MALACHI: TEACHER'S NOTES

II. Condemnation of divorce and mixed marriages. [2:10-16]

By divorcing their Jewish wives and marrying foreign women, the men of Malachi's time were sinning not only against God their Father, but also against their brethren in the common faith. The reason that sin against the brethren occurred was because these women were idolaters. Intermarriage had been specifically forbidden by Moses (Ex. 34:16). Solomon opened the door to idolatry and the original fall of the united kingdom by violating this law (1 Kings 11:1-2; Neh. 13:23-27). The sin is two-pronged: the divorce of the faithful Hebrew wife and, the marriage to the heathen woman. The tears of the mistreated wives would stand as a barrier between the men and their appropriate worship of Jehovah. The people do not understand the problem (see chart 28(i) point #4). The prophet joins in the condemnation of this sin by explaining the far-reaching consequences, namely: the loss of a godly and holy posterity. That is, having oneself and one's family cut off from the covenant family of God. A lesson for us all: age does not change the relationship of youth's love and pledge. God's eternal plan for us has always been: one man, one woman, forever (Rom. 7:1-3). God hates divorce, period!

III. Day of the Lord Condemnation of religious indifference and skepticism. [2:17-4:6]

A. Jehovah's approach in judgment. (2:17-3:6)

1. Their question, "Where is the God of justice?" (2:17) This verse is the introduction to the remainder of the book. Jehovah is tired of their faithless, skeptical attitude. He makes two charges against them: (1)- they have called His righteous and holy judgments into question and, (2)- they have attempted to align Jehovah with evil.

2. Jehovah's appearance as a refining fire. (3:1,2) Jehovah promises that He is coming to render true judgment, but before that time His messenger will come. By studying Isaiah, Malachi and the four Gospels we can easily conclude that the prophet is speaking of John the Baptist (Is. 40:3; Mal. 4:5, Mt. 3:3; Mk. 1:3; Lu. 3:4; Jn. 1:23). Furthermore, Jesus testifies that John the Baptist was the "Elijah that was to come" (Mt. 11:10,14; 17:12ff.). When the Lord would come, it would be unannounced. The Messiah would come to act as a bond between Jehovah and His true followers (Isa. 42:6; 49:8). Jesus fits this prophecy perfectly as the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15; 13:20). But His coming will surprise the Jews, because He is coming to judge everyone, not just the heathen. His judgment will act as a process of purification and cleansing.

3. Purification of priests and people. (3:3-5) The purification would begin with the priesthood, it would be a new spiritual priesthood under the New Covenant (1 Pet. 2:5,9), whose sacrifices are those of praise and thanksgiving. Only under the conditions expressed here will the new nation be acceptable and pleasant to Jehovah. Now we are at the crux of the answer to the question posed in (2:17). Judgment is coming against the people as well as the priests. Such sins as sorcery and adultery were worthy of death under the Law (Lev. 20:10,27). False swearing; withholding wages and; oppressing widows, orphans and travelers; were all condemned by the Law (Ex. 22:21-24). Why would the people do such things? They did not fear God.

4. Jehovah's unchangeableness (3:6) Without fear of God, there is no restraint against evil. Jehovah will not change (Jms. 1:17). His infinite love will protect the righteous, but His infinite hatred of evil will destroy the unfaithful (Ps. 89:14ff; 97:2ff.).

B. Wrongful withholding of tithes and offerings. (3:7-12)

1. The people's fickleness and Jehovah's curse. (7-9) God's promises have always been conditional, man is expected to cooperate and do his part. The people had not done their part, so the condition of God's return to them, was their return to Him. Which leads to their next "question" (chart 28(i), point # 6). They seemed to have absolutely no conscience of wrongdoing. Beyond robbing their brethren they had robbed God.

2. Jehovah's bountiful reward for their respect and faithful discharge of duty.
(10-12) The whole nation is brought under the charge of tithing improperly. They are charged to bring the whole tithe and then and only then will God do His part. Contingent on their return were the full blessings of God. These would include positive blessings for the people as well as destruction of their physical enemies and enemies of nature. Their land would become a delightful land, in their eyes, their neighbors eyes and God's eyes.

C. New defense of Jehovah's justice. (3:13-4:3)

1. Complaint: the wicked prosper, the righteous suffer. (3:13-15) The people had talked harshly against Jehovah and spoken against His moral government. They saw no use in serving God and so their outward attempts at worship were worthless. Because they were not being rewarded for their "worship," they perceived the prospering wicked as those that were truly blessed. This warped thinking brought them under the woe of (Isaiah 5:20).

2. Separation of the pious from the wicked. (3:16-18) There is always a faithful remnant (1 Ki. 19:18), no matter how evil the people are in general. Jehovah keeps the words, deeds and, disposition of His faithful followers ever before Him. The idea of a book of remembrance is common to both testaments (Ps. 56:8; Dan. 7:10; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 20:12). Those remembered would include: the reverent and those who kept the Lord at the forefront of their thoughts and intentions. Jehovah will make the faithful his personal possession. His judgment is not restricted to one "day," but He continuously brings judgments against wicked people and nations. It is during the times of such judgments that Jehovah keeps track of those that serve and obey Him. These judgment days allow the people to clearly see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between serving God and not serving Him.

3. Utter destruction of the wicked. (4:1) The former prophets also used the scene of a devouring fire as the destructive force of judgment on the wicked (Amos, Zephaniah). The ultimate day of judgment will be at the second coming of the Lord, when the wicked will be eternally destroyed from Jehovah's presence (1 Thess. 1:9).

4. Exaltation and glorification of the righteous. (4:2,3) Divine righteousness is accessible to all who will receive it, as the rays of the sun shine on all who will stand in its light. The victorious righteous will tread the fire-destroyed wicked under foot as ashes under their feet. This victory of the righteous and defeat of the wicked is guaranteed by the Lord.

D. Closing admonitions. (4:4-6)

1. Exhortations to faithful observance of the law. (4) The true Israelite must respect and keep the Law of Moses. Malachi's reference to Moses as the author of the Law stands as internal evidence of Moses' inspiration. They are required to keep the whole law, not just the ten commandments.

2. Elijah the messenger and his work of preparation. (5,6) While John the Baptist was not Elijah in the flesh (Jn. 1:21), he was the Elijah of promise (Mt. 17:11-13). His mission was to turn the affections of the people back to God and His divine Law. Only in this condition would the people be prepared to receive the Messiah. As the original Elijah preached repentance and a return to the Lord, so would John. To avert destruction, the people must repent, some did, most did not. By A.D. 70, their temple and their city was destroyed. Malachi's prophecy serves as a final appeal, a final warning and, a final promise. An appeal to purge the wickedness from among themselves, a warning of the inevitable judgment on the wicked, and a promise of one who could form a permanent bond between Jehovah and his people. Jehovah would remain silent from this point forward, until the forerunner would announce the impending arrival of the Messiah.