(11) Malachi (468, 445, 433, 4 Chapters)
As
anonymous prophet could have written Malachi, with the title of the book being
'my messenger." Scholars identify 468, 445, or 433 as possible times when Malachi
preached the oracles. Though related to
the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, it is difficult to know where he fits in. He writes after the revival under Haggai and
Zechariah and the completion of the temple. He is mostly concerned with the
covenant. He criticizes the way worship
is practiced in the rebuilt temple, which suggests a long time since the
completion of the temple. The unwillingness to part with money for the temple
also suggests a distance from its completion. He also must deal with leaders
taking advantage of poor and oppressed. He has a concern for inter-marriage
with non-Jewish families. He believes that the ceremonies led by those who
cultivate public worship must be performed reverently before God. From this
reverence will come justice. The prophecies of Isaiah 40-55 prophecies were
unfulfilled, but they became open to re-interpretation. He makes the conduct of worship the decisive
standard of behavior that is faithful to the community. The world vision of previous prophets is
given up in favor of the smaller, everyday concerns of the little community in
Jerusalem. He will urge priests to lead the way in a turn toward God. If people
do their part, God will open heaven to bring blessing. The belief that priests
are messengers of God leads the way toward the end of prophecy. Interpreters of
the law, not prophets, would become the key personnel of Judaism.
The resources on which I rely are
Joyce G. Baldwin in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries and Roger N. Carsten
in Interpreter’s.
Klaus Koch will say that the book
has six discourses. In them, the prophet seeks relevance to the spiritual needs
of the people more so that other prophets. Malachi’s prophecy of the messenger
has a ling to II Isaiah’s prophecy of the divine highway. He mentions two
messengers. The second will purify the priests, the sons of Levi. Malachi
relativizes the oracles of Haggai and Zechariah. Is the thinking of a priest or
prophet? The sacrifices “in righteousness” mean priests will offer correct
sacrifices and that the Lord will accept the cultic community. He points out
that with Malachi, prophesy contracts from the world of politics to the
everyday world of a little cultic community. Unlike Trito-Isaiah, Malachi makes
cultic practice the decisive criterion of behavior that is faithful to the
community. [1]
Malachi
1:1 is the title. It identifies itself as an oracle of the word of the Lord to
Israel (used for the whole nation, which we also find in Zechariah 9:1, 12:1).
Malachi
1:2-5 is the first oracle, dealing with the reaffirmation of the proclamation
of divine love for Israel. It begins with an affirmation that the Lord loves
Israel. Immediately, the affirmation meets with skepticism, for Israel wonders
how the Lord has loved it. The Lord responds that Esau is the brother of Jacob,
yet, the Lord loves (by establishing a covenant) Jacob and hates (by refusing
to enter into a covenant ) Esau, emphasizing the choice on the part of the Lord
rather than anything done by the brothers. If the point is the freedom of God
to choose or eject, then the point would be a warning to Judah to be careful.
Romans 9:13, 18 refer to this passage. The land of Esau has become desolate (by
Arabian invaders, thereby emphasizing the divine hate for Esau) and his
heritage a desert for jackals. If Edom thinks it can rebuild its ruins, the
Lord will tear them down, until people call them the wicked country with whom
the Lord is angry forever. Their eyes shall see this. The praise by Israel will
be that the Lord is great beyond the borders of Israel. The same message is in
Zechariah 9:1-8, but with a threat. One should note the friendly tones in the
reign of Josiah toward Edom in Deuteronomy 23:7-8, where they are not abhor
Edom, since they are brothers.
