A Teaching Outline for the Book of Malachi

Although the Jews had returned from Babylonian exile and been back in the land for nearly one hundred years, one thing was certain in the minds of these repatriated people: reality did not meet expectations. Thanks to Zerubbabel’s commitment, the bronze altar had been rebuilt in 535 BC (cf. Ezra 3:2). With Haggai and Zechariah’s encouragement, the temple had been rebuilt in 515 BC (cf. Ezra 5:1-2). And under Nehemiah’s leadership, the walls around Jerusalem had been rebuilt in 443 BC (cf. Neh. 6:15-16). But those leaders were gone. Zerubbabel, Haggai, and Zechariah were from a former generation, and Nehemiah had recently returned to the Persian capital of Susa (cf. Neh. 13:6). In their absence, the nation collapsed back into spiritual lethargy and pessimism. After all, the temple was lackluster (cf. Hag. 2:3), the nation was still under Persian control (cf. Neh. 1:7), and the land was not fruitful (cf. Mal. 3:11). The hopes and dreams of a gloriously restored kingdom were crushed by the sad state of affairs—resulting in widespread corruption, religious hypocrisy, and sinful indifference.

But God would not leave His people in that condition. In order to rebuke the sins of the skeptical, encourage the hearts of the hopeless, and correct the errors in their eschatology, God sent yet another prophet: Malachi (meaning “my messenger”), who would serve as God’s final spokesman to the nation before what would become four hundred years of silence.

Over the course of seven messages, in a style unique to Malachi, the prophet gave divine counterclaims to several spurious arguments from the nation. Each of Malachi’s messages began with a dispute: an assertion from God and the response from the nation. Next, each message gave a description: the facts that substantiated God’s claims against them. Finally, each message concluded with a determination: the outcome of the message, as decided by God. Like the prosecution in a courtroom, this accusation-evidence-verdict pattern set the record straight for this post-exilic community.

In his first message, Malachi rebuked the people’s outrageous claim that God no longer loved them. Not only was their continued existence and resettlement in the land a testimony to God’s immutable love for them, but the fact that their brother nation of Edom was in shambles confirmed it. The Babylonians had previously wreaked havoc on the Edomites, and the Nabatean Arabs finished the job between 550 and 400 BC (cf. Mal. 1:4). Yet, Israel endured. In fact, this reality was such an undeniable proof of God’s intentional, sovereign love that the apostle Paul would later utilize this very text in order to explain that God’s redemptive love for individuals is precisely the same: the Lord has unconditionally elected whom He would save, just as He unconditionally elected Israel to be His covenant nation (cf. Deut. 7:7-8, Rom. 9:13).

Next, Malachi rebuked the priests for accepting, and even encouraging, sub-standard animal sacrifices at the temple (cf. Mal. 1:7-8). Offering blind and lame animals not only expressed a blasphemous view that God was unworthy of their best (cf. Mal. 1:8-9), but offering a spotted lamb failed to symbolize their need for a sinless Savior (cf. John 1:29). For this high-handed offense, Malachi gave a graphic warning: just as the priests would normally remove the excrement from an animal sacrifice and discard it outside the city, so too would God figuratively spread excrement across the faces of these disobedient spiritual leaders and then toss them out, away from His loving presence (cf. Mal. 2:3, 2 Thess. 1:9). And it makes sense why: anyone in a position of leadership will be judged more harshly, and these priests should have been a source of truth for the people, not a partner in their sin (cf. Mal. 2:7-8, Jas. 3:1).

The third message was against those who had taken pagan wives for themselves, just as the generation before them had at the time of Ezra’s return (cf. Mal. 2:10, Ezra 9:1-4). The problem, of course, was not that these women were foreigners, but that they were daughters “of a foreign god.” Like Ruth the Moabitess, it was perfectly acceptable for non-Israelites to abandon their false religion in order join Israel and trust in the one true God, but it was entirely unacceptable for the Jewish people to marry unrepentant pagans—just as it is unacceptable for Christians today (cf. 1 Cor. 7:39). And what was the verdict? Malachi explained that Yahweh would “cut off” those who did this—which was a proverbial expression referring to the destruction of their name and descendants. In other words, if these Jews married pagans and built a family tree, God would chop it down.

Sadly, the matter of sinful relationships didn’t begin with marriage to pagans. Some of them had first divorced their own Jewish wives in order to do so! This was the charge brought against the people in Malachi’s fourth message (cf. Mal. 2:14). As if that weren’t bad enough, they actually had the audacity to complain because God no longer had His hand of favor upon their lives (cf. Mal. 2:13). Of course, no one with any true spiritual life, or godly sense, would live in such a wicked, foolish, and illogical way. Thus, Malachi’s warning to them was simple: “Take heed to your spirit,” which was a way of telling them to guard their hearts and minds, followed by implementing appropriate steps of repentance (Mal. 2:16b). Since Satan is particularly adept at tempting people with sexual sin, such basic counsel is ever-needed still today: “Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18).

The fifth message represented a rebuke for the nation’s distrust in God’s justice (cf. Mal. 2:17). Noticing that evil men weren’t judged by God immediately, the people wrongly concluded that God’s patience meant His approval. In correction, Malachi explained that there would come a day—the Day of the Lord—in which God would settle all accounts. A messenger would come and prepare the people for this day, and then the Lord Himself, as the messenger of the New Covenant, would arrive on the scene. But with that comfort there also needed to be a warning: the people wanted justice in the land yet failed to realize that such justice would also be coming for them (cf. Amos 5:18)! Not only would obvious sinners like sorcerers and adulterers suffer in the coming “refiner’s fire,” but so would those committing more subtle sins like oppressing the vulnerable or telling lies. In fact, the only reason the nation hadn’t been entirely destroyed was because of God’s immutability—since He does not change, neither does His commitment to the Abrahamic Covenant (cf. Mal. 3:6). Indeed, there will come a day when the nation of Israel is spiritually purified and brought into the Kingdom (cf. Mal. 3:3-4).

