Malachi is another one of the "minor prophets" that have major impact. It is the last book in the Protestant Christian Bible. (It's not the last in the Hebrew Bible, and the Catholic Bible has the Apocrypha).
It may be dated to about 433 B.C. and was probably the last prophetic book to be written before the coming of Christ. In fact, it seems to directly anticipate the Messiah.
I love this book; it is so relevant, even today. It takes the form of a dialog between the prophet, speaking for God, and the people of Israel (which should include us).
Some of the issues may seem arcane, but they aren't. The first chapter talks about blemished sacrifices, that is, bulls or whatever that were injured or imperfect and not acceptable for religious sacrifices. Obviously we don't sacrifice animals (or even our first fruits or sheaves of wheat) anymore, but we, too, can have blemished sacrifices. The only reason someone would offer less than the best to Yahweh was because they were insincere or stingy. I suspect those are the very reasons many Christians today don't give to God as generously as they should.
Chapter 2 discusses half-hearted, corrupt and hypocritical religious leaders. God hated them in 433 B.C. He hates them today.
Chapter 2 also discusses marrying spouses who worship a foreign god and divorce. Both were abhorent in those days on two levels. They were forbidden by Mosaic Law, for one thing. For another, they were metaphors for infidelity and impurity in worshiping Yahweh. Adultery is a common motif in the Bible for portraying the worship of pagan gods.
Sadly, adultery and divorce don't seem to be as abhorent today as they were then. I'm not going to jump on a soap box about divorce--I've known too many cases where it may have been the best alternative. Personally, I just think people should be a little more careful about making a marriage commitment in the first place. As for adultery--it's never okay. And, hopping on the soap box for a moment, how come our society gets all riled up about homosexuality but not about adultery? How many families and lives have been wrecked by two people of the same sex being in love? And how does that compare with the number of wrecked lives and families resulting from marital infidelity?
Malachi also takes aim at people who are cynical about faith in God. It wearies God when people give up and say that God is not just and righteous. I think many today may not come out and say that, but many do act as if they don't believe God will punish the wicked. Malachi states that God will indeed bring charges against "sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear...the LORD Almighty (Malachi 3:5).
Passages in Malachi anticipate Messiah. Malachi 3:1-4 are quoted in Handel's Messiah. Or how about this: "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 4:2). Sound familiar? At Christmas, be sure to sing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!"
I also love the last two verses of Malachi. "See, I will send you the great prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." I think this is why the Jews of Jesus' day, and today as well, expected that the ancient prophet Elijah would appear right before Messiah. The Gospels mention that people were asking if Jesus was Elijah, or if Elijah had already come. Jesus affirmed that John the Baptist fulfilled the appearance of Elijah. See Matthew 11:13-14; 17:12-13; Mark 9:11-13. Also, read the description of John the Baptist in Luke 1:17--a direct quote from Malachi.
Still, the passage in Malachi that means the most to me is 3:8-10. "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Trust me in this," says the LORD Almighty,"and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
This passage was life-changing to me several years ago. It made me realize that giving to God is a matter of faith and trust. God doesn't need anything we think we might be giving to Him. The point is that we are to be obedient. Even more so, the point is when we give sacrifically of something important, something that we need ourselves to sustain our life (e.g., money or crops for the ancient Jews), we are showing implicit trust that God will take care of our needs. This passage states that not only will God replace our little sacrifice, He will "open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing..."
Trust and obedience given to God in sincere faith yield blessings from God in return. What are the blessings? Well, you don't really know till you step out in faith and give God the trust and obedience He asks for. Try it. See what blessings come your way.
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