Malachi
Leon L. Combs, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D.
Introduction
There is debate as to whether the word “Malachi” is a name or a title for the word means “the
Lord’s messenger”. The name does not appear anywhere else in scripture even when quoted
(Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27; Rom 9:13). However the author does list the name in the first
verse and all the other Minor Prophets do likewise so that supports the word as a real name. It is
also difficult to date for he does not list any datable persons or events. The Talmud classes
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi as the three postexilic prophets. The Talmud contains the
teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis in the pre-Christian time period on a variety of
subjects and is the basis for all codes of Jewish law. From the content, it can be deduced that he
wrote sometime after Ezra. We see also from content that the exiles had returned, the temple had
been rebuilt, and Jerusalem had returned to a near-normal existence. The second temple was
finished in 515 B.C., Ezra came to Jerusalem in 458 B.C. and Nehemiah came in 445 B.C. It
seems then that the book was written sometime between those time periods or sometime during
the time of Nehemiah. The canonicity of the book has never been questioned and there was a
small fragment of Malachi 1:13-14 found at Qumran.
Chapter One
Mal 1:1-3
The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. (2) "I have loved you,"
says the LORD. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's
brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob; (3) but I have hated Esau, and I
have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the
wilderness."
The first verse tells us that the oracle is from the LORD, to Israel, and given through Malachi.
None of the other prophets used the words oracle and word as did Malachi. The name Israel was
originally for all twelve tribes before the division when ten tribes inhabited the northern part of
the land called Israel and two tribes (Benjamin and Judah) inhabited the southern part of the land
that was called Judah. But after the return of the people from Judah from the Babylonian exile,
the name Israel was used to refer to those returnees who were also joined by some people from
the northern area. God had certainly showed His love for them by choosing them from all the
nations of the world, by bringing them out of Egyptian captivity, and then recently by bringing
them out of Babylonian captivity.
They then have the audacity to ask how God has loved them. This shows a great ingratitude and
even foolishness perhaps. Some interpreters think that the Jews thought that God favored them
because of the love that Abraham had for Him and His love for them was then not free but based
upon a reward for Abraham’s love for God. God then makes it clear that He chose them without
any such basis. Jacob and Esau wee children of Isaac and Rebekah and equally descended from
Abraham so that if God’s love for them was based upon Abraham’s love of God then they each
had equal claim for a continuation of that love. According to their traditions, Esau was the first
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born and so had primary claim to Abraham’s inheritances. But God states that He loved Jacob
and hated Esau. Paul built upon this to emphasis that all is by God’s choice:
Rom 9:11-12 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or
bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works
but because of Him who calls, (12) it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE
YOUNGER."
God’s love of His people is then entirely free from all motives and conditions in them as such
choices occur before they had done either good or evil. God’s people then have no knowledge of
the love of God for them before conversion and afterwards they only know it when God is
pleased to reveal it to them.
Esau then had no special grace from God and was left in his sins as well as his posterity as the
remainder of verse three states. Esau’s territory, Edom, became a wasteland only inhabited by
jackals. The Nabataeans went through Edom in the fourth century B.C. and drove the people to
the southern part of Judah. The mountain referred to is Mount Seir where Esau lived and it and
the other mountains in the region is what Malachi referred to as “mountains”. The word
interpreted as “jackals” sometimes means some very large land dragons.
Why did God choose to love Jacob and hate Esau? Paul answers this question in Rom.
9:10-16
God is sovereign, and He makes choices to bring about His good purposes for His glory
in the world which He created. His choice of Jacob was made before he and his twin brother
Esau were born. Neither had done anything good nor bad. Neither deserved preference because
of birth order. While every person is born sinful and deserving judgment, God chooses to have
compassion and mercy on some--but not everyone. Verse 16 is very clear: God's love and
mercy do not depend on what man does or chooses, but on God's character alone. No one can
earn or deserve God's love--it is the sovereign gift of God. What we deserve and what we earn is
the wrath (anger plus judgment) of God:
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not
see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the
wrath of God through Him. (Rom. 5:9)
God hated Esau, so what else does He hate?
Hate Hebrew
#8130 sane
146x
Extreme hatred, rejection, turning against, bitter disdain
Greek
#3404
miseo
42X
Reject, to choose one thing over something else, aversion to, God’s sovereign
choice
Abomination
Hebrew
#8441 towebah 112x
Something disgusting, loathsome, detestable, especially idolatry, pagan practices and objects,
Something dangerous, sinister, repulsive; that which is detestable to God and contrary to His
nature
Prov. 6:16
haughty eyes, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil,
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Psa 11:5
Psa 5:5
95:10
97:10
Pro. 15:9
John 9:31
Rom 9:13
Luke 16:15
false witness who utters lies, one who spreads strife among brothers
the one who loves violence
all who do iniquity
Psa. 5:6
man of bloodshed and deceit
loathed unbelieving Israel
Psa.45:7
wickedness
We are to hate evil!
the way of wicked, an abomination Prov. 15:29 far from wicked/ hears the righteous
God does not hear sinners
Mal. 3:16
divorce
hated Esau (See Gen 26:34 – 28:9, 36:1, Malachi 1:1—4)
that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God
“I have traced thirty-three places in Scripture where God’s hatred is expressed. In twelve He is
said to hate sinners’ actions (including the practice of false religion) but in the other twenty-one
instances He is said to hate the sinner. One example covers all the others: we are told that ‘[God’s] soul
hates the wicked’ (Psa. 11:5). from Whatever Happened to Hell?, Dr. John Blanchard, Banstead,
England
Mal 1:4-5
Though Edom says, "We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the
ruins"; thus says the LORD of hosts, "They may build, but I will tear down; and men will
call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant
forever." (5) Your eyes will see this and you will say, "The LORD be magnified beyond
the border of Israel!"