Malachi then rebuked the nation for, quite simply, failing to repent. And again, they argued, wondering what they needed to repent of (cf. Mal. 3:7). Though there were a multitude of sins Malachi could have addressed, he zeroed in on the issue of tithing since it represented the nation’s commitment to worshiping God in the temple. Just as citizens must pay taxes to their government, so too was the tithe (all three kinds of tithes, more specifically) a required payment for the support of the priesthood, financing of national feast days, and care for the poor. But the nation chose instead to “rob” God by failing to give Him what was due (cf. Mal. 3:8). Since they withheld the required support for worship, God—in talionic fashion—withheld abundant harvests from their crops (cf. Mal. 3:10). As with the other messages, a note of hope was offered in conclusion, stating that if they would repent, God would relent (cf. Mal. 3:11-12). Though tithing—which is a sacerdotal act (performed in relation to a priesthood)—has no part in the Christian life today (cf. 2 Cor. 9:7), the underlying principle that worshiping God must be a priority is certainly true for us as well.

In the seventh and final message, Malachi addressed the issue of general indifference toward God’s Law. As the wicked continued to prosper, the people wondered, “What profit is it that we have kept His charge?” (Mal. 3:14). Forgetting (yet again) that God’s judgment is not always immediate, they concluded that if someone who didn’t serve God still prospered materially, there must be no point in serving God at all (cf. Mal. 3:15). Thankfully, a remnant of Jews who did not hold to this belief gathered together to encourage one another and make a written record of their commitment to the Lord (cf. Mal. 3:16-18). The prophet not only encouraged them by explaining that the Lord saw their heartfelt commitment, but by enlightening them with further eschatology to consider as they walked in obedience to God’s Law for the remainder of their lives (cf. Mal. 4:4). When the Day of the Lord comes, the unrepentant will be destroyed, but those who fear God will enjoy the “sun of righteousness,” meaning they will be completely restored to perfect wholeness of vibrant life (cf. Mal. 4:2-3). According to Malachi, the identity of the messenger for this great event will be none other than Elijah the Tishbite, the first prophet sent to the apostate northern kingdom of Israel who had been caught up in the clouds centuries prior (2 Kings 2:11).

Though John the Baptist would come four hundred years after Malachi’s prophecy in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (meaning John’s ministry was also meant to announce the coming of the Lord), John explicitly stated that he was not Elijah (cf. John 1:21). Likewise, Jesus explained that John the Baptist could only be considered Elijah if the nation were willing to accept that it—which they weren’t at that time (cf. Matt. 11:14). And so it is that the actual prophet Elijah will return one day (cf. Matt. 16:28-7:12). When he comes, he will bring about the repentance of the nation of Israel, exactly as Malachi promised (cf. Mal. 4:4-5, Rev. 11:1-12, Rom. 11:25-27).

For those of us in the Church Age, living between the two comings of Christ, Malachi’s prophecy is still just as needed. It teaches us about the God of the past, who is the same God we worship today. It addresses the sins of Israel, which are the same kinds of sins people commit today. And it explains details about God’s redemptive plan, which is a plan that is still unfolding today. To prepare your disciples for the sun of righteousness, use this book to point them to the Son of God: the one who is the same great Savior yesterday and today and forever (cf. Heb. 13:8). The following outline is offered to help.

Doubt of God’s Love (Malachi 1:1-5)

The Dispute: How Have You Loved Us? (Mal. 1:1-2a)

The Description: Edom Is Being Left Desolate (Mal. 1:2b-3)

The Determination: Israel Will See God’s Distinguishing Love (Mal. 1:4-5)

Defilement of God’s Altar (Malachi 1:6-2:9)

The Dispute: How Have We Despised Your Name? (Mal. 1:6-7)

The Description: Offering Worthless Animals (Mal. 1:8-14)

The Determination: Worthless Priests Will Be Cast Out (Mal. 2:1-9)

Devotion to God’s Enemies (Malachi 2:10-12)

The Dispute: Why Do We Deal Treacherously? (Mal. 2:10)

The Description: Marrying Idolaters (Mal. 2:11)

The Determination: Those Doing This Will Be Cut Off (Mal. 2:12)

Divorce among God’s People (Malachi 2:13-16)

The Dispute: Why Do You Not Accept Our Offering? (Mal. 2:13-14a)

The Description: Breaking Marriage Covenants (Mal. 2:14b-15)

The Determination: Wrongdoers Will Be Judged (Mal. 2:16)

Distrust of God’s Justice (Malachi 2:17-3:6)

The Dispute: How Have We Wearied You? (Mal. 2:17a)

The Description: Misunderstanding the Existence of Evil (Mal. 2:17b)

The Determination: The Day of the Lord Will Bring Judgment (Mal. 3:1-6)

Disregard for God’s House (Malachi 3:7-12)

The Dispute: How Have We Robbed You? (Mal. 3:7-8a)

The Description: Withholding Tithes and Offerings (Mal. 3:8b-9)

The Determination: Faithfulness Will Yield Fruitfulness (Mal. 3:10-12)

Disinterest in God’s Law (Malachi 3:13-4:6)

The Dispute: What Have We Spoken Against You? (Mal. 3:13)

The Description: Abandoning Service to God (Mal. 3:14-15)

The Determination: The Day of the Lord Will Restore God’s Servants (Mal. 3:16-4:6)