Bible Study Notes in Malachi- Chapter 4

Malachi 4

-The prophet under the Spirit of prophecy gives a final admonition here in chapter four. Pay attention! For the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and no arrogant person or evil doer will survive. They will burn like chaff by the day of the LORD that will set them ablaze! Neither root nor branch will be left (Malachi 4:1). However, the ones who fear the LORD and receive Him in faith as the sun of righteousness, (analogy to Light and Illumination in Messiah Jesus) who will rise with healing in Its wings, and the righteous will go forth and celebrate like a calf that is just learning how to walk for the first time, skipping from the stall (Malachi 4:2)! The wicked are promised to be tread down as ashes under foot by the LORD (Malachi 4:3). The final instructions include remembering the Law of Moses, God’s servant, given at Horeb for all of Israel (Malachi 4:4). Elijah is prophesied to be sent before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD when He restores the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers for blessings rather than curses on the land (Malachi 4:5-6).

-*Application* The Bible makes it very clear to be ready and alert for the coming tribulation and return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:2; 25:1-13, Mark 13:33-37). This day will be a reward for those who have received the righteousness of Christ by their very faith in Him, but it will be a devastating punishment and justice for those who rejected Christ in arrogance and continuing in evil. If you have not done so already, please return to the LORD in humble submission to His commands before it is too late. God’s desire is to return the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers with unity and mutual respect. His will is not to smite the land with a curse, but healing.

Verses to Memorize: Malachi 4:2, 5-6

Bible Study Notes in Malachi- Chapter 3

Malachi 3

-The LORD is going to send His messenger who will clear the way before Himself. It is at this point that the Lord, whom the people seek, will suddenly (immediately) come to His Temple and fulfill the message of the covenant, which is the delight of the people of God (or the true Israel). He (the Messiah, the anointed, the Lord, Jesus) is coming (Malachi 3:1)! The day of His coming though will be difficult, next to impossible, to endure. He will come (which I take as the second coming of Christ) like a refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap (cleansing, refining, washing, purifying). The priests of God will be purified and refined like gold and silver in that day for the purpose of glorifying the LORD with offerings in righteousness as a pleasing gift as in the days of old in former years (Malachi 3:2-4). It is at this point that the LORD will draw near to His people for judgment, which they will escape. But, the LORD will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers, the liars, the cheaters, the oppressors, and those who have no fear of Him (Malachi 3:5). This is all because the LORD is immutable, He does not change. Because of His covenant promises, the people of Jacob are not consumed. His promises are always kept, safe and secure, and His love never fails His people of faith. Even when there is faithlessness on the part of His people, and they have turned aside. The LORD gives them a chance to return to Him so that He can return to them. The great question at the end of this purifying and restoration section is “How?” “How shall we return?” is the question they are asking, and now God will point out their sins for the purpose of returning and restoring to make for Himself a Spirit-filled people in total love with Him (Malachi 3:6-7).

-*Application* God is patient, but His patience as we see here has limits. When it is time for judgment, He will be swift and effective in it. Until that time, He gives us every opportunity to return to Him for forgiveness, peace, and wholeness. Take advantage of the time God gives to get right with Him through repentance, humility, and heart sacrifice. We’ll be glad we did.

-The rhetorical questions continue as this book continues in Malachi 3:8. The people want to know how they are robbing God, and the prophet is forthright in explaining to them that their meager tithes and offerings are an offence to the Almighty. God says that they are cursed because of their taking from the LORD what was rightly His. He tells them plainly, “Bring the whole tithe (tenth of your first fruits) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My House, and test Me now in this, if I will not open for you the windows of Heaven and pour out for you blessing until it overflows (Malachi 3:10).” When this is done, He will rebuke the devourer for them so that their crops will flourish and all will call them blessed as a delightful land (Malachi 3:11-12).

-*Application* How are we doing in bringing God’s church the commanded tithe into His storehouse? We are quick to blame the government for all its expensive programs that tax us to the max, but they are simply having to pick up the slack for where the church of Jesus Christ has failed in its woeful amounts of tithes received to help the hurting and the needy of our society. Obey God and give Him His tenth from our first fruits instead of hording for ourselves in robbery and mockery of His Kingdom. We have to quit making excuses and give God top priority in our wallets.

