The Book of Malachi
Malachi |ˈmaləˌkī| a book of the Bible belonging to a period before Ezra and Nehemiah.
The book of Malachi is the very last book of the Old Testament. The author is unknown and the word Malachi is simply a transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “my messenger” because the four short chapters foretell the coming of Christ.
Whoever the author was, we do know they lived about a hundred years after the people of Israel returned from the Babylonian exile. The book of Malachi is directed toward the Israelites who had now been living in Jerusalem for quite some time. When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem after their exile, their hopes were high that they would serve the Lord faithfully. They wanted to rebuild the temple of the Lord and they were expecting the Messiah to come soon so they could live in peace.
But sadly, that’s not what happened at all. The Israelites who moved back into the city ended up being just as unfaithful to God as their ancestors were–resulting in years of poverty and injustice. The book of Malachi shows us just how corrupt this new generation of God’s people had become.
“You say it’s too hard to serve the Lord and you turn up your noses at my commands.” Malachi Ch. 1:13
In the four short chapters of Malachi, God exposes and confronts the people and their corruption. Their hearts were hard, even though they had just spent years and years in exile and had returned to their promised land. But God is still calling His people to faithfulness and obedience.
Malachi is most famously known for being the book of the Bible where God specifically addresses the Old Testament law of the “tithe," or bringing one-tenth of our income into the house of God.
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” Malachi 3:10
There are a lot of discussions about whether or not the principle of tithing applies to believers today. But I think the answer to this question really lies in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 6:21 when He says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
When we give the first tenth of everything we earn back to God simply because we want to honor Him with our treasure and obedience, His response to us is that He will pour out a blessing so great on us that we won’t even have room to contain it. The blessing that comes from offering the first portion of what God gives to us proves that our trust is in God alone and that our treasure is found only in Him.
Tithing can be hard if you’re not used to doing it. But it’s a great practice to start if you want to stretch your faith and lean into God’s provision for your life. And I can promise one thing: God is faithful to His Word. Just like God said, put Him to the test and you’ll see!
“But for you who fear my name, the sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet…Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant—all the decrees and regulations that I gave Him on Mount Sinai.” Malachi Ch. 4:2-4
The scriptures point us to God’s faithfulness in the past to direct us to trust Him in the future. The book of Malachi exposes our human condition—our bent toward selfishness and sin—but it also pronounces God’s promise to send a Messiah to confront evil, to restore people to Himself, and to bring love and healing to the whole world. And the very hope of the Gospel comes in the very next book of Matthew when Jesus comes to earth!
XO-
Sabrina