Study notes

Malachi 3

Introducing MalachiWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

1:6–3:15 Section

God accused his people of many things in his questions and replies. He accused them of not honouring him or respecting him. They showed this by not living according to the ways God had taught them. God had explained his ways for living in the Law of Moses. The people had promised to follow God’s ways. They made this promise in the Mount Sinai covenant.

Many of the laws in that covenant were about how to worship God. They were also about how to treat others. But the people offered sacrifices they shouldn’t have offered. They didn’t give back to God a tenth of everything they had. Many men were married to women who worshipped false gods. Many men divorced their wives. The people treated needy people badly. The priests didn’t teach the people God’s ways for living.

Stories recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah showed the people doing these things. These things went against what God wanted his people to do. The people’s questions and replies showed that they didn’t understand who God is or what he desires. God explained that he was their Father, their Master and their Creator. The people belonged to him. They were to be faithful to one another like he was faithful to them.

God does what is right and fair and brings judgement against those who do evil. God is the Lord who rules over all. He can provide everything that people need. God longed to bless his people with so much that they couldn’t store it all. God would do this if his people lived faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. This doesn’t mean that God’s people had control over blessings from God. It doesn’t mean that they would be blessed for giving money to God or the temple. That way of thinking is called the prosperity gospel and it isn’t true.

What was true was that God’s people needed to be faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. This would allow the covenant blessings to come to God’s people. But God’s people didn’t believe these things about God. They didn’t trust him to provide the food and drink they needed. They didn’t trust that he punished people who did evil. They asked questions about God being fair. These were like the questions asked in Psalm 73 and like the questions asked by Job. The people didn’t believe that God desired to bless them. They didn’t believe that obeying God faithfully was better than doing what they wanted.

It seemed to them that obeying God was hard work. It was hard and didn’t result in anything good for them. For hundreds of years God’s people had refused to believe in him and trust him. Jews in Malachi’s time had lived through the time of God’s judgement. But most were no more faithful to God than their people of long ago had been. God felt worn out by this.

2:17–3:5

Malachi's fourth message addresses the difference between God's justice and human justice (Malachi 2:17). This section sounds like a courtroom charge against Judah. It presents God’s formal accusation. Malachi condemns religious behavior that follows rules but lacks sincere devotion (see Malachi 3:14). This kind of worship goes against God’s justice. The prophet calls the people to honesty and to real concern for others in their community.

3:1

  • My messenger (Hebrew mal’aki): This is a play on Malachi’s name. The messenger could be an angel or a human acting as a divine courier. Jesus identified John the Baptist by referring to this passage (see Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27).

  • Malachi’s audience likely saw the messenger of the covenant as a divine being (compare Exodus 23:20–23). The Christian church views Jesus Christ as the messenger of the new covenant.

3:2

  • refiner's fire: The people's wickedness must be removed through divine testing and punishment (Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29; Ezekiel 22:22).

  • launderer's soap: An alkaline detergent was made from plants (see Jeremiah 2:22). The blazing fire and strong soap represent the testing and cleansing needed to restore Israel's faithfulness to its covenant with the Lord.

3:5

  • The phrase swift witness suggests a legal case where God acts as both the prosecutor and the main witness against Judah after the exile in Babylon.

  • Sorcerers used witchcraft, black magic, or fortune-telling for personal gain.

  • On the coming day of God’s judgment, sinful Judeans would either be purified (Malachi 3:3) or destroyed (4:1–2).

3:6–12

Malachi’s fifth message repeats the first message (Malachi 1:2–5) by emphasizing God's faithfulness to his promises. He urges Israel to be equally faithful in worship, especially by giving their tithes and offerings. If Malachi is like a courtroom scene, the fifth message is the judge’s decision. The main message is repentance. God desires honest and sincere worship from his people, of which tithing is a symbol.

3:7

turn away: In a covenant relationship, this phrase expresses a change in loyalty by Israel or God. It usually means repentance, a complete turn back to God or a full shift toward the Lord. The command is urgent and requires an immediate response. The accusation of fake worship builds on similar charges in the second argument (see Malachi 1:6–14). God's promise to open the windows of heaven (Malachi 3:10) shows his power as a great King (see 1:14).

3:8–9

  • Malachi urges Judah to renew their practice of giving to the Lord.

  • Tithes, which are a tenth of the land's produce, were required offerings (see Deuteronomy 12:6, 11, 17). Offerings were extra gifts or contributions to the Lord or his sanctuary. These included:

    • produce,

    • material goods (like construction materials or garments), or

    • personal valuables (such as gold, silver, or precious stones).

  • Judah's recent troubles came from God's curse (see Deuteronomy 28:20, 27). Malachi urgently called the community to repent, return to the Lord, and follow the covenant's requirements.

3:10

Test Me in this: God invites his people to test him. This invitation gives the restored community a chance to see that God is faithful to his covenant promises (the commitments God made to his people).

3:12

all the nations will call you blessed: Large harvests would once again show the world the Lord’s favor toward Israel.

3:13

Your words against Me have been harsh: The people accused God of favoring wrongdoers and questioned his fairness (see Malachi 2:17). However, the Lord values justice (Psalms 9:16; 37:28).

3:13–4:3

Malachi’s final message contains two distinct but related speeches. The first emphasizes serving the Lord (Malachi 3:13–18). The second compares the fate of the wicked and the righteous (Malachi 4:1–3)

Each speech ends with the messenger formula (see study note on Malachi 1:8). The prophet revisits themes from the fourth message (Malachi 3:1–5), emphasizing God's desire for honesty and faithfulness in worship, especially with the coming judgment on the day of the Lord.

If Malachi is like a courtroom scene, this last argument is the sentencing. Although wickedness seems to win over righteousness and God seems slow to judge sin in the community, the coming day of the Lord will prove God's justice. The wicked will be separated from the righteous by the fire of God's judgment.

3:14

  • What have we gained: People believed that doing good deeds would lead to material blessings (Deuteronomy 28).

  • walking mournfully: People thought that showing sadness or wearing funeral clothes showed true repentance, as if these actions were righteous by themselves (see Matthew 6:1–18).

3:15

Calling the arrogant blessed went against God’s justice, because it treated pride and wrongdoing as good (see Malachi 3:13).

3:16

  • A scroll of remembrance was a written record of names and events connected to those people. This practice was common in the Persian world. The text does not say how many people were written in the scroll.

  • those who feared the LORD: These people were loyal to the Lord as God, followed God's commands, and acted righteously in conduct and worship.

3:16–18

Here, the prophet acts as a recorder. He reports how the people reacted to his final message and how God responded to the conversation among those who feared the Lord. God listened to what they said (see Malachi 3:16). However, there is no sign that Malachi’s message led to real change in most of the people.

3:16–4:3 Section

The prophet Malachi shared God’s message about the day of the Lord. It was a message of judgement against sinful people. These are people who allow the power of sin to control them. They choose to do evil things and refuse to stop sinning.

God’s anger was compared to a burning furnace. It would burn up these proud and sinful people. That was how God described the action he was going to take. He would take action to completely stop evil and everyone who did evil things.

This was a message of hope for those who respected God. These people would be full of joy when God brought judgement against evil. This is because it would allow them to be healed by God. They needed to be healed from all the harm that sin and evil cause. Then they could fully enjoy life with God.

God is the Judge. Only he knows who respects and honours him with all their heart. Those who respect and honour God were called his special treasure. This showed how much joy God has when people love him.

3:17

treasured possession: Israel held a special place as God’s people. They belonged to him as his own possession.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources