Malachi Introduction

Malachi, like the prophets before him, looks forward to the Messiah’s coming. He prophesies about the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist, who will prepare the way for Jesus. In the same passage, he also predicts the coming of the Lord Christ Himself:

“See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts. (Mal 3:1)

The prophecies and warnings that will be exposited in this book bear a special weight also because Malachi is the final canonical work of the OT before the coming of Christ. A 400-year silence from God will be broken by Gabriel’s prediction of John’s and Jesus’ birth in Luke, the direct fulfillment of the promise in Malachi that God will send a messenger. As readers who have already encountered the promised Messiah, we can view the unprecedented miracle represented here: that the Author entered into His ow=n story and played a role in His own providential plan.

The first verse of Malachi has two words that require a bit of special attention: oracle and hand. You have not misread that, nor have you missed something in your English translation—“oracle” is clearly stated, but “hand” is not. In Hebrew, verse 1 reads, “An oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of Malachi.” “By the hand of” is a Hebrew idiom that would have resonated with the hearts of Malachi’s audience. Malachi claims divine inspiration as the source of his words in order to eliminate any doubts in the minds of the hearers. It was the hand of God that delivered the prophetic oracle, Malachi wrote it down, and then he handed it to the people of Israel.

The tone that this beginning sets is interesting as well: Malachi is almost threatening the people, saying, “I swear that this is going to happen. You can take this to the bank: God’s punishment is imminent if you don’t repent.”

The Hebrew word massa is translated into English “oracle.” Both Habakkuk and Nahum begin their books with the same word, which literally means “burden” or “load” (cf. Exod 23:5; Num 4:24, 32; 11:11; 2 Sam 15:33; Isa 22:25; 46:1-2; Jer 17:21-27; 22:33-40) (Clendenen, Haggai, 242).

Traditionally, massa could be used as a judgment against a person, as in the “pronouncement” against Ahab in 1 Kings 9:25-26. In Malachi, though, massa signifies judgment against the nation of Israel (cf. Isa 22:1; 30:6; Ezek 12:10; Hab 1:1). However, the prevailing usage of the word was in judgment against foreign nations (Isa 13:1; 14:28; 15:1; 17:1; 19:1; 21:1, 11,13; 23:1; Nah 1:1; Zech 9:1) (Clendenen, Haggai, 242).

If this is a word straight from God, why was it literally a “burden” for Malachi to deliver it to the nation of Israel?

We must remember that the office of prophet was not something one aspired to, like he would a political position or business role. It was a calling, much like a pastor or shepherd. The prophet had two distinct functions:

Like a megaphone held to the mouth of an announcer, the prophet stood between God and the people, much like the expository preacher does today. At one time, God spoke directly to Adam and Eve in the garden and directly to Moses on Mount Sinai. But from then on He has used prophets: often solitary, devoted, and quite lonely individuals who lived secluded, extremely difficult lives.

People who choose the title of prophet for themselves should be taken with caution, for the life of a prophet is indescribably difficult. Think of Isaiah. God instructed him to discard his outer garments and sandals and then walk naked around the city for three years as a visual sign to the people of Israel of their coming captivity (Isa 20:1-4). Imagine God saying to your pastor, “Your people are stiff-necked and selfish. They are not getting the message. I want you to take off the suit and tie. In fact, take everything off and walk the halls of your church completely nude for three years.”

Jeremiah has been labeled the weeping prophet of the Old Testament, and for good reason. Israel’s slide into Babylonian captivity was too much for him to bear. He preached the very words of God—the words God told him to speak—for decades. He watched his brothers and sisters disregard God’s words, disregard God, and give themselves over to their Babylonian captors. Throughout the course of his preaching, Jeremiah saw not one person respond to him. He preached a lifetime of sermons and nobody “came down front” even once. In his eyes and in the eyes of Israel, Jeremiah was a massive failure. But his success was measured not by his fruit, but by his faithfulness to preach God’s Word.

The life of a prophet was a tough assignment to receive, but that was only half of the struggle: the words they were given were rarely easy to deliver. The words given to Malachi were extremely weighty. He was not communicating a health, wealth, and prosperity message. He didn’t prescribe “10 easy steps to be the best you you can be.” He said, “repent, or be destroyed” to his own people. And, as was the case with the majority of his prophetic contemporaries, his words—God’s words—were brushed off.

The book radiates with rich theology, covering themes such as the nature and majesty of God, the coming Messiah, and the steadfast love of the Lord.

Six speeches and two commentaries provide a framework for Malachi:

Malachi was heavily influenced by the Persian world. We know this by the use of the term governor in 1:8. Instead of using the Hebrew word for governor, he opts for pechah, which is a Hebraic transliteration of a Persian word. Furthermore, Malachi uses the Socratic dialectic method of communication. Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher who cross-examined someone in order to uncover contradictions or inconsistencies in their assertions. Rather than teaching by coming right out and stating a conclusion, the dialectic style piles questions on top of each other in order to make the conclusion come from within the student—and thus, to make the lesson stick. Malachi, a relatively short book, is packed with questions:

This dialectic method consists of three parts. Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains,

First, there is a basic declarative statement. Secondly, this is followed by an objection. In the book of Malachi each of these objections begins with the same Hebrew word translated Wherein six times and What once. The third part is to give the answer to that objection. The Socratic method, then, is a statement, followed by an objection, followed by the answer. (“Malachi”)

Again, the Socratic dialectic is a method of teaching that brings answers not from the mouth of the teacher to the ears of the student, but rather from the heart of the student into his mind. Rabbis used this same approach constantly, and Jesus was no different: much of His teaching was done by merely asking questions.

If a rebuke is raised against you, it is easy to brush it off as just a negative, misunderstanding opinion. However, should the accusation be raised in the form of a probing question, so that your realization of the error of your ways comes from within rather than from without, it is no longer a mere outside, misinformed opinion; it is an opportunity for reflection, self-examination, and repentance.

How a person handles correction speaks volume about their character. The author of Hebrews says,

My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives. . . . No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (12:5-6, 11)

This is why Malachi begins his book with the words, “‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.”

God loves you so much that He is willing to bear the difficult burden of exposing your sin. He loves you so much that He doesn’t allow you to wallow in it. Malachi will demonstrate just how God goes about doing that.