Malachi 1:1-14

My *Messenger

Malachi

Gordon Churchyard

Chapter 1

v1 The *LORD sent this message to Israel by means of his servant Malachi.

Notes

Verse 1 Malachi wrote his book in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word for ‘message’ here means ‘a weight that someone must carry’. Malachi felt that he needed to declare God’s message. This was Malachi’s duty. ‘*LORD’ is a special name for God. God used this name when he made a *covenant with his people. A *covenant is a special agreement. The *Old Testament is about this *covenant. The word ‘testament’ means ‘evidence’. Malachi is the last book in the *Old Testament. In God’s *covenant with his people:

• God agrees to care for his people.

• God’s people agree to love God and to obey him.

The word ‘Israel’ here means all the *Jewish people. Malachi is a name that means ‘my messenger’. A messenger is someone that brings a message. Malachi probably lived about 450 B.C. B.C. means ‘years Before Christ came to the earth’. The word for ‘servant’ here is actually ‘by the hand of’ in *Hebrew. Malachi considered himself to be like a servant. God was Malachi’s master. Although Malachi declared this message, his words came from God.

v2 ‘I have loved you’, says the *LORD. But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ The *LORD answers, ‘Esau was Jacob’s brother. And I (chose to) love Jacob, v3 but not to love Esau. And I have destroyed his mountains. Also, I made his country (called Edom) into a desert where wild dogs live. v4 The people from Edom may say, “(An enemy) has beaten us down. But we will return and rebuild (our country).” This is what the *LORD of Everything says. If they rebuild (their country), I will destroy it. They will be called “The wicked country”. The *LORD will always be angry with them. v5 You yourselves will see it. Then you will say, “The *LORD is great, even outside the country called Israel”.’

Notes

Verse 2 This starts the first of 6 arguments, or discussions, between God and his people Israel. They are in:

• Malachi 1:2-5. An argument about the love of God.

• Malachi 1:6-2. An argument about the honour of God.

• Malachi 2:10-16. An argument about people who do not do what they promise, especially in marriage.

• Malachi 2:17-3. An argument about whether God is a fair judge.

• Malachi 3:6-12. An argument about people who are sorry because they have done wrong things.

• Malachi 3:13-4. An argument about people who say things against God.

Here, the people did not agree that God loved them. But God says that he loved Jacob. In other words, he chose to love Jacob. Jacob’s children started the 12 *tribes (or large families) that became Israel. So ‘I chose to love Jacob’ means ‘I chose to love Israel’. The *LORD had changed Jacob’s name to Israel (Genesis 32:28).

Verse 3 But God chose not to love Esau. Actually, the *Hebrew Bible says, ‘I hated Esau’. But many Bible students agree with our translation. It means that God chose Jacob for his plan, but he did not choose Esau. God’s plan was to send Jesus to save us from the punishment for our evil deeds. God chose Jacob because later Jesus would be born into the family of Jacob (that is, Israel). That is a plan that can help everyone, ‘even outside the country called Israel’, verse 5.

This verse helps to give us a date for Malachi. It tells us that the *LORD destroyed Edom. That means that the *LORD allowed an enemy to defeat Edom. Edom is the name of the country where the family of Esau lived. An enemy called the Nabataeans probably destroyed Edom about 500 *B.C. The people from Edom moved to the desert south of Jerusalem. This was before Malachi wrote his book.

Verse 4 ‘The *LORD of Everything’ is a special name for God. Another translation is ‘The *LORD of *Angel Armies’. *Angels are God’s servants in heaven, where he lives. We do not often see them, but they are always working for God, even on earth.

Verse 5 Some *Jews thought that God could only work in their own land. But when they will see him work in Edom, they will say, ‘The *LORD is great, even outside the country called Israel!’

v6 ‘A son gives honour to (his) father and a servant (is afraid of) his master’, says the *LORD of Everything. ‘I am your father. But you do not show any honour to me. I am your master. But you do not respect me.’ (He says) to the priests, ‘You do not respect my name.’ But you ask, ‘How do we *disrespect your name?’ v7 (He answers), ‘You put *unholy food on my *altar.’ But you ask, ‘How have we been *unholy to you?’ (He answers), ‘Because you say that you do not respect the *LORD’s table. v8 It is wrong when you offer blind animals to me (on the *altar). You should not offer to me animals that cannot walk. And (you should not offer to me animals) that have diseases. That would be very wrong. You would not (dare to) offer them to your ruler! He would not be pleased with you. He would not accept such gifts from you’, says the *LORD of Everything. v9 ‘And now, pray to God himself that he will be *gracious to us! When you offer him these (unclean) things, he will not accept your gifts’, says the *LORD of Everything. v10 ‘(I wish) that somebody among you would shut the doors (of my *temple). Then you would not light *useless fires on my *altar. You are not pleasing me. So I will not accept anything that you offer (to me)’, says the *LORD of Everything. v11 ‘But my name will be great among the nations. (It will be great) from where the sun rises (in the east) to where it sets (in the west). In every place (people will) offer *incense and pure gifts to my name. (This is) because my name will be great among the nations’, says the *LORD of Everything.

v12 ‘But you insult (my name) when you say:

• “The *LORD’s table is unclean.”

• And, “The food on it is nasty.”

v13 And you say, “What a nuisance!” And you blow (down your nose) at it’, says the *LORD of Everything. ‘You bring and offer (to me animals):

• that have an injury;

• and that cannot walk well;

• and that have diseases.

So I shall not accept your gifts’, says the *LORD of Everything.

v14 ‘I shall *curse the person that cheats. That person promises to give a good male animal from his *flock. But (then he) offers a bad animal to the *Lord. I am a great king. So the people from every nation must respect my name’, says the *LORD of Everything.

messenger ~ someone who brings a message.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for one of Israel’s people.
Lord ~ master; also a name for God.
LORD ~ the covenant name of God.
covenant ~ agreement, especially, an agreement between God and the people.
covenant ~ agreement, especially, an agreement between God and the people.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for one of Israel’s people.
tribe ~ a large family that started many centuries ago, with just one mother and father.
angel ~ a special servant of God.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for one of Israel’s people.
disrespect ~ the opposite of respect.
unholy ~ not suitable for God.
altar ~ a special table in the temple of God (or a false god).
temple ~ the house of a god; the Temple in Jerusalem was God’s house.
gracious ~ very kind (even when you do not have to be kind).
temple ~ the house of a god; the Temple in Jerusalem was God’s house.
useless ~ of no use.
incense ~ substance that burns to give a pleasant smell.
curse ~ a wish that bad things and death will happen; in Malachi it does not mean bad language.
flock ~ a group of animals.
Lord ~ master; also a name for God.
LORD ~ the covenant name of God.
covenant ~ agreement, especially, an agreement between God and the people.