Malachi the Prophet Predicted the Messiah
by Owen Borville
February 1, 2019
Bible
The Book of Malachi, written in the 5th century B.C. by the prophet Malachi, contains a messianic verse predicting the coming of Jesus five centuries later. Malachi writes of the displeasure that God has with the Israelites in regard to their worship and ritual practices. After God had allowed the Israelites to return from exile to their ancestral homeland, the Israelites had not shown the proper appreciation in their practices despite God's mercy and forgiveness.
In particular, the Israelites are called out for offering "defiled food" on the Altar of the Lord (Malachi 1:7). God simply was not pleased by the sacrifices offered by the Israelites (Malachi 1:10). The priests were warned that if they do not honor the Lord's name that they would be cursed (Malachi 2:2).
God also condemned the priests for allowing the Israelites to marry unbelieving women (who worship a foreign god) and for being unfaithful to their wives (Malachi 2:13-14).
“The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”[e] says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful." Malachi 2:16.
God also rebuked the Israelites for saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them" (Malachi 2:17). The Israelites were also called out for failing to pay tithes (Malachi 3:8) and "speaking arrogantly against God" (Malachi 3:13).
Malachi explains how the faithful remnant will be spared, however:
I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him...And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. Malachi 3:17-18.
Despite all of the unfaithfulness among the Israelites, a Messiah is promised who will judge the unfaithful and reward the righteous.
The name Malachi means "my messenger" but the referred messenger is a future one in Malachi 3:1:
I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1.
The messenger in this verse is believed to be John the Baptist, who will "prepare the way" for the Lord Jesus Christ to come to the temple.
Fire is promised for the evildoers but the righteous will be blessed, as described in Malachi 4:1-3:
Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 4:1-3.
by Owen Borville
February 1, 2019
Bible
The Book of Malachi, written in the 5th century B.C. by the prophet Malachi, contains a messianic verse predicting the coming of Jesus five centuries later. Malachi writes of the displeasure that God has with the Israelites in regard to their worship and ritual practices. After God had allowed the Israelites to return from exile to their ancestral homeland, the Israelites had not shown the proper appreciation in their practices despite God's mercy and forgiveness.
In particular, the Israelites are called out for offering "defiled food" on the Altar of the Lord (Malachi 1:7). God simply was not pleased by the sacrifices offered by the Israelites (Malachi 1:10). The priests were warned that if they do not honor the Lord's name that they would be cursed (Malachi 2:2).
God also condemned the priests for allowing the Israelites to marry unbelieving women (who worship a foreign god) and for being unfaithful to their wives (Malachi 2:13-14).
“The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”[e] says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful." Malachi 2:16.
God also rebuked the Israelites for saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them" (Malachi 2:17). The Israelites were also called out for failing to pay tithes (Malachi 3:8) and "speaking arrogantly against God" (Malachi 3:13).
Malachi explains how the faithful remnant will be spared, however:
I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him...And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. Malachi 3:17-18.
Despite all of the unfaithfulness among the Israelites, a Messiah is promised who will judge the unfaithful and reward the righteous.
The name Malachi means "my messenger" but the referred messenger is a future one in Malachi 3:1:
I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1.
The messenger in this verse is believed to be John the Baptist, who will "prepare the way" for the Lord Jesus Christ to come to the temple.
Fire is promised for the evildoers but the righteous will be blessed, as described in Malachi 4:1-3:
Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 4:1-3.