-Next, the charge of arrogance is levied. The people say, “What have we spoken against You (Malachi 3:13)?” The LORD answers with the fact that they are concluded in their hearts that it is vain and not profitable to serve God and keep His charge. They have had to go through hard times of mourning and have given up on His promises way too soon (Malachi 3:14). They figure that the arrogant are blessed by God because of their expedient wealth and unjust gain. They falsely think that the doers of wickedness are built up and can test God and escape (Malachi 3:15). This, God concludes, is unfaithfulness and giving up on His strength to do things their own way. This arrogance does not produce deliverance from the Almighty because they are relying on their own rationale to make assumptions about how God works in human matters. Instead, they needed to trust and be patient during the difficult questions of life and wait on the LORD to rescue.

-*Application* We too will have a tendency to out run God when we see the crooked and perverse seemingly being blessed in all they do. Our ethics tend to be situational in our world, and we will do anything to get ahead of the materialistic ballgame to “keep up with the Jones’.” This is what God calls arrogance against Him. He is our provider and will care for us to give us what we need. Rely on His justice and don’t worry about those who seem to have great gain because of their unrighteousness.

-Now the chapter takes a turn to the faithful few that were the remnant of the LORD in the fear and esteem of His Name. The LORD gave them attention, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those (Malachi 3:16). These will be His on the day He prepares His own possession and they will be spared as heirs to the Kingdom. This will be the distinction that the LORD makes between the righteous and wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him (Malachi 3:17-18, Romans 12:1-2).

-*Application* The LORD is looking longingly for those who will give Him His rightful place of honor and distinction. He promises all of His good destiny and eternal life to those who fear and esteem Him and take on His righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ serving Him with a whole heart (1 Chronicles 28:9, Matthew 22:36-37). This is God’s desire for all His people.

Verses to Memorize: Malachi 3:1, 8, 18

Bible Study Notes in Malachi- Chapter 2

Malachi 2

-God gives a commandment on listening to the priests as He begins chapter 2 (Malachi 2:1-2). The LORD is after the heart and will bring about a curse upon them and their blessings because of their dull ears. He will rebuke their offspring, spread refuse on their faces, refuse their feasts, and take them away if they will not give honor to His Name from the inner man (Malachi 2:2-3). They will eventually know that it is God who has sent the message through His prophet, so that His covenant will continue through Levi (Malachi 2:4). His covenant, to Levi, was one of life and peace (shalom, wholeness) given as an object of reverence and awe for the Name of the LORD (Malachi 2:5). When the heart was pure, true instruction was in the priest’s mouth and no unrighteousness was found in his lips. He walked with the LORD in peace and uprightness turning many away from iniquity (Malachi 2:6). Priests were designed to be messengers of the LORD of hosts preserving knowledge with attainable instruction from his mouth from the Almighty (Malachi 2:7). However, the priests of Malachi’s time had turned aside from the way causing many to stumble by their false instruction. They corrupted the covenant of Levi according to the Word of the LORD (Malachi 2:8). Therefore, the LORD had made them despised and abased before all the people. In other words they lost respect, courtesy, and reverence from the masses because of their injustice in showing partiality in the instruction. They were playing favorites (Malachi 2:9).

-*Application* Good and Godly leadership is so critical as we see here in this passage. The most important part of leading, as we see in this passage, is listening to the right Voice, which is the Voice of God. What spirit the leader has will be passed down to the populace. God is supporting a top-down philosophy that should increase our awareness and responsibility in every area. This irresponsible leadership is what, more than anything, degraded the Jewish society and drew the LORD’s ire. If you have leadership of any domain, listen with the right heart to God and follow His mandates and directions. He gives blessings, honor, life, and peace when we do.

-Malachi now turns to address the sins, which are in the people of Israel. The prophet asks the rhetorical questions pertaining to the “why” in their treacherous dealings with each other, which profaned the covenant of their fathers and interrupted their unity (Malachi 2:10). They have profaned the sanctuary of the LORD and committed abominations as well by their idolatry in chasing after foreign gods. This has quenched the LORD’s favor with them, and they are now feeling the effects (Malachi 2:11-13). The issue of marital faithfulness first comes up as a plight on their society as God answers their question as to the reason for His consternation. If a person has any bit of the Spirit of God they will not deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. God hates divorce, He tells them, and He detests the one who covers his clothes with wrong (Malachi 2:14-16). The people have wearied God with their empty words. In their audacity they have questioned, “How have we wearied Him?” But, they have said by their actions that, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” plus they insulted Him with the mocking, “Where is the God of justice (Malachi 2:17)?”

-*Application* Here we see the slowness to recognition of a wayward people. They simply do not get it. They are making excuses rather than making adjustments in the rebuke that they are receiving. They are trying to justify their position rather than conforming to the image of a holy God. How often do we do that in American society?

Verses to Memorize: Malachi 2:2, 16

Bible Study Notes in Malachi- Introduction and Chapter 1

Malachi 1

-Introduction: Malachi (My Messenger) is the book most often given credit for bridging the gap between the Old Testament writings and the New Testament period. Malachi is the textually proclaimed author of the work. This is the book that concludes the Old Covenant revelation of God to His people, and it serves the purpose of confronting the Hebrews, and us, with their sins against a perfect Sovereign with the hopes of restoration in fellowship and a pointing to the Messiah. Written around 430 years before Christ came to earth, this book gives example of the post exilic prophets with Haggai and Zechariah and Nehemiah being contemporaries to the time period. It uses a unique literary style employing a dramatic use of questions asked by God and His people with substantial answers in response. Key themes include, not are not limited to: 1) God’s Love for His People, 2) God’s Omniscience, 3) The Sin of the Priests, 4) The Sin of the People, 5) Faithfulness, 6) Grace, 7) Healing, 8) Joy, and 9) The LORD’s Coming. The structure moves from the awareness of the sins of the priests in Israel (Malachi 1:1-2:9), to the sins of the people of Israel (Malachi 2:10-3:15), to God’s faithful remnant (Malachi 3:16-4:6). There is a preview of John the Baptist, who comes in the Spirit of Elijah as the book concludes (Malachi 4:5-6, Matthew 11:14;17:12, Mark 9:13, Luke 1:17). The key verse could be attributed to Malachi 4:2, “But for you who fear My Name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”

(Ideas extracted from “New American Standard Bible: Life Application Study Bible.” Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 1995, pgs. 1570-1571)

(Ideas also extracted from “Talk Thru the Bible.” Bruce Wilkinson and Kenneth Boa. Thomas Nelson, Inc.: Nashville, TN, 1982, pgs. 294-296)

-Chapter 1: Malachi, writing in the post exilic period around 430 years before the coming of the Messiah, relates his burden (or oracle) concerning the chosen people of God’s profaning neglect of the temple worship towards the LORD. He begins with the Word of the LORD assuring His people that He loves them (Malachi 1:2) comparatively to Esau’s desolation and wasted inheritance (Malachi 1:2b-4). This contrast is given so that “The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel (Malachi 1:5).”

-*Application* God’s intention is for the whole world to know Him and His mercy, greatness, and salvation. This has been displayed through His workings with Israel, who would bring forth the promise of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. This gospel of the LORD’s goodness was to be extended far beyond the reaches of His chosen people and the border of Israel. This prophet understands this and so should we. Engage in the missionary effort!

-The sins of the priests and false forms of worship are quickly addressed by the prophet Malachi at this point. Defilement was seen in three basic-fundamental areas: 1) Expedience- doing things as cheaply as possible with no real effort or devotion, 2) Neglect- not caring how they carried out God’s Divine commands, and 3) Outright Disobedience- sacrificing their own way rather than the way God had ordained. Their flippant attitudes demonstrated their real heart towards the LORD, and He was not pleased (Malachi 1:6-10, 12-14).

-*Application* What image of God do those around you see in us? Does our character reflect our heart’s intentions in our devotion to God? We have a priest-like duty as a go between to those who do not know the LORD. Be an example of a true Christ follower in thoughts, words, and actions.

-God is great (gadowl- high, greater, loud, mighty, eldest), and His Name to be feared (yare'- fear, afraid, terrible, dreadful, reverence, astonishment, and awe) among all the nations in purity (Malachi 1:11, 14). He wants nothing to profane His Holy Name and detests it when those called by His Name defile what He ordains.

-*Application* Offer the LORD your absolute best, whatever that may be. Our righteousness is based on Christ and that is non-negotiable. Let Him control your life as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto Him (Romans 12:1-2).

Verse to Memorize: Malachi 1:11