The Lord punished Israel’s stubborn rebellion by permitting their enemies to overtake them. The Babylonian Captivity lasted for seventy years. Then the Lord raised up Cyrus of Persia to defeat the Babylonians, set the Israelites free to return to their home, and order the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. 

Fast-forward approximately one hundred years. Thousands of Jews have returned to the promised land. The temple has been rebuilt. Priests have resumed the offering of sacrifices. The city walls have been restored. The people are enjoying relative peace. Things could be better. Israel had not gained its independence from Persia. And Israel faced ongoing economic challenges. Yet, if you interviewed the man on, they would say, “I’m grateful things are as well as they are.” Malachi did not think that all was well. 

• He lived during the administrations of Ezra and Nehemiah. 
• He prophesied around the same time as Haggai and Zechariah. 

 Malachi’s God-given concern was personal, specific, and unique. Malachi 1:1 is the superscription: “The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.” Every word here begs for comment. “Oracle” means “a burden.” It is a technical term for prophetic speech that involves threats of doom and disaster. Although Malachi is filled with warnings, “oracle” refers to the burden the prophet carried. He was no entertaining life-coach disguised as a preacher. 

Malachi carried a message that crushed and consumed him. It was “the word of the Lord” –divine revelation, not personal opinion. He was the mailman who delivered God’s message to Israel. “Israel” here does not refer to the Northern Kingdom in contrast to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. It is the Jewish remnant that returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity. 

Malachi, which occurs only here, means “My messenger.” Scholars debate whether it is a name or a title. Most Bible believers agree that Malachi was a real person, even though we know nothing about him. This book is not about Malachi. It’s about the Lord and Israel. Israel was going through the motions of religious activity. The Lord sent Malachi to warn them: “Stop playing church before it’s too late.” 

Malachi issues this warning in a series of speeches that follow the same pattern: The Lord makes a statement, Israel objects, then the Lord makes his case. That pattern begins in Malachi 1:2-5. The dominating theme of this first prophetic speech is the loyal love of God. It is the foundational passage for the rest of Malachi’s prophecy. 

• The remaining discourses address what Israel has or has not done for the Lord. 
• This opening discourse addresses what the Lord has or has not done for Israel.

Israel’s faithfulness to God had wavered because of its circumstances. God’s faithfulness to Israel had not wavered because of their circumstances. That’s the timeless truth of this opening passage of Malachi’s prophecy: God’s love hasn’t changed because your circumstances have. Walter Kaiser said, “God’s love goes beyond all attempts to explain its causes or all tests of its durability.” Why should I trust God’s loyal love? Malachi 1:2-5 gives three reasons to believe God’s love has not changed when your circumstances have. 

What God Did Before You 

Some years ago, a popular singer made a hit song that asked, “What have you done for me lately?”That question is not limited to one’s romantic partner. It is a question that disillusioned believers are prone to ask God. This was Israel’s complaint. Malachi does not confirm God’s love by pointing to current events. Joyce C. Baldwin wrote: “The prophet appreciated that historical evidence was necessary to faith.” What had gone done before?

God’s Love Declared. In a difficult conversation, it is not wise to begin with concerns, complaints, or criticisms. Affirm the relationship before you address the problems. This is how the Lord begins his difficult conversation with Israel. Verse 2 says, “‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.” This is the first and foremost reason why we know God loves us: He has declared his love for us in his word. Anna Warner said it well: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” 

Israel’s relationship with God began with his love for them, not the other way around. This is how God loves us in Christ. Romans 5:8 says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We think of love as an emotion. The term is used here to express action. Divine love is about covenant faithfulness, not sentimental feelings. God loves us because he has promised to love us, and he always keeps his word. 

• Like a loving Father, God loved Israel. 
• Like a faithful Husband, God loved Israel. 
• Like a loyal friend, God loved Israel. 
• Like a good Shepherd, God loved Israel. 
• Like a carrying Vinedresser, God loved Israel. 

This love is not limited to the past. God says, “I have loved you, and I still do.” Jeremiah 31:3 says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

As Charles Spurgeon walked the countryside with a friend, he noticed a weathervane on a barn that read: “God is love.” Spurgeon thought the sign was inappropriate. “The weathervane changes direction,” he said, “God’s love is constant.” His friend replied, “You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating true: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”  

God’s Love Displayed. Israel responds to God’s declaration of love skeptically: “But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’” Israel asks “How” seven times in Malachi. The rhetorical question reflects their spiritual rebellion. Not taking God at his word, Israel says, “Prove it!” God promised health, wealth, and success to Israel. Israel was not experiencing the fulfillment of those promises. They never thought it had anything to do with their unfaithfulness to God. They concluded that God had been unfaithful. Circumstances made them ask, “How have you loved us?”

God answers their question with a question: “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” According to Genesis 25:21-26, Esau and Jacob were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 

• They were both conceived in answer to prayer.
• They were both born on the same day.  
• They were both raised in the same household. 

Yet there was a stark difference between them. It was not that Esau was a hunter and Jacob was a homebody. It was not that Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Verse 2-3 says, “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated.” This is the third and last time love is mentioned in Malachi. It means the same thing in each occurrence. The Lord had a relationship with Jacob that he did not have with Esau. God chose Jacob. This divine choice was made before the boys were born. It was not affected by their character. Both were sinners. Jacob was arguably worse than Esau. Yet God loved Jacob but Israel. 

