God’s voice dominates Malachi, the voice of a loving father pleading with his children. The people’s response is given in the form of seven questions or complaints. The result is a kind of dialogue—almost an argument—which lets you see into the personal attitudes of God and the people he is speaking to.
As in most arguments, a variety of issues are raised, but they are all rooted in a few basic attitudes. As you read through Malachi, try to see what attitudes lay behind the questions, complaints, and problems of God’s people. Also note what attitudes lay behind God’s words and promises to them.
Malachi’s was the last Old Testament voice. It reverberated through 400 or more years of biblical silence. During those years at least some of Malachi’s message took hold. Led by the Pharisees, Jews became increasingly devoted to keeping the Old Testament law. Unfortunately, many of them lost Malachi’s main point. They forgot that the law was not an end in itself. It was a means by which to give God the honor he deserves.
