Malachi
“My messenger”
Summary
Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets, whose book concludes the prophetic canon with calls for covenant faithfulness and a promise of Elijah's coming before the great day of the Lord.
☩The Prophet
The name Malachi means 'my messenger' and may be either a proper name or a title describing his prophetic office. Nothing is known of his personal history beyond what can be inferred from his prophecies. He was probably contemporary with Nehemiah, as the abuses he denounced—corrupt priests, neglected tithes, foreign marriages, and Sabbath violations—correspond exactly with the problems Nehemiah confronted around 420 BC.
☩His Message
Malachi's prophecy opens by declaring God's love for Israel, contrasted with the desolation of Edom. He then rebukes the priests for offering defective sacrifices and profaning God's covenant, charges the people with treachery in divorcing their Jewish wives for foreign women, and condemns their failure to bring tithes. Throughout, Malachi uses a distinctive question-and-answer style, presenting God's charges and then refuting the people's skeptical objections.
☩The Coming Messengers
Malachi prophesied two messengers: first, one who would 'prepare the way before me,' fulfilled in John the Baptist; then 'the Lord, whom ye seek,' who would suddenly come to His temple as the Angel of the covenant. This Messenger would refine the sons of Levi like silver and purge away sin. The book closes with a call to remember Moses' law and a promise that Elijah the prophet would come before 'the great and dreadful day of the Lord' to turn hearts back to God.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Malachi," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Malachi," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Malachi," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).