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Written around 430 BC, Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. In it, Malachi addressed the post-exilic Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon. They had returned to the land of their fathers but not the God of their fathers. Though they worshiped God, they did so half-heartedly. The priests were no longer faithfully teaching and modeling the Word (2:1-4, 8-9), and consequently, the people were in rebellion. Malachi, who was probably a contemporary of Nehemiah and Ezra, confronted the Jews’ sins throughout the book. The priests were offering blind and lame sacrifices instead of their best (1:6-10). The men were divorcing their wives and marrying pagans (2:10-16). The nation was robbing God by neglecting their tithes (3:6-12). As mentioned, the priests provoked these actions by shirking their responsibilities (2:8). Both the priests and people had turned away from God’s Word and true worship. If they did not repent, the messiah would come to judge instead of reward (3:1-5, 4:1-6).

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