Malachi
1:6-2:9 is the second oracle, dealing with the denunciation of the priestly
class. The prophet begins with indictment against the priests. Reminiscent of
the proverbial saying in Isaiah 1:2-3, designed to bring home a truth, a son
honors his father (sixth commandment) and servants their master. If the Lord is
the father, where is the honor due to the Lord? If the Lord is master, where is
the respect due to the Lord? The heart of the problem, says Baldwin, is the
broken relationship. The Lord asks these questions of the priests, who despise
the name of the Lord. Yet, the priest asks how they have despised the name of
the Lord. The priests show their neglect of God by offering polluted food on
the altar. Their question is how they have polluted it. The Lord says by
thinking that one may despise the table of the Lord, for which see Ezekiel
40:34-43, 44:16. When they offer blind animals in sacrifice, they do so
wrongly. When they offer the lame or sick, they do so wrongly. Would the
governor find pleasure in such an offering? They are to implore God to show
favor and be gracious to Israel, although could be an ironic saying. Will the
Lord do so? Someone should shut the temple doors (a reference to
excommunication or simply to make no sacrifice) so that no one kindles the fire
on the altar in vain. The Lord has no pleasure in them and does not accept an
offering from their hands. The name of the Lord is great among the nations,
possibly meaning that everywhere people acknowledge the mystery of creation and
give thanks would be more acceptable than the blood sacrifice of these priests.
This suggests that people offer worship to one God, regardless of the name
used. If this interpretation is correct, he is the only Hebrew author to have
done so. Baldwin will say that the saying refers to the future, a time when
they will know the name of the Lord. He does not mean that the nations are
worshipping Yahweh under a different name. Yet, the priests profane the name of
the Lord with polluted offerings. The priests say Micah is simply wearing them.
They “sniff” at the Lord. Yet, they bring what they have received by violence,
or the offering is lame or sick. They will even vow to bring an offering, and
then bring a blemished offering. Yet, the Lord is a great king and the name of
the Lord finds reverence among the nations, not by name, of course, but their
worship of the creator. One could think of Rahab and Ruth as obvious examples.
Here is the judgment on the priests. It appears that the time for the
possibility of change is past. The Lord commands the priests. Will they listen?
If they will not lay it to heart to give glory to the name of the Lord, then
the Lord will send a curse on them, of which we read in Deuteronomy 27-28,
especially among the ancient Shechemite 12 commandments and 28:15. The Lord will
rebuke their offspring and spread dung on their faces and offerings. The Lord
will put them out of the divine presence. The command of the Lord is that the
covenant with Levi will hold. See Jeremiah 33:21, but note Aaron in Numbers
25:11-13. Recalling Zechariah 3:7, the covenant with him was a covenant of life
and wellbeing. This calls for reverence. What we will read is that the priest
of the choice of God is lived what he taught. Failure began in turning away
from a godly life. Levi revered the Lord and was in awe of the name of the
Lord. He offered true instruction. No wrong was on his lips. He walked with the
Lord in integrity and uprightness. He turned many people from iniquity. The
lips of a priest should guard knowledge. People should seek instruction from
him. The priest is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. Yet, the priests have
failed to live up to their sacred calling. Yet, these priests have turned aside
from the way. They have caused many to stumble by their instruction. They have
corrupted the covenant of Levi. Therefore, the Lord makes the priests despised
and abased before the people, inasmuch as they have not kept the ways of the
Lord and have shown partiality in their instruction. Malachi appears to favor
the Levite over the Zadokite and Aaron line of priests.
Malachi
2:10-16 is the third oracle, dealing with the theme of mixed marriages and
divorce. The point here is that as the priests have violated their covenant, so
the people have violated the marriage covenant. The indictment begins with a
question: do we not all have one father? Has not God created us? Pannenberg says that he
finds here the view of God as Father linked to the thought of election that
extends to the creation of the elect as well. Such a notion links the fatherly
care from the people of God with the fatherly care of God in creation. For him,
such a statement is a hint in the direction of the teaching of Jesus. [2]
For Baldwin, however, the point of
Malachi is the oneness of the Jewish people, not universal quality of humanity.
