Malachi

1. Malachi

2. 586 BC – Fall of Jerusalem • 538 BC – Edict of Cyrus to return • 520 BC – Haggai and Zechariah Zerubbabel and Joshua • 516 BC – Dedication of the sanctuary • 480 BC – Esther • 458 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem • 445 BC – Nehemiah …..Malachi

3. “The LORD says to his people, ‘I have always loved you.’ But they reply, ‘How have you shown your love for us?’” (Malachi 1:2) • “The LORD Almighty says to the priests, ‘Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father---why don’t you honor me? I am your master---why don’t you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, ‘How have we despised you?’” (Malachi 1:6)

4. “You have said terrible things about me,’ says the LORD. But you ask, ‘What have we said about you?’” (Malachi 3:13)

5. “The LORD says to his people, ‘I have always loved you.’ But they reply, ‘How have you shown your love for us?’ The LORD answers, ‘Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants, and have hated Esau and his descendants.’” (Malachi 1:2-3 – GN)

6. “I have argued that this passage gives strong exegetical support to a traditional Calvanistic interpretation of God’s election: God chooses those who will be saved on the bases of his own will and not on the basis of anything-works or faith, whether foreseen or not – in those human beings so chosen.” (“The Epistle to the Romans”, Eerdmans, 1996, page 587)

7. Oriental Hyperbole • “Hyperbole is rhetorical exaggeration that is not intended to be taken literally and that produces emphasis in serious literature…verbal extravagance and emphasis on the extremes.”

8. Oriental Hyperbole • “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26 – NKJV) • “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters--yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26 – The Message)

9. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. • For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!” (Matthew 10:28-31 – GN)

10. Does God love some more? • “Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there…” (John 19:26) • “The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter…”(John 21:7)

11. “The LORD says, ‘The people I love are doing evil things.’” (Jeremiah 11:15 – GN) • “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!” (Matthew 23:37 – GN)

12. “You have brought this on yourself by abandoning the LORD your God when he led you on his way…Your own wickedness will correct you, and your unfaithful ways will punish you. You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for you if you abandon the LORD your God...” (Jeremiah 2:17-19 – GN)

13. “Judah, you have brought this on yourself by the way you have lived and by the things you have done. Your sin has caused this suffering; it has stabbed you through the heart.” (Jeremiah 4:18 – GN)

14. “The LORD spoke to me and said, ‘What is this proverb people keep repeating in the land of Israel? The parents ate the sour grapes, But the children got the sour taste. ‘As surely as I am the living God,’ says the Sovereign LORD, ‘you will not repeat this proverb in Israel any more. The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die. Suppose there is a truly good man, righteous and honest.

15. “He doesn’t worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn’t seduce another man’s wife…He doesn’t cheat or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security; he feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked. He doesn’t lend money for profit. He refuses to do evil and gives an honest decision in any dispute. Such a man obeys my commands and carefully keeps my laws. He is righteous, and he will live,’ says the Sovereign LORD. ‘Then suppose this man has a son who robs and kills, who does any of these things that the father never did. He eats sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines and seduces other men’s wives.

16. “He cheats the poor, he robs, he keeps what a borrower gives him as security. He goes to pagan shrines, worships disgusting idols, and lends money for profit. Will he live? No, he will not. He has done all these disgusting things, and so he will die. He will be to blame for his own death. Now suppose this second man has a son. He sees all the sins his father practiced, but does not follow his example. He doesn’t worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn’t seduce another man’s wife or oppress anyone or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security. He feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked. He refuses to do evil and doesn’t lend money for profit. He keeps my laws and obeys my commands. He will not die because of his father’s sins, but he will certainly live.

17. “His father, on the other hand, cheated and robbed and always did evil to everyone. And so he died because of the sins he himself had committed. But you ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son suffer because of his father’s sins?’ The answer is that the son did what was right and good. He kept my laws and followed them carefully, and so he will certainly live. It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father’s sins, nor a father because of the sins of his son. Good people will be rewarded for doing good, and evil people will suffer for the evil they do. If someone evil stops sinning and keeps my laws, if he does what is right and good, he will not die; he will certainly live. All his sins will be forgiven, and he will live, because he did what is right.

18. “Do you think I enjoy seeing evil people die?’ asks the Sovereign LORD. ‘No, I would rather see them repent and live. ‘But if a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing all the evil, disgusting things that evil people do, will he go on living? No! None of the good he did will be remembered. He will die because of his unfaithfulness and his sins. But you say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t right.’ Listen to me, you Israelites. Do you think my way of doing things isn't right? It is your way that isn’t right. When a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing evil and then dies, he dies because of the evil he has done.

