the prophet’ s. This method is especially effective with a short book like Malachi where there are a number of distinct voices. This will also motivate a careful pre-group meeting study of the book by those who prepare the dramatic reading.

Expand Do the chart study suggested in “ link-to-life” above. Working as a group, define the issue involved; look at how the underlying attitude of the people was expressed in their acts, and suggest ways this attitude might be expressed in our day. This chart study will provide a mastery of the material in Malachi, and serve as a solid foundation for application.

Apply Look at the chart, and transform the negatives into positives. That is, suggest how a person can grow in commitment to the Lord. For instance, the people of Malachi’ s day ignored God’ s love as expressed in His choice of their nation. We can remember God’ s love, expressed in Jesus, who has loved and saved us. Or note that the people of Malachi’ s day withheld their best from God. We can give Him our best.