Malachi. Title: 1. Hebrew - yki(a'l.m; 2. Greek – 3. Latin - Malachi evn ceiri. avgge,lou auvtou/ Malaciaj.

Malachi

Title:1.Hebrew -

yki(a'l.m;2.Greek –

3.Latin - Malachi

evn ceiri. avgge,lou auvtou/

Malaciaj

Author:

Malachi

Date of Writing:

~430 BC

Theme:

The Blessing of Obedience

Malachi 1:12 You say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’Malachi 3:14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts?’

Purpose of Writing:Malachi calls the people back to obedience to the Lord. She still doubts the value of following the commands of the Lord. Malachi teaches that blessing will flow as a result of obedience, not because God is offering to pay his people for their service, but because that is the natural order of things: Obedience leads to a deeper knowledge of God’s blessing.

Malachi 3:10 Malachi 3:10 “Bring “Bring the whole tithe into the the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that storehouse, so that there may be food in My there may be food in My house, and test Me now house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not of hosts, “if I will not open for you the open for you the windows of heaven and windows of heaven and pour out for you a pour out for you a blessing until it blessing until it overflows.”overflows.”

Christ in Malachi:

1. The Messenger of the Covenant

2. The Sun of Righteousness

3. The Day of the Lord

The Messenger of the Covenant

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I am Malachi 3:1 Behold, I am going to send My going to send My messenger, and he will messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come seek, will suddenly come to His temple . . . .to His temple . . . .

The Messenger of the Covenant Malachi 3:3 Malachi 3:3 He will He will

sit as a smelter and sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and purifier of silver, and He will purify the He will purify the sons of Levi and sons of Levi and refine them like gold refine them like gold and silver, so that and silver, so that they may present to they may present to the LORD offerings in the LORD offerings in righteousness.righteousness.

The Sun of Righteousness

Malachi 4:2 Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear My But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings . . . .with healing in its wings . . . .

The Day of the Lord

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I Malachi 4:5 Behold, I am going to send you am going to send you Elijah the prophet Elijah the prophet before the coming of before the coming of the great and terrible the great and terrible day of the LORD.day of the LORD.

Place in the Canon:Historically, Malachi describes the

religious state of Israel in the years following the return.

Theologically, Malachi reminds us that God rewards those who trust him with a deeper relationship with him.

Devotionally, we learn that we should not lose heart in following God’s leading.