Will A Man Rob God?
Coming to the 4th in our series in the minor prophets, we have the last book of the OT. Malachi was God’s prophet to the people of God after they had returned from the Babylonian Captivity, during the time of the return. He was contemporary with figures like Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah. Rebuilding and getting resettled in the Promised Land was a difficult time, but by Malachi’s time the temple had been built and some degree of normal life had resumed—normal life and already slipping back into sinful patterns.
When I was a little boy and my father or mother would confront me with my wrong-doing, inside I was not quick to acknowledge my guilt and I learned to be very careful how I responded. Imagine this: “Son, you didn’t clean out the chicken house like I told you to do.” Me: “What do you mean? How didn’t I clean it out?” Malachi’s prophecy is a series of indictments to which the people respond with cheeky responses, questioning, doubting, and rationalizations. You won’t be surprised to discover that Malachi’s prophecy is mostly warning people of their sin and the judgments to come. Neither will it surprise you to see how the Lord holds out the offer of repentance and forgiveness. We will survey Malachi under two sections: First, a series of Indictments and Excuses, and in closing, Good news about the Refiner’s Fire.