• Old Testament – Christ in Prophecy
• Gospels – Christ in History
• Acts – Christ in the Church
• Epistles – Christ in Experience
• Apocalypse – Christ in coming Glory
• Gospels – Christ in History
• Acts – Christ in the Church
• Epistles – Christ in Experience
• Apocalypse – Christ in coming Glory
Malachi: "My Messenger" or "My Angel"
Written by: Malachi
Chapters:4
Verses:55
Interesting note:
Out of the 55 verses, 47 of them are God speaking (through the prophet).
"LORD of hosts" / "LORD Almighty"
mentioned 24 times in this book
-----Malachi 1-----
Arrogance led to ignorance, which led to defiance.
Can you imagine talking to God like this?
How have you loved us? v.2
How have we shown contempt for your name? v.6
Leviticus 22:1-16
2 Timothy 4:2-5
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
How have we defiled you? v.7
Leviticus 22:17-33
My Name will be GREAT with or without you.
God is allowing us to be a part of His work in making His name known.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples. Psalm 96:3
v.11
For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
-----Malachi 2-----
Marriage ingredients
1. Guard your heart
2. Be faithful
NOTE: If you don't guard your heart, it will be easier to be unfaithful.
If you are wondering now why I did not include the 2 greatest commandments..
1.Love the LORD your God with all... Deuteronomy 6:5
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39/ Mark 12:30-31/Luke 10:27
I am not trying to lessen that by any means,
it is just because that guarding your heart and being faithful are ingredients for both believers and unbelievers.
Proverbs 7:25 (Warning Against the Adulteress)
"Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,"
do not stray into her paths,"
Flirtatiousness. will surround you like wolves.
Pornography destroys. DO NOT stay into her path.
Malachi 2:15
But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
I included 4 different versions of this text because there were a lot of foot notes in regards to how its translated and I wanted to get a feel for the passage.
Malachi 2:13-16 (KJV)
13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
Malachi 2:13-16 (ESV)
13 And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
Malachi 2:13-16 (NLT)
13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. 14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.
15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”
Malachi 2:13-16 (MSG)
13-15 And here’s a second offense: You fill the place of worship with your whining and sniveling because you don’t get what you want from God. Do you know why? Simple. Because God was there as a witness when you spoke your marriage vows to your young bride, and now you’ve broken those vows, broken the faith-bond with your vowed companion, your covenant wife. God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage. And what does he want from marriage? Children of God, that’s what. So guard the spirit of marriage within you. Don’t cheat on your spouse.
16 “I hate divorce,” says the God of Israel. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says, “I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage.” So watch yourselves. Don’t let your guard down. Don’t cheat.
I normally don't use The Message Bible translation, but I thought it interesting as to how they used this in verse 16: “I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage.”
It seems to strike a more real sense of what happens in a divorce.
-----Malachi 3-----
To Tithe or Not To Tithe
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
I've looked at this and struggled with it throughout the years, I've listened to both arguments and have seen both sides. My conclusion is that it is an issue of our heart, I've observed that one can be unwavering at giving his tithes and offerings but use that as means for self righteousness. And some take it as far as if I don't "pay my dues" then evil will come upon me, My car will break down, I'll have extra bills come my way, bad things will happen. And when you look at the verse ten above you can see how one will be blessed so I can see why some would default to bad things will happen if I don't give. You must remember we live in a fallen world because of sin, BAD THINGS will happen.
Now back to wither we should or shouldn't, I believe looking at scripture in whole it becomes evident that God wants us to have a intimate relationship with Him, He desires that our hearts be one with Him.
Another interesting thought is when you look through history you see people payed homage to the king it was a outward demonstration of subjection, humility, acknowledgment that someone has authority over your life. And since Jesus is The King of Kings it seems only fitting that we who are subject (crucified with Christ) to Him give to Him out of our Time, our Talents and yes..... our Treasures (Tithes and offerings).
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Tithing Principles Deuteronomy 14:22-29
22 “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.23 And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.24 But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.
28 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who arewithin your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
-----Malachi 4-----
The day of the LORD
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And
he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart
of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse.
