Malachi
Nothing is known of the author of this book. The name Malachi is taken from the third chapter and means ‘my messenger’. The book describes the different areas where the Jewish people are not fulfilling their responsibilities to God.
1. The author says that God loves His people, and shows them that he loves them by hating their enemies. God says he should be respected as a son respects a father, and a servant respects a master. God says that the people haven’t shown due respect because the animals brought to the temple as sacrifices are often crippled or diseased. God demands pure offerings. At this time in Jewish history the temple at Jerusalem had been rebuilt, but the glories described by the earlier prophets had failed to materialize. Instead, their poverty continued and their enemies continued to harass them. In this context, their pompous God, who doesn’t eat anyway, demands the finest foods be brought to the temple, further burdening an impoverished people.
2. God curses the priests who ‘do not listen’ and ‘do not honour’ Him. He says to the priests that he will ‘spread offal on your faces’ and ‘cut off your descendants’. The author condemns Judah for the sin of marrying ‘foreign wives’. It is very important to keep the race pure and prevent any forms of communication or intimacy with those you hate.
3. The author says that God will be quick to judge sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, and if the people bring their tithes to the temple storehouse He will prevent pests from devouring their crops. Locust protection money. He will also ‘spare’ the people that fear him and honour his name.
4. The author says that the day is coming when God will set all evil people on fire, and the righteous will trample them like ‘ashes under the soles of (their) feet.’ The author says that God will send ‘the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day.
In the opening five verses, the author restates the basic tenet of Jewish worship: that God loves Israel and hates her enemies. That about sums it up. A God created by a particular group of people according to their fears and prejudices. And so ends the Old Testament.
Back to Zechariah. Forward to Old Testament Summary.