As the prophet continues, the people are faithless, in the sense of the
neglect of contractual duty, to each other, profaning the covenant of their
ancestors. [In a portion that some think is a later addition that reflects the
Chronicler, Judah has been faithless. People have committed an abomination
(apostasy) in Israel and Jerusalem. Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the
Lord, which the Lord loves. Judah has married the daughter of a foreign god,
with the implication that the foreigners did not become worshippers of the
Lord. The prayer is that the Lord would cut off the tents of Jacob, meaning
that such marriages would have no children. Ezra 9:1-2 refers to Levites and
priests involved in such marriages.] They have excessive displays of emotion, covering
the altar of the Lord with tears because the Lord no longer regards the
offering or accepts it with favor at their hand. The people ask why the Lord
does not do this. The answer is that the Lord was a witness between them and
the wife of their youth. Yet, they were faithless to her, even though she had
been the companion by way of the covenant, a view shared in Genesis 31:50 and
Proverbs 2:16-17. One God made her. Both flesh and spirit belong to God. One
God also desires godly offspring. They are to look to themselves, refusing to
allow anyone be faithless to the wife of their youth. The Lord hates divorce
and covering one’s garment with violence. Barth points that the context is a
denunciation of Israelites who have wooed foreign women and have therefore
separated from the Jewish wife of their youth. The point here is a pure
Israelite posterity. The prohibition of divorce is to protect Israelite women.
The prophet continues, therefore, they are to take heed to themselves and not
be faithless. [3]
Malachi
2:17-3:5 is the fourth oracle, dealing with theme of prophesy concerning the
coming of God in judgment. The indictment begins. They have wearied the Lord
with their words, resembling Isaiah 43:24. Their complaint is in the form of a
question as to how they have done so. The response is that all who do evil are
good in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delights in them. They also ask
where the God of justice is. Baldwin points out that it seems the audience of
Malachi has become cynical, giving up the quest for right and therefore
dismissing the word of the prophet. This may mean that disillusionment settled
in when the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah concerning the glories of
rebuilding the temple and the new age to follow did not happen. The pronouncement
of judgment begins. However, they are to look carefully, for the Lord is
sending a messenger to prepare the way before the Lord, for which see Isaiah
40:3. Remember, Malachi means “my messenger,” and thus, he may refer to himself
here. The Lord whom they seek will come suddenly to the temple. The messenger
of the covenant (the one who will prepare the way) in whom they delight is
coming. Barth, in a discussion of the roots of the Christian teaching
concerning the Trinity, refers to this passage as an instance of the alteration
between the messenger of the covenant and the personal presence of the Lord. [4]
However, who can endure the day of that coming or stand when God appears? The
question implies a searching ordeal in which no one will pass the test. [In a
passage that some scholars think is an insertion, God is like a refiner’s fire
and fuller’s soap. God will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (giving
full attention to the metal), purifying the descendants of Levi (Zechariah
13:9) and refining them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to
the Lord in righteousness. The goal of such purifying was never the elimination
of the cult but its purification and continuation in righteousness. Pannenberg sees here that
judgment is the purifying fire of the smelter. He discusses this notion under
the theme that God is creator as well as judge. As creator, God will not allow
what God has created to make shipwreck of the dissonance we find in creation.
Those who turn away from God are the ones whom God has sought for that reason,
moving them to reconciliation. Even those who turn to God in faith will find
judgment a reality, but it will be the purifying fire. [5]
As the prophet continues, the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will please the
Lord as in the days of old. However, one struggles as to when this time was,
for Amos and Hosea also criticized such offerings. Baldwin suggests the
wilderness period, for which one can compare Jeremiah 2:2-3.] Then the Lord
will draw near to them for judgment. The Lord will be swift to bear witness
against sorcerers, adulterers, those who swear falsely, those who oppress hired
workers in their wages, the widow, the orphan, those who thrust aside the
alien, and those who do not fear the Lord.