This is one of the most controversial statements in the Bible. I will not clean it up, water it down, or explain it away. Someone said to the Christian scholar, Arno C. Gaebelein, “I have a serious problem with Malachi 1:3, where God says, ‘Esau I have hated.’” Dr. Gaebelein replied, “I have a greater problem with Malachi 1:2, where God says, ‘I have loved Jacob.’”

What God Did Because of You 

God declared his loyal love to Israel. Israel objected to what God said because of what they saw. God defended his claim by reminding Israel how they became his people. He does not mention his covenant with Abraham, the Exodus from Egypt, or the Law of Moses. He says, “I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated.” What does that have to do with their situation? 

Unchanging Love Proven. Verse 3 describes the destruction of the land of Esau’s descendants – the Edomites: “I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” We are not sure when or how this took place. The language seems to point to a current event that Israel would be familiar with. The best guess is that it refers to the Nabatean Arabs’ overthrow of the Edomites’ land in the fifth century B.C. The Lord did not give any people credit. 

• The Lord laid waste to his hill country. 
• The Lord left his heritage to jackals of the desert. 

What does this have to do with God’s love for Israel? The land of Esau and Jacob was overtaken. Esau’s land suffered destruction and desolation. After God laid waste to the hill country, Esau’s heritage was inhabited by jackals of the desert. After seventy years of Babylonian Captivity, God restored Israel to its land. Edom sided with Babylon against Israel. Psalm 137:7 prays, “Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, ‘Lay it bear, lay it bear, tear down the foundations.” The Lord remembered. He laid waste to their hill country and left their heritage to jackals. What God did to the Edomites provided his loyal love for Israel. Do you feel like God’s love for you has changed? 

• Stop focusing on what happened. 
• Start focusing on what didn’t happen! 

Unending Love Proclaimed.

• Verse 3 is historical proof of God’s love. 
• Verse 4 is a prophetic proclamation of God’s love. 

God destroyed the heritage of the Edomites. But he did not want Israel to think his faithfulness was a thing of the past. God’s faithfulness covered the “what-ifs” of life. Note the hypothetical scenario: “If Edom says, ‘We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins.’” Edom’s defiant statement reflected their ongoing rebellion. They would not view their shattered land as a call to repentance. They deemed it time to rebuild. They would not ask, “Is the Lord trying to tell us something?” They would determine to build it again like they built it before. God would have the last word: “The Lord of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will tear down.’” “The Lord of hosts” is used twenty-four times in Malachi, nearly three hundred times in the Old Testament. This divine title means “The Lord of armies.”

• He is the Commander of the armies of Israel. 
• He is the Commander of the armies of heaven. 

The Lord of Hosts is the military name for God. God commands armies of angels. God wages war against his enemies. God never loses a battle. Thus, if Edom determines to rebuild, God says, “They may build, but I will tear down.” There are two ways to build your life: with God, or without God. If you build without God, you will either fail or succeed miserably. Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” The Lord’s rebuke of Edom is further proof of the Lord’s judgment on Edom: “And they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” The fact that God will not change his mind about Edom confirms he will not change his mind about Israel. Malachi 3:8 says, “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” 

What God Will Do Beyond You

• Verses 2-3 declare God’s loyal love in the past. 
• Verse 4 declares God’s loyal love in the present. 
• Verse 5 declares God’s loyal love in the future. 

The promise of verse 5 is tied to the prediction of verse 4. If Edom rebuilds, God will tear it down. They will be called a wicked country and a people with whom the Lord is angry forever. God will not do this in the dark. Verse 5 says, “Your own eyes will see this.” The Lord says, “Don’t question my love because of how things look now. I’m not finished showing you how much I love you.” That’s God’s message to you today in Christ.

• The worldly claim to live their best life now. 
• The godly claim the best is yet to come! 

Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

 Malachi says, “Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, ‘Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!’” Homeland Security posts signs that read: “If you see something, say something.” That’s the Lord’s final word to Israel in this prophetic speech. When you see it, you will say, “Great is the Lord!” “Great” points to the authority, nobility, and majesty of a king! Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable!” Israel recognized the Lord as its great King. But they would see and say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!” God is no local deity. He has the whole world in his hands. Malachi 1:14 says, “For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.”  

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. When Malachi finishes speaking, a prophet of God will not speak to Israel for more than four hundred years. During this Intertestamental Period, Israel would have many reasons to look around and question God’s love. Jewish people today are still stuck at the end of Malachi. But Malachi is not the end of the story. Malachi is a bridge to Matthew – the story of Jesus. Malachi 1:5 is ultimately fulfilled in Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

A Christian stood in a marketplace handing out copies of the New Testament. A man asked if he could have a copy to use the paper to roll cigarettes. The Christian said he could if he promised to read every page before he used it. The man agreed. A few weeks later, the Christian saw the man in the marketplace again. He asked if the man had been reading the New Testament he had given him. The man said, “Yes, I smoked my way through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the first two chapters of John. But when I got to John 3:16, I stopped and gave my heart to Christ!