KJV
Click to Change
Return to Top
OUTLINE Outline for Malachi
WRITER: “Malachi” means my messenger. The Septuagint gives its meaning as angel. An angel was a messenger and could be either human or spiritual. There are some who conclude, therefore, that Malachi is only a title and that the name of this prophet is not known. Surely our information of him is as limited as it is regarding the angels. Others have suggested that he was a spiritual angel, but there are no grounds for this.
The message, not the messenger, is the important issue. The Western Union boy is not as important to you as the message he delivers. You want his message, not his name or to visit with him.
TIME: Probably 397 B.C. He concluded the prophets, as Nehemiah concluded the historians. He prophesied either during the latter period of Nehemiah’s governorship or immediately after it.
MESSAGE: This one, who was the messenger of the Lord, delighted in using his own name when referring to other messengers. He made three mighty references:
(1) He referred to Levi as “the messenger of the LORD of hosts” (Mal 2:7). This suggests that every witness of God is an angel of the Lord.
(2) He announced the coming of John the Baptist as “my messenger” (Mal 3:1). John the Baptist was the Malachi of the New Testament and began where Malachi of the Old Testament left off. Malachi was the first radio announcer who said, “The next voice you hear will be that of the Lord’s messenger.”
(3) He also made the definite reference to Christ as “the messenger of the covenant” (Mal 3:1). The angel of the Lord of the Old Testament is the pre-incarnate Christ.
The method adopted by Malachi is first to quote a declaration or interrogation God makes to Israel. Then he gives Israel’s answer, which is supercilious and sophisticated sarcasm. Finally, he gives God’s telling reply, which is equally biting sarcasm.
Malachi’s prophecy reveals an age deadened to sin. They were drugged to an unconsciousness of sin. They were in a spiritual stupor with no conviction, which is the lowest state of sin. They mouthed surprise that God would find fault. They were peevish and petulant children who affected ignorance. They pretended to know everything but were woefully lacking in a knowledge of essentials.
|
Line-By-Line Order:
 Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseSeparate LineVerse OnlyReference Only |
Reference Delimiters:
None — Jhn 1:1 KJV Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]Curly — {Jhn 1:1 KJV}Parens — (Jhn 1:1 KJV) |
|
Paragraph Order:
Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseReference-Only |
Number Delimiters:*
No NumberNo Delimiter — 15Square — [15]Curly — {15}Parens — (15) |
|
Other Options:
 Abbreviate Books Use SBL Abbrev.En dash not Hyphen |
Quotes Around VersesRemove Square BracketsSort Canonically |
* 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order'
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding.
Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
©2024 Blue Letter Bible | Privacy Policy
Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs.
Loading
Loading
| Interlinear |
| Bibles |
| Cross-Refs |
| Commentaries |
| Dictionaries |
| Miscellaneous |
