Malachi 1:1-5

     Malachi chapter one reveals God’s love for Israel in that He chose her above others to be in a special relationship with Him (Mal 1:1-5). Malachi’s message is called an “oracle”; however, the Hebrew word מַשָּׂא massa also connotes a burden. “In the prophetic books maśśā’ introduces messages of a threatening nature 27 times (e.g., Isa 13:1; 14:28; 15:1; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zec 9:1; 12:1). Standing alone at the beginning of Malachi, the word maśśā’ gives this prophet’s entire message a sense of anxiety and foreboding.”[1] Furthermore, Malachi’s message was not his own; rather, it was “the word of the LORD”, which meant it came with the stamp of divine authority (cf. 1 Th 2:13). Six times in this pericope God’s covenant name, יהוה YHVH, is used; and the message was to Israel, His covenant people. Since God is always faithful to keep His word, any problems in the relationship must belong to His people. And the message was “through Malachi”, the Lord’s instrument of communication. Interestingly, the prophet’s opening message to Israel was an announcement of God’s love for them, as the Lord declared, “I have loved you” (Mal 1:2a). “The verb אָהַב means ‘to love,’ very often with the special sense of choosing. If God loved Israel, it meant he chose them for himself; there was affection for sure, but divine election lay behind it all.”[2] God’s love for His people means He has chosen them for a special relationship, that He is committed to them (even when they are not faithful, see 2 Tim 2:13), and always seeks their best interest. Furthermore, His love for His people is rooted in His sovereignty and integrity, not in the beauty or worth of those whom He loved (Deu 7:6-8); and Israel should have responded to God’s love by walking with him and following His direction (Deu 6:4-9). This is true for believers who are in relationship with Jesus, who said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23). God’s love for Israel is seen in that He has chosen them to be His covenant people (Mal 1:2a), which meant they were to walk with Him and enjoy His blessings. But His people challenged His love for them, asking, “How have You loved us?” (Mal 1:2b). Their question could possibly have been asked out of ignorance, but more likely out of defiance, because they were not walking as they should. Perhaps Israel questioned God’s love because nearly 100 years had passed since they’d returned from Babylonian captivity and they were still struggling agriculturally and economically. However, if they’d known their Scriptures, they would have been able to interpret their poor condition from the divine perspective and realize their suffering was because they’d failed to keep His Word, and not because God did not love or care about them. God revealed His love for them by stating He’d selected their forefather, Jacob, to be the recipient of His covenant blessings, and rejected his brother, Esau, who was cursed (Mal 1:2c-3). In Malachi, the terms “love” and “hate” simply mean God selected one and rejected the other (Jesus used the words in the same way; see Luke 14:26). “We must keep in mind that God’s choosing of the line of Jacob did not mean that everyone in Israel would be a redeemed believer; neither did the rejection of Esau’s line mean that no Edomite ever came to faith.”[3] Though God loved Israel, He would not tolerate their prideful defiance of Him, for “God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5). In order to restore Israel to a place of humbleness, God used the Babylonians to discipline and take them into captivity. Though He disciplined them according to His covenant promises, it was His faithful love that restored them to fellowship (Deu 4:25-31; 30:1-3). In contrast, Edom had been rejected by God, who also used the Babylonians to defeat them, and though Edom tried to rebuild, God frustrated their efforts and destroyed them completely (Mal 1:4; cf. Jer 27:2-8; 49:7-22). Malachi said, “Your eyes will see this and you will say, ‘The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!’” (Mal 1:5). The reference to “your eyes” most likely refers to believing Israelites future from Malachi’s day, who would witness God’s sovereign destruction of Edom, displaying His ultimate rejection of them, in contrast to the preservation of His people, Israel, whom He loved. In all this we learn something about the loving character of God toward His people, whom He has chosen for a special relationship.

     As Christians, we are among God’s elect and have been adopted as sons and daughters (Gal 3:26-28), endowed with great blessing (Eph 1:3-6), citizenship in heaven (Phil 3:20), a priesthood (Rev 1:6), and an ambassadorship in God’s service (2 Cor 5:20). However, the same love that has selected and blessed us will also bring loving discipline when we step out of God’s will (Heb 12:5-11); a discipline that is intended to “yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb 12:11b).

 

[1] Craig A. Blaising, “Malachi,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1575.

[2] Allen P. Ross, Malachi Then and Now: An Expository Commentary Based on Detailed Exegetical Analysis (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 34.

[3] Ibid., 35.