19. “When someone evil stops sinning and does what is right and good, he saves his life. He realizes what he is doing and stops sinning, so he will certainly not die, but go on living. And you Israelites say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t right.’ You think my way isn’t right, do you? It is your way that isn’t right. Now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what you have done. Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don’t let your sin destroy you. Give up all the evil you have been doing, and get yourselves new minds and hearts. Why do you Israelites want to die? I do not want anyone to die,’ says the Sovereign LORD. ‘Turn away from your sins and live.’” (Ezekiel 18:1-32)

20. “Very well, then, I will give you freedom: the freedom to die by war, disease, and starvation.” (Jeremiah 34:17 – GN)

21. “The LORD Almighty says to the priests, ‘Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father---why don’t you honor me? I am your master---why don’t you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, ‘How have we despised you?’” (Malachi 1:6)

22. “It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the LORD Almighty. But now you priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have broken the covenant I made with you.” (Malachi 2:7-8 – GN) • “The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the LORD loves.” (Malachi 2:11 – GN)

23. “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal or like a strong soap that whitens clothes. He will sit and judge like a refiner of silver, watching closely as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in former times.” (Malachi 3:1-3 – NLT)

24. “I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners.” (Nehemiah 13:25) • “Now we must make a solemn promise to our God that we will send these women and their children away…This is the list of the men who had foreign wives…They divorced them and sent them and their children away.” (Ezra 10:3,18,44)

25. The law • Bible reading • Church attendance • No foreign wives • No idolatry • Tithe paying • Evangelism • Health reform • The Sabbath

26. “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my message. You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father's desires’…They asked Jesus, ‘Were we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon in you?’…’I am telling you the truth,’ Jesus replied. ‘Before Abraham was born, 'I Am'. Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.” (John 8:43,44,48,58,59 – GN)

27. “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal or like a strong soap that whitens clothes. He will sit and judge like a refiner of silver, watching closely as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in former times.”

28. “Then the LORD reached out, touched my lips, and said to me, ‘Listen, I am giving you the words you must speak. Today I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’” (Jeremiah 1:9-10) • “Jeremiah, because these people have said such things, I will make my words like a fire in your mouth. The people will be like wood, and the fire will burn them up.” (Jeremiah 5:14) • “My message is like a fire and like a hammer that breaks rocks in pieces.” (Jeremiah 23:29)

29. “I came to this world to judge, so that the blind should see and those who see should become blind.” (John 9:39 – GN) • “This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil.” (John 3:19)

30. “Those who reject me and do not accept my message have one who will judge them. The words I have spoken will be their judge on the last day!” (John 12:48)

31. “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal or like a strong soap that whitens clothes. He will sit and judge like a refiner of silver, watching closely as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in former times.”

32. “…Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the ruler of the kings of the world. He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father.” (Revelation 1:5,6 – GN)

33. “It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the LORD Almighty. But now you priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have broken the covenant I made with you.” (Malachi 2:7-8 – GN) • “The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the LORD loves.” (Malachi 2:11 – GN)

34. “Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable. Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. For the scripture says, ‘I chose a valuable stone, which I am placing as the cornerstone in Zion; and whoever believes in him will never be disappointed.’ This stone is of great value for you that believe; but for those who do not believe:

35. ‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.’ And another scripture says, ‘This is the stone that will make people stumble, the rock that will make them fall.’ They stumbled because they did not believe in the word; such was God’s will for them. But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:4-9 – GN) • “…you can show others the goodness of God.” (NLT)

36. The spiritual temple • “Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. (1 Peter 3) • “I will make those who are victorious pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never leave it” (Revelation 3:12). • “You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself. He is the one who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord. In union with him you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God lives through his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22).

37. “Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you! God will destroy anyone who destroys God's temple. For God's temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple” (1 Corinthians 3:17 - GN). • “Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 - GN) • “For we are the temple of the living God! As God himself has said, ‘I will make my home with my people and live among them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16 - GN). • “We are his house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for” (Hebrews 3:6 - GN).

38. “On that day the ritual is to be performed to purify them from all their sins, so that they will be ritually clean.” (Leviticus 16:30 – GN) • “…and perform the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place, the rest of the Tent of the LORD's presence, the altar, the priests, and all the people of the community. These regulations are to be observed for all time to come. This ritual must be performed once a year to purify the people of Israel from all their sins.” (Leviticus 16:33-34)

39. “Seeing that that first tabernacle was a parable (a visible symbol or type or picture of the present age). In it gifts and sacrifices are offered, and yet are incapable of perfecting the conscience or of cleansing and renewing the inner man of the worshiper. (Hebrews 9:9 – Amplified) • “But, how much more will the blood of Christ make our consciences clean from dead human efforts, so that we can worship the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14 – The Great Book)

40. “You have said terrible things about me,’ says the LORD. But you ask, ‘What have we said about you?’” (Malachi 3:13 – GN) • “All those who truly respected the LORD and honored his name started discussing these things, and when God saw what was happening, he had their names written as a reminder in his book. Then the LORD All-Powerful said: You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child.” (Malachi 3:16,17 – CEV) • “Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not.” (Malachi 3:18 – GN)