Malachi - Introduction

Introduction

This is the last of the books in our Bible. It was probably written about 450 BC give or take twenty years. It was written after the second temple had been completed. But although the temple had been rebuilt, the nation was far from enjoying much of the promises and blessings spoken of in the various prophets. Politically, the Persian and Greek kingdoms were vying with each other for superiority. In this situation there was a world-weary cynicism about religion, and it is into this situation that Malachi speaks.

It is worth looking at an outline of the chronology of the return from exile:

538 BC - 50 000 Jews return from Babylon

519 BC - second temple completed, with the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah playing a key role.

457 BC - Ezra arrives and applies the Law to the province.

444 BC - Nehemiah arrives as its governor and administers the building of the walls.

431 BC - after a period pack in Persia, Nehemiah returns to be governor again.

Malachi means “my messenger” or “my angel”. Obviously the former applies in this case, the two possible meanings arise because angels are messengers. There is debate over whether this is a general term, or whether it refers to a specific individual. The former is supported by the lack of any personal details or genealogy concerning Malachi, and there being no one else by that name in the Bible. However, the latter is still the most likely.

The book focuses on a personal relationship with God, a deep relationship with Him.