God’s First Complaint: Against His People—A Despised Love

A declaration: a message from the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

Even though Edom may claim, ‘We were crushed, but we will return and rebuild the ruins,’ this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “They may rebuild, but I’ll demolish. People will call them, ‘The Wicked Land,’ and, ‘The People With Whom the Lord is Forever Angry.’

Your own eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘Great is the Lord even beyond the borders of Israel!’”

God’s Second Complaint: Against His Priests—A Despised Offering

“A son honors his father and a servant his master. So if I’m a father, where is my honor? And if I’m a master, where is my respect?” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies to you priests who are despising my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised your name?’

By presenting defiled food on my altar. And you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying, ‘The Table of the Lord is contemptible.’

When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Offer that to your governor—would he be pleased with you or receive you favorably?” asks the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.

“But you are profaning my name by saying that the Table of the Lord is defiled and that its fruit and its food are contemptible.

“And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and sniff contemptuously at it,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “when you present maimed, crippled, and diseased animals, and when you bring the offering. Should I accept this from your hand?” asks the Lord.

“Cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable male in his flock, and vows to give it, but sacrifices a mutilated one to the Lord. Indeed, I am a great king,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and my name is feared among the Gentiles.”

God’s Third Complaint: Against His Priests—Failing to Honor Him

Now this commandment is for you priests:

True teachings were in his mouth, and falsehood was not found on his lips. He walked with me peacefully and righteously, and he turned many from sin.

Judah has become unfaithful, and a detestable thing was committed in Israel and Jerusalem. Indeed, Judah profaned the Holy Place of the Lord, which he loves, and married a daughter of a foreign god.

God’s Fourth Complaint: Against His Priests—Marital Abuses

“This is another thing you do: you flood the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer pays attention to your offering nor takes pleasure in it from your hand.

Yet you ask, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord acts as a witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you were unfaithful to her, your partner, the wife of your covenant.

“Indeed, the Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce, along with the one who conceals his violence by outward appearances,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. “So guard yourselves carefully, and don’t be unfaithful.”

God’s Fifth Complaint: Against His People—Complaining about God.

“You have wearied the Lord with your words. You ask, ‘How have we wearied you?’ By your saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord and he’s pleased with them,’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’”

The Coming of the Messenger

“Watch out! I’m sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the Lord you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.

he will sit refining and purifying silver, purifying the descendants of Levi, refining them like gold and silver. Then they’ll bring a righteous offering to the Lord.

“Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and see if I won’t throw open the windows of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure.

God’s Seventh Complaint: Against His People—Slandering God

“You have spoken arrogant words against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘What did we say against you?’

You said, ‘It is futile to serve God,’ and, ‘What did we get out of it when we carried out his requirements and went about like mourners in the presence of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies?’

The Repentance of the Righteous

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other. The Lord listened and took note, and a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence about those who fear the Lord and honor His name.

When you return, you will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between the one who serves God and the one who does not.”

The Great Day of the Lord

“The coming day is certainly going to burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and all who practice evil will be stubble—the coming day will set them on fire,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

But the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in its light for those who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves released from their stalls