The
oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.
Insights: The book of Malachi is truly a message
for the modern world. There are a lot of
different thoughts concerning the time period in which Malachi is writing this
book. This blog, however, is title Scott’s
Thoughts, so I will share with you my perspective as to when it was
written. Malachi would have been a
contemporary to Nehemiah. Nehemiah comes
to Jerusalem after being burdened for the people and helps them rebuild the
wall. During this time period there is a
mini revival taking place. In fact, read
the words the people have spoken about their sin, “Now therefore, our God, the
great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You, Which has come upon
us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all
Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day. “However, You are just in all that has come
upon us; For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly (Nehemiah
9:32-33).” In other words, these people
truly recognize why the Lord led them into exile and acknowledge that He had
dealt faithfully to them because of their wicked heart. Nehemiah has to return to Babylon for a time
and in his absence the community of believers falls apart. It is so bad that Eliashib, the priest, has
intermarried with the Ammorites and has allowed his close relative Tobiah, the
one who tried to stop the rebuilding of the wall over and over again, to move
into the Temple of the Lord as a resident (Nehemiah 13:4-9). The people stopped giving their tithes to the
Lord. They stopped honoring the Sabbath
day. As implied with Eliashib and
Tobiah, they began to enter into marriage with other nations. The children of Israel went from revival to
rebellion in a very short span of time.
It is my belief Malachi is written during this intermediary time period
between Nehemiah’s return to Babylon and his subsequent return to
Jerusalem. Malachi is God’s messenger
(Malachi literally means, my messenger) and his job is calling the people back
through repentance. Beloved, we also, it
seems, to be a fickle people turning from obedience to rebellion in a heartbeat. We need to hear Malachi’s words to us and
choose repentance as well. Side Note:
the word “through” in this first verse means “by the hand of” and is pointing
back to Moses.
Questions:
- Are you as fickle in your faith as the children of
Israel?
- Are you as desperate as they were for a word from the
Lord?
Prayer: Lord, forgive
me for my wayward heart. So, often I
find myself running away from You instead of into Your arms. Merciful Father continue to do Your
redemptive work in my life and may I bring You glory as a result. Amen.
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