Malachi – History and Background
Malachi was a prophet in a time period just after Haggai and
Zechariah. Haggai and Zechariah wrote in
order to urge the people to complete the temple; and the people responded. However, their work was purely physical. When the temple was completed and the
Messianic age didn’t begin, the people lost faith. Their worship became shallow once more. Malachi comes alongside the people to remind
them to repent and live truly spiritual lives.
It is possible that Malachi comes alongside the people around the time
of Nehemiah when the wall of Jerusalem is being restored.
Burden
Since the writing of the New Testament we have grown to understand
the true message of the prophetic writings – especially as they pertain to
Christ as the Messiah. Thus, we have
come to translate the opening of many of the prophetic books as “an oracle.”
However, in true Hebrew context the word means “burden.” So this book – and many of the prophetic
books, actually – says, “The burden of the word of the Lord.”
What is this burden? It is
simple. Covenant promises require
covenant faithfulness. The burden of
Malachi was that even after the return from exile someone needed to stand up
and tell the people that they were doing it wrong! Even after the exile things headed down a bad
path. The burden of the word of the Lord
is that we always focus on the wrong things and need to be reminded to repent. The burden of the Lord is that the call to
faithfulness is a difficult call that many people don’t want to hear.
Life was tough for the Hebrew people returning from exile. The people were subject to the Persian
governors. The people were subject to
the threats of the native interlopers who have come since the exile
occurred. It was a dangerous time, and
the people grew angry with God that they had to live in such
circumstances. So they rebelled once
more. Malachi had to come and remind
them that their rebellion would be pointless.
Pollution Among the Priests
God now sets Malachi loose among the priests. God gives two analogies regarding His
relationship to the people. God is
either Father or Master. If God is
Father, then there needs to be relationship, identify, and submission through
honor. If God is Master (King), then
there needs to be power and authority through fear. When God looks at the people – especially the
priests – God sees neither honor nor fear.
The priests do not honor Him as a son would honor their father. Neither do they fear Him as one fears their
ruler.
The priests ask God what it is that they have done wrong. God’s reply is that they are giving to Him to
worst of the portion. They are offering
blind sacrifices as the leftovers from what they didn’t give in tribute to the
Persians and take for themselves. God’s
point isn’t that He doesn’t want the blind or the outcast. God loves the blind and the outcast and the
downtrodden and the oppressed. God’s
point is that He wants to be first in the pecking order. God wants the people to desire relationship
with Him more than anything else.
This isn’t a passage telling us that we must dress up when we go
to church or look our best when doing ministry.
This is a passage to get us to question our motivations. Are we putting God first in our life? Are we giving God what He desires that we should
want to give Him? Or are we pursuing our
own needs first and giving to God out of whatever should remain?
Here’s the scary part of this passage. If the priests couldn’t be counted on to be
in a faithful relationship with God, then who could be counted on? If the leaders of the culture fall away, then
what is the best that can be hoped among the people? This is God’s issue with the priests. As they lead, the people will follow. Again it seems as though we come back to the
issue of burden. To be a spiritual
leader is also to embrace the burden of leadership. As the leaders do, so shall most of the
people.
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