Malachi is the last of the Old Testament prophets. He probably wrote around 435 B.C. during the era when Nehemiah was governor of Jerusalem; his message was similar to the problems Nehemiah dealt with during his second administration. What happened to the Jewish people between 520 B.C. and 440 B.C.? They lost their fervor for God; their religion went from a personal love for God to a ritualistic form of worship. Jesus said God looks for those who worship Him in spirit and truth. John 4:21-24 NLT.
A recurring theme in the Old Testament is the key verse for Malachi. “. . .’Now return to Me,
and I will return to you,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Malachi 3:7.
- Outline:
- 1A. God’s love but the peoples’ contempt. 1:1-14
- 2A. Failures of the priests and of men in general. 2:1-17
- 3A. The coming judgment and the call to repentance. 3:1-18
- 4A. The coming judgment on the wicked and the beginning of the New Testament church. 4:1-6.
“For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:28-29 NLT.