The God Whose Worth Exceeds What We Acknowledge

About this sermon

Introduction: Tonight, we begin a study of the last OT prophet. A book of prophecy that is the capstone of the prophets in the organization of Hebrew OT and is the capstone of the OT in our English bible. And, as I always do, I want to begin with an introduction to the book. An overview of its specific features and its overall purpose and message. When I do this, I’ll give more quotes that I usually would. I do this because I want to help you get a sense of what we will be studying for the next several weeks. THE DATE AND PURPOSE OF MALACHI The general time in which this book was written is unmistakable. The specific timing of the book is debated. There are no chronological identifiers stated in the book that identify the time of its writing, so you have to date by means of internal evidence. What is clear is that Malachi lived during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. One of the striking features of the book of Malachi is how the sins addressed in this book mirror the concerns found in Ezra and Nehemiah. Let me briefly remind you of a timeline. In 516 B.C. the second temple was completed (Ezra 6:13-15). Solomon’s temple had been destroyed at the time of the Babylonian invasion. And after that deportation, God worked in the heart of a Persian king named Cyrus, and a decree was issued that the Jews could return to their homeland and that the temple should be rebuilt. 50,000 exiles returned to Jerusalem between 538 B.C. and 536 B.C. (Ezra 2:64). The temple rebuilding project was finished under the leadership Darius I, and of the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel (Haggai 1:1) in 516 B.C. and the sacrificial system renewed (Ezra 4:24-5:2). Ezra returned to Jerusalem in 458 B.C. Nehemiah followed in 445 B.C. And I agree with those who believe that the book of Malachi was written late in the 5th century B.C. (430’s-420’s). But, again, regardless of what one believes about the specific timing of the prophecy, the internal evidence makes a few circumstances clear: Sacrifices are being offered in the 2nd temple. So, the temple has been reconstructed and the sacrificial system has restarted. That puts us beyond 516 B.C. Enough time has passed that complacency and corruption had set in among the priests (1:6-2:9). The reference to a “governor” in 1:8 speaks of the time under Persian rule in Judah. The concerns expressed in Malachi mirror similar concerns expressed in Ezra and Nehemiah (especially Nehemiah 13).

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• Christian Living