Gleanings from Malachi Ch. 1

Summary Sentence:

Malachi chapter 1 is a court-room drama in which the covenant God indicts His people for their spiritual doubt, spiritual hypocrisy, and spiritual apathy.

Outline:

1) Prologue

2) Spiritual Doubt (vs. 2-5)

3) Spiritual Hypocrisy (vs. 6-12)

4) Spiritual Apathy (vs. 13-14)

Key Themes or Words:

1.“The Lord of Hosts” used 8 times: vs. 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14

2. God questions His people 8 times: vs. 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13

3. Polluted Offerings are mentioned 12 times: vs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Summary Thoughts:

Malachi chapter one highlights not only the spiritual struggles and problems of 5^th century B.C. Israel, but the spiritual struggles and problems of the Church in all ages. Both at a personal and corporate level, we struggle with spiritual doubt, spiritual hypocrisy, and spiritual apathy. This chapter highlights both the reality of those sins and the seriousness of them. In this chapter we see how serious sin is to God. The mere fact that one is part of the Church does not mean that God no longer convicts us of sin. True believers should be convicted by their wandering hearts and brought to true repentance, while false Christians will be exposed by their double-mindedness.