Malachi 3:6-12 is the fifth
oracle, dealing with the theme of current social and economic distress that
originates in payment of tithes. The indictment begins. The Lord does not
change. Therefore, they have not perished. Ever since their ancestors, they
have turned aside from the statutes of the Lord and have not kept them. The
invitation is to return to the Lord. Yet, they ask how they can return. The
call to repent finds no response of repentance. The Lord asks them if anyone
will rob God. Yet, they are robbing God. Note that “Jacob,” their ancestor, had
a name that meant, “Cheat.” They wonder how they are robbing God. They are
doing so through their tithes and offerings. For this notion, see Leviticus
27:30-33 and Numbers 18:21-31. It refers to gifts offered for the upkeep of the
temple. The judgment is that is their robbing of God means a curse resides on
them, for which see Proverbs 11:24. They are to bring the full tithe into the
storehouse, so that there food may come to the house of the Lord. Doing so, the
Lord invites them to put the Lord to the test. The tithe becomes a test of
their faithfulness. Obedience is a precondition for experiencing the blessing
form God. They are to look carefully to see if the Lord will not open the
windows of heaven for them and pour down for them an overflowing blessing. The
blessing in Zechariah 14:16-19 says the nations share in the blessing. The Lord
will rebuke the locust for them, so that it will not destroy the produce of
their soil. The vine shall not be barren. In a reminder that spiritual
blessings come to the generous, the prophet says that all nations will count
them happy, for they will be a land of delight.
Malachi 3:13-4:3 is the
sixth oracle, dealing with the theme of the day of judgment and the problem of
the moral ordering of life. The indictment begins with questioning the ways of
God in the world. They have spoken harsh words against the Lord. They wonder
how they have spoken in such a way. The Lord responds that they have said it is
vain to serve the God. They do not profit by keeping the command of the Lord or
acting as mourners. Now, they count the arrogant as happy. Evildoers prosper
and put the Lord to the test and escape. Those who revered the Lord spoke with
each other. The Lord took note and listened. The prophet sees a book of
remembrance before the Lord, in which he sees the names of those who revered
the Lord and thought on the name of the Lord. The Lord says they shall belong
to the Lord, the special possession (reserved for the faithful instead of all
Israel) of the Lord on the day when the Lord acts, and the Lord will spare them
as parents spare their children, in contrast to Zechariah 14. Then once more,
in a contrast of which we should take note, they shall see the difference
between the righteous and wicked, between one who serves God and one who does
not. The righteous serve, the wicked do not. They should look closely, for the
day is coming, burning (fire this time is one of judgment that destroys the
wicked) like an oven, when all the arrogant and evildoers will be stubble. The
day that comes shall burn them up so that it will leave them neither root nor
branch. However, for those who revere the name of the Lord, the sun of
righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings, the only occurrence of
this phrase. Barth will refer to this phrase as looking forward to the morning,
to the rising, eventually, of the sun of righteousness, to the end and goal of
all things and therefore to their new beginning light, which no further end can
follow. [6]
As the prophet continues, they shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
They shall tread down the wicked. The wicked will be ashes under the soles of
their feet, on the day when the Lord acts. Some scholars think that the
original book ended with these words, which, as vindictive as it may appear, is
a promise that God will destroy evil.
Malachi 4:4-6 is the
conclusion. The style is that of Deuteronomy that some think of as an addition.
They are to remember (obey) the teaching (torah) of “my servant Moses,” as well
as the statutes and ordinances that the Lord commanded them at Horeb for all
Israel. The Lord will send them the prophet Elijah (refers back to Malachi 3:1,
maybe because he is the one prophet who does not die, but see Ecclesiasticus
48:10, Mark 6:15, 15:35) before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
Such a day is a day of darkness, close to Joel 2:11, 31. He will turn the
hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their
parents, so that the Lord will not strike the land with a curse. Barth
speculates that these final words of the Old Testament according to the
Christian canon may find fulfillment as God turns the hearts of children to
their parents, but more particularly, the hearts of parents to their children.
Perhaps the inevitable conflict between children and parents will solve itself
as God illuminates parents, realizing their children may have superior wisdom
in certain areas, accept their testimony.[7]
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