Malachi: Final Book of the Old Testament

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Malachi, the final prophet of the Old Testament, delivers a gentle but firm wake-up call to God's people who had fallen into spiritually empty routines. Though the temple was rebuilt and sacrifices resumed after exile, their hearts had drifted from authentic worship without them even realizing it.

• The prophet Malachi speaks to Israelites around 430 BC who had returned from exile
• His message unfolds through six courtroom-style disputes between God and His people
• God's central invitation: "Return to me and I will return to you" (Malachi 3:7)
• The people had drifted into half-hearted worship, neglected tithes, and broken marriages
• Malachi confronts religious leaders for bringing defiled sacrifices to God's altar
• God challenges His people's complaints about His justice and seeming absence
• The prophet exposes how the people robbed God through withheld tithes and offerings
• Malachi ends with two reminders: keep God's law and look for Elijah's return
• The prophecy of a coming messenger points directly to John the Baptist and Jesus
• After Malachi, 400 years of prophetic silence followed until John the Baptist appeared

Next week, we'll explore the 400-year period between the Old and New Testaments, examining how God was preparing the world for the coming Messiah even in His silence.

RESOURCES:

• Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Bomar, D., Sinclair Wolcott, C., Brown, D. R., & Klippenstein, R. (Eds.). (2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Electronic ed.). Lexham Press. (Original work published 2012)
• Evans, T. (2019). The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Holman Bible Publishers.
• Galan, B., & Curiel, J. (2012). Bible Overview. Barbour Publishing.
• Longman, T. (2006). An Introduction to the Old Testament. Zondervan.
• MacArthur, J. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (Electronic ed., Word Publishing.
• Nelson, T. (Ed.). (2011). The NIV Open Bible: Complete Reference System. Thomas Nelson.

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Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.