The Book of Malachi
Malachi means “My Messenger.” We don’t even know that this was this man’s real name or if it was his job title. Some believe “Malachi” was actually a pen-name for Ezra, but since Ezra is never referred to as a prophet and Malachi is never referred to as a priest, that isn’t very likely.
Malachi spoke when there was an actual temple standing, so he had to have spoken after 430BC. He might have been a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah, or he might have lived a bit later.
This makes him the last prophet to speak on God’s behalf until John the Baptist more than 400 years later.
Malachi’s prophecy focuses on making people pay attention to their worship of God. They had become sloppy and complacent (which argues for him speaking after the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, not during), not really worshiping God, but just going through the forms (much like many Christians today.) He calls them to true righteousness.
Malachi 1- Give Your Best
1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. Yet ye say, “Wherein have thou loved us?”
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the LORD: “yet I loved Jacob,”
God is making a point of His special choice of Israel to be His chosen people.
3 “And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.”
The word translated “dragon” here is “tannah,” which, in the Hebrew means “dragon.” Other, more modern translations use the word “jackal,” but this is due to their modern bias that dragons are fictional.
Before everyone had Bibles available to them, many believed the story of Noah proved God would never let any species go extinct. Of course, when we can read it for ourselves we understand that the story of Noah is about sin, punishment, and salvation (as well as history of course.) But when Bible knowledge was entirely word of mouth that point was lost and corrupted.
There is plenty of evidence that “dragons” (dinosaurs) lived with humans, but as time went on and people quit seeing them, they came to the conclusion that they were mythical beasts.
“If God would never let a species go extinct, and there are no dragons around, they must never have existed.”
So when bones of large reptiles were discovered in the mid 1800’s it was assumed something entirely new had been found and it was named “dinosaur.”
The truth is, we have sculptors, carvings, and detailed stories from all over the planet of dragons/dinosaurs that completely agree with each other, proving that all of our ancestors everywhere had to deal with these beasts.
The King James Bible was translated at a time when there were still some of these beasties around, according to biology encyclopedias of the time. (In addition, we still have the tomb of a Bishop of the time that has obvious dragons carved on it, along with other common animals. It was considered a sin to carve, draw, or portray in anyway mythical beasts, so obviously the artist that made his tomb thought dragons were as common as birds and horses.)So they had no problem translating the Hebrew word for dragon as dragon.
Our modern translators, however, have the problem of believing atheists who call themselves “scientists” more than the Bible, and so had to come up with a different animal for an obviously non-fictional creature. Thus, “Jackal.”
4 Whereas Edom says, “We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places;” thus says the LORD of hosts, “They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, ‘The border of wickedness,’ and, ‘The people against whom the LORD hath indignation forever.’”
Edom (Esau’s descendants) helped Judah’s enemies to conquer her. As a result, God had her wiped off the face of the earth never to be restored.
5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, “The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.”
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a Father, where is Mine honor? And if I be a master, where is My fear?” Says the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise My name. And ye say, “Wherein have we despised Thy name?”
Judah didn’t even know where they were dishonoring God.
7 Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine altar; and ye say, “Wherein have we polluted Thee?” In that ye say, “The table of the LORD is contemptible.”
8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? Says the LORD of hosts.
They were offering flawed sacrifices and thought it would be acceptable to God. We are supposed to give God our best, not the leftovers and rejects.
9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that He will be gracious unto us: this has been by your means: will He regard your persons? Says the LORD of hosts.
10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for naught? Neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for naught. I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
God isn’t even going to accept their offerings.
You know, if their absolute best had been flawed God would have accepted it. It was the attitude of giving their rejects to Him that upset Him.
11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be great among the heathen, says the LORD of hosts.
God’s name has been praised in every country of the world and is greatly glorified among those who are not Jews.
12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, “The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even His meat, is contemptible.”
13 Ye said also, “Behold, what a weariness is it!” And ye have snuffed at it, says the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? Says the LORD.
The people thought it too much trouble to give God the type of offerings He deserves. They didn’t think Him worth it.
14 But cursed be the deceiver, which has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices unto the LORD a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and My name is dreadful among the heathen.
It’s one thing to give a flawed sacrifice when it is the best you have, but it is an insult to God to offer less than your best.