For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. - Malachi 1:11 (ESV)
The prophet Malachi ministered at the end of Old Testament history after the exile and during the administration of the second temple. Malachi says that the people are unfaithful, especially the priests, and that one day the righteous will be vindicated and blessed, but the wicked will be destroyed. Yahweh will work these things in the future by sending a messenger who will turn the people, including Elijah the prophet, to turn fathers and sons to each other.
The Big Idea of Malachi
I have taught the big idea of Malachi as the following: Yahweh will not accept dishonor. The above passage captures the overall impression a reader can pick up from Malachi, that Yahweh is working to make his name great among the nations. Sometimes he works through his people, but oftentimes, it seems like he must work despite his people. Nevertheless, Yahweh makes clear that he will settle for nothing less than universal honor. Yahweh will not stand for dishonor of his name in the end.
An Outline of Malachi
Chapter 1: Yahweh Has Been Faithful to Jacob
Chapter one begins with Yahweh charging Israel that he does not love Yahweh. There is a strange question and answer about Esau being Jacob's brother and Yahweh loving Jacob rather than Esau. Esau and Jacob have both experienced hardship, but only Jacob has the love of Yahweh. Esau may desire to do better and rebuild, but Yahweh will not allow it. This shows Yahweh's greatness, that Yahweh is not a merely local deity. It is a lot about the way that the people do not honor Yahweh with their sacrifices. They offer blemished animals in sacrifice. The priests despise his name.
Chapter 2: The Priests Are Cursed
In chapter two, Yahweh focuses on rebuking the priests for failing to guard knowledge and uphold the Law in their instruction, instead being partial. They do not fear Yahweh like their father Levi did. Yahweh remarks how Judah has been faithless to Yahweh his Father, marrying the daughter of a foreign god and not remaining faithful to Yahweh. In addition, the priests cry over Yahweh not accepting sacrifices. However, this is because the priests have been unfaithful to their wives and have divorced them. Yahweh concludes by remarking how they have wearied Him by their words when they call good evil and question where is the God of justice.
Chapter 3: Yahweh Will Show that Serving Him Is Not Vain
Chapter three is about the fact that Yahweh will purify the priests by sending a messenger, which is fulfilled later by John the Baptist. Yahweh is faithful even though they are not. Yahweh calls them to return so that he might return to them. They are robbing Him by withholding the tithe they owe Yahweh. Yahweh assures them that he will not let the produce or wealth fail if they are faithful. Yahweh continues by charging them with speaking against Him in saying that they say it is vain to serve God and that the evil are happier than the righteous. But there are those who fear Yahweh and Yahweh records their names. One day, there will be a distinction renewed between the righteous and the wicked.
Chapter 4: Yahweh's Day is Coming
In the fourth and final chapter, Yahweh proclaims that the wicked will be destroyed in the future and the righteous will flourish. The people should remember the Law of Moses. One day, Yahweh will send Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers and children to each other to avoid utter destruction.
Benefits of Malachi
Malachi helps us to understand the goal of Yahweh in history. Yahweh’s goal is not us-centered, but Yahweh-centered. The selfishness and self-centeredness of the people is on display in Malachi. All throughout, Yahweh is reminding them that, as much as they would prefer otherwise, the world does not revolve around them and their desires.
Another striking feature of Malachi is the people’s hypocrisy and self-deception. The imagined dialogue at the beginning shows that the people refuse to renounce their selfish ways and recognize the goodness, justice, and holiness of Yahweh. The people, in short, do not fear Yahweh.
If Yahweh were to have an imagined dialogue with us, what might he say? Might we be rebuked for the ways in which despise his name while ostensibly worshipping him? The people offered their weak and lame animals in sacrifice. Are there ways in which our worship is similarly perverted? The New Testament clearly expects Christians to give of their time, talents, and treasure to the church in the service of God. Do we give the first and best of what we have, or is the church an afterthought? And if Christ’s church is an afterthought, is not therefore Christ himself an afterthought? How could it be otherwise? The people in Malachi’s day were chided for making worship and sacrifice something of low importance, something they did perfunctorily rather than purely and passionately. They gave of the least and the worst they had to get by, to tick off the check box, but Yahweh knew both their practice and their hearts were corrupt and divided in their allegiances. No doubt Christ could say the same about many of us as individuals and as churches.
Malachi also rebukes the priests for their corruption and their failure to teach the people the Law of Yahweh. Too many pastors and teachers similarly turn away from Scripture and lead people into stumbling rather than the straight and narrow path. Too many of us are more concerned about guarding numbers and money than we are about guarding knowledge. This is no frigid, rigid, knowledge, but a knowledge of Yahweh and his instruction that both stems from and cultivates awe and fear of Yahweh. But we fear people leaving or being disappointed by the “product” we market to them. Shame on us for being more afraid of what people think about us than Christ himself. There is no love for people in kowtowing to their consumeristic demands. There is more of fear than of love. Love for Christ’s people must emanate from a love for Christ that starts with a fear of God himself. If this chain is broken, the church leaders are leading people astray along with themselves rather than toward God.
Malachi should not lead us to chide and scoff at the recalcitrance and ignorance of the people. It should make us fear our own. As we read, we should consider whether we too are committing the same sorts of abominable acts in our worship and living before God while convincing ourselves that we are fine.
Malachi shows that self-deception in matters of life and worship are all too easy. We are all too easily self-deceived into justifying selfish desires in the name of supposed obedience toward God. We take God’s word and twist it, refusing to trust him in our lives while singing songs of worship on Sundays.