What Should Christians Know about Malachi in the Bible?

Malachi had great importance to his prophecies, and he prophesied the coming of the Messiah and his predecessor, John the Baptist. The whole plan by God for prophets was that they were His witnesses to Israel, witnesses against wicked evildoers, and witnesses of righteousness and faith.

God chose His prophets carefully and for a great purpose. Malachi brings forth prophecy of the coming days, leading up to the Messiah.

He was a very courageous prophet and even dared to defy the priests of his time, even though they were ranked as closest to God through the appointment of judges.

Despite these judges being declared “closest” to God, Malachi knew their hearts were far from Him. Instead of following God, the priests became wicked and rejected God.

They did not have any desire to follow the Lord nor to serve Him. They wanted to follow after the evil practices of the world and in so doing, desecrate the name of the Lord.

In this way, we can see that Malachi was not afraid to address the sin of his day because he truly knew the Lord and rightfully condemned the people of their evil practices.

The whole purpose of Malachi as the last prophet of the Old Testament was to symbolize salvation to come. The Book of Malachi is written by the prophet Malachi himself.

There are other theories that state Malachi was written by the writer Joshua Ben Sira; whereas other theories believe Ezra the prophet wrote this book of the Bible.

Concerning the theory that Joshua Ben Sira wrote Malachi, it was believed Malachi was included in his overall main book, formerly known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus, commonly known as Sirach.

Joshua ben Sira was a Jewish scribe, who taught and established a school in Egypt. Despite this view, it is not in agreement with the Bible or history.

Other scholars believe that Malachi was written by Ezra, which is contrary given that Ezra was a priest. Upon reading the Book of Malachi, we see that neither Joshua Ben Sira nor Ezra wrote the Book of Malachi.

The Bible clearly tells us that Malachi wrote the Book of Malachi himself (Malachi 1:1). Thus, it is best to acknowledge the authorship of this book of the Bible to Malachi.

Over the chapters in the Book of Malachi, we can draw out the key purposes that the author wants to convey.

The first is the promise of the coming Messiah (Jesus) and his forerunner (John the Baptist), the reproof to Jews for their corrupting of God’s decrees, a detailed description of the wicked who speak against God, and finally, a detailed description of those who turn to righteousness to witness the glory of our Father.

At the end of Malachi, it sets up the beginning of a new life, the new life of the Messiah. The time period between Malachi to Matthew is the course of 400 years with no documentation. Malachi is a key biblical figure for building up to the grand subject of the New Testament, who is Jesus.

For further reading:

Who Was Malachi in the Bible?

Book of Malachi Summary

What Are Prophets in the Bible?

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Vivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate.