Here we are at the last book of the Old Testament! Truth be told, I’m currently reading Romans, I’m just way behind on the blogging!

Anyway, Malachi was around a bit later than Haggai and Zechariah, who were writing as the Israelites returned from their exile to Babylon. Haggai and Zechariah were encouraging the temple to be rebuilt, but in Malachi’s time it had already been completed. This didn’t mean that things were going well for the community though, which is why Malachi had a lot to say.

Once again, Jerusalem had become a place of injustice and suffering. This caused Malachi to write a series of conversations between God and the people, where God called out their behaviour and the people responded by questioning what God had said.

By the end of the book, we are forced to conclude that the exile didn’t really change anything and that the people’s hearts were as hard as ever. Something even more drastic was needed to bring about restoration and salvation. And it is at this point that we need to turn our attention to Matthew’s writing, 300 years later. New Testament, here we come!

My favourite verse, which presumably inspired one of the lines in my favourite carol Hark the Herald Angles sing: Malachi 4.2: But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.

With thanks to Thesoundofcalmness on Pixabay for the image.