When was malachi written

It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. Priests were not treating the sacrifices they were to make to God seriously. Animals with blemishes were being sacrificed even though the law demanded animals without defect Deuteronomy The men of Judah were dealing with the wives of their youth treacherously and wondering why God would not accept their sacrifices.

Malachi 1 Through Malachi, the Lord rebukes the Jews for their disobedience in the practices and sacrifices at the temple. Malachi 2 The Lord chastises the priests for not keeping their covenant with the Lord and for being a poor example to the people. He uses the breaching of a marriage covenant to illustrate their failure to keep their covenant with Him. Malachi 3—4 The Lord will send a forerunner to prepare the way before Him, and He will come suddenly to His temple.

He challenges the people to live the law of tithing and promises to send Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Please contact us or click here to learn more about how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Follow us:. Listen Now. The final book of the Old Testament, Malachi received its name from its author Malachi However, based on the content of the book, it becomes clear that Malachi delivered his message of judgment to a Judean audience familiar with worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem The people of Judah had turned away from the true worship of the Lord, leaving themselves under judgment and in need of salvation.

Malachi certainly wrote to the people of