Their pride was still manifest as clearly stated by Obadiah as one of the reasons for their
receiving the judgment of God. They thought that they could rebuild their area even though they
become beaten down. Not only will God see that they are torn down but people will call them a
wicked kingdom and nation as the reason for their demise. God further states that He will be
indignant toward them forever. They are now lost without any appearance of them although the
Jews are still a people distinct from others. Edom was probably the most long-lived enemy of the
Jews as it began with Amalek (Exod 17:8-16), through the Exodus (Num 14:44-45), in the time
of the Jueges (3:12-13), the time of Saul (1 Sam 15:1-3) and David (1 Sam 27:8). They would
see that Judah and Jerusalem were rebuilt but that they were destroyed so that they can say that
God is magnified in all lands.
Mal 1:6-9
“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My
honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O
priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?' (7) "You
are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In
that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised.' (8) "But when you present the
blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil?
Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive
you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts. (9) "But now will you not entreat God's favor, that
He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you
kindly?" says the LORD of hosts.
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God then begins to question them regarding His relationship to them and how they treat their
earthly people in similar roles. Surely sons honor their fathers and servants honor their masters
so where are the honors due Him? He then has two rhetorical questions regarding His position
with them. He is indeed the Father of His Son and the Father of all men via creation as well as
the Father by virtue of His choosing Israel and other people by adoption through special grace.
So where is the honor due Him as Father? The word interpreted as “master” is plural and so may
be understood as Jehovah, Son, and Spirit. He is certainly Master of Israel by virtue of the
special laws and commands He made for them and by His care for them. So, again, where is His
respect? Then God speaks specifically to the priests who have despised His name by not taking
care of the offerings and sacrifices as they should. They show their lack of understanding of their
role by asking how they have despised His name and He then details His response to that
question. The priests were guilty of offering food that was defiled by their not preparing it
properly as commanded:
Lev 24:5-8 "Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an
ephah shall be in each cake. (6) "You shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure
gold table before the LORD. (7) "You shall put pure frankincense on each row that it may
be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the LORD. (8) "Every
sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is an everlasting
covenant for the sons of Israel.
They also showed their despise of the name of the Lord by offering blind lamb for sacrifice or
lambs and goats that were lame and sick rather than according to the law:
Lev 22:21-23 'When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a
special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be
accepted; there shall be no defect in it. (22) 'Those that are blind or fractured or maimed
or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make
of them an offering by fire on the altar to the LORD. (23) 'In respect to an ox or a lamb
which has an overgrown or stunted member, you may present it for a freewill offering,
but for a vow it will not be accepted.
God then asks them some sarcastic questions regarding how they treat their human masters. They
had no king but had a governor who was probably one of the people appointed by the Persians
before the time of Nehemiah or when he was absent. Surely they would not serve him such
defiled food. Certainly he would not offer them any praise for such despicable offerings. Verse
nine is filled with irony as He refers to Himself in the third person. He asks how they can
possibly think that God would act favorably toward them when they act in such a vile and
uncourteous manner toward Him. God views their acts as insults and He will respond
accordingly.
Mal 1:10-11
"Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not
uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of hosts,
"nor will I accept an offering from you. (11) "For from the rising of the sun even to its
setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to
be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great
among the nations," says the LORD of hosts.
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The closing of the gates and the kindling of the offering fire were important tasks that were to be
done “religiously” and yet they were not being done. The fire was to be kept going all the time:
Lev 6:12-13 'The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the
priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it,
and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. (13) 'Fire shall be kept
burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.
Because of their lack of diligence in these duties, God was not pleased with them and so He
would not accept any offering from them. Since the Temple was not being used as commanded
by God, they may as well shut the gates and stop pretending to serve the LORD. The same could
be said for modern churches that have services that are not pleasing to God but mislead the
attendees into thinking that they are worshiping God properly. God then proclaims that all over
the world His name will be proclaimed properly as incense and grain offerings will be properly
offered. He states that His name will be great among the nations, implying the Gentiles. This is
being done in Christian services today even though we do not bring animals or grain into a
temple for offerings. Incense corresponds to prayer, a sacrifice of praise is the fruit of modern
worship, and our bodies are living sacrifices as the Father is worshiped in spirit and truth:
 Rev 5:8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints.
 Heb 13:15-16 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. (16) And do not neglect doing good
and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
 Rom 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a
living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
 John 4:23-24 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. (24)
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Mal 1:12-14
"But you are profaning it, in that you say, 'The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its
fruit, its food is to be despised.' (13) "You also say, 'My, how tiresome it is!' And you
disdainfully sniff at it," says the LORD of hosts, "and you bring what was taken by
robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from
your hand?" says the LORD. (14) "But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock
and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King," says
the LORD of hosts, "and My name is feared among the nations."
It was the duty of the priests to properly prepare the offerings and the table but instead they had
not done their duties properly. How strange that they now say that the table is defiled and the
food despised! It seems that they are attempting to pass the blame to someone else and then
observe how it is all done wrongly. God then states that they are bored with their work. To sniff
at it means that they only pay lip service to their duties rather than doing it with due diligence.
Again He states that they bring stolen, lame, and sick offerings to Him so that God will not
accept such. God will curse those who say they are bringing an acceptable sacrifice to Him but
instead are bringing something that is cursed. He will choose others from among the Gentiles
who will properly worship the LORD of all.
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