June 16, 2014 (Monday)
Malachi was the last of the Old Testament inspired prophets, appearing on the scene in Jerusalem after the exile about 100 years after Haggai and Zechariah. He worked when Ezra and Nehemiah were leaders in Judah. The people had completed the job of rebuilding the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem. Their understanding was that the Messiah was to come right away, but now they were disillusioned, and their religion had degenerated into mere formality. They had not returned to idolatry, but their hearts were far from the Lord. Malachi joins Ezra in calling the people back to their roots as God’s chosen people. Probably the best known quotation from Malachi is the verse that begins, “Bring ye all the tithes..” but Malachi had much more to say than that. After his death, there were no prophets in the land, until John the Baptist.
Malachi – A devotional thought
Malachi prophesied to a people who had a heartless religion and set the scene for the rise of Pharisaic hypocrisy that Jesus faced head on when he arrived on the scene centuries later. Until John the Baptist came, there was no one to remind the people that faith is something to be applied to the daily life. We should be thankful today that there are many voices calling us back to God. We should also pray that people will begin listening to the truth, which is as unpopular today as it was in Malachi’s day, perhaps moreso.
This is the last of the minor prophets. I’ve written a little poem that might help us to remember them and a little something about their message:
(In Biblical order)
“You’ve broken God’s heart,” moaned Hosea,
He lived it, and he ought to know.
“He’ll strike like a plague,” said Joel,
“Like locusts and you know it’s so.”
“You’ll pay for your sins,” cried Amos,
“Payday someday is certain.”
“And so will Esau,” yelled Obadiah,
“On Edom He’ll ring down the curtain.”
“Well, no, I won’t go,” steamed Jonah,
“But God changed his mind right away.”
“A Messiah is coming,” preached Micah,
“We’ll be joyful when He has His say.”
“You reap what you sow,” intoned Nahum,
“Ninevah’s sin is known unto all.”
“But mercy is always His way,” said Habakkuk,
“E’en when no herd’s in the stall.”
“God’s justice is real,” decreed Zephaniah,
“He always does what is fair.”
“Let’s build Him a house,” ordered Haggai,
“It’s time to show we care.”
“Let’s not forget,” reminded Zechariah,
“The king is on His way.”
“Trust God, try Him, prove Him,” dared Malachi,
“On the horizon is a better day.”