Malachi 1

Malachi is the last prophetic message from God for over 400 years, until the time of Jesus

Who is Malachi? ------Malachi was a prophet

A prophet is anointed by God to carry a message from God and deliver to the people, and vice-versa.

A) Malachi spoke to the exiles some 100 years after their initial return, after the days of Zechariah and Haggai. Malachi served God either at the time of Nehemiah or immediately afterwards.

i.We know this because in Malachi’s day the temple was already rebuilt (Malachi 1:13, 3:10).

ii. We know this because the Jews were under a civil ruler (the governor of Malachi 1:8), and Nehemiah was the last civil ruler over Jerusalem.

iii. We know this because the sins that Malachi condemned were the same sins Nehemiah spoke against.

B) The purpose: To confront their sin and encourage them to pursue holiness

C) Malachi rebukes their skepticism concerning God’s plan for their future and calls on them to correct their wrong attitudes

D) The main theme: I love you

(V2) God assures Israel of His love

Before the rebuke come the assurance of His love

A) God asks a rhetorical question, (How have you loved me?)

I believe God, being all knowing, knew the condition of their heart as they doubt the love of God

When we struggle in a difficult situation that we do not understand why, we may doubt love.

God aren’t you paying attention?

2. (V3) God chose Jacob and rejected Esau

(NKJV) Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated: The choice of Jacob over Esau is a strong and classic example of God’s election. God chose Jacob instead of Esau to carry the blessing promised to their grandfather Abraham. In some ways, Esau was a more likely candidate because though Jacob and Esau were twins, Esau was born first. Nevertheless, Jacob was chosen, and chosen before he and Esau were ever born (Genesis 25:23).

God did not hate Esau in the sense of cursing him or striking out against him. Indeed, Esau was a blessed man (Genesis 33:9, 36:1-43). Yet when God choseJacob, He left Esau unchosen in regard to receiving the blessing given to Abraham.

ii. We should remember the reason why election is brought up here: not to exclude, but to comfort and reassure. “A woman once said to Mr. Spurgeon, ‘I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.’ ‘That,’ Spurgeon replied, ‘is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob.’”

3. (V4-6) The nation descended from Jacob (Israel) was conquered by the Babylonian Empire, and so was the nation descended from Esau (Edom).

Yet God restored Israel from exile and at this point Edom had not been restored. God chose to show greater favor to Jacob and his descendants.