1:1
“A prophecy”. We often have the idea that prophecy is mainly about foretelling the future. While that is part of it, it is actually a relatively small part if we look at the prophecies in the Bible. There is a major concern with the extent to which people are living in line with God’s word, or usually, not living in line with God’s word. It is more a revelation of who God is and who we are.
1:2
A lot of Malachi is framed as a dialogue between God and the people, and with questions that they ask. These questions were almost certainly not asked directly of God by the people, but more likely murmured by them. For all of us there are times when we have questions, when we feel deeply dissatisfied with the way things are, even with God. In those times it is far better for us to take those questions, even complaints, direct to God, rather than murmuring about them.
The people were wondering how God loved them. Now we need to remember the situation. The temple had been rebuilt, but the land was far from being in a blessed state. If we base our faith in God on our circumstances we are mistaken. Circumstances do matter, but our relationship with God is far more important. We are meant to have a relationship of trust and obedience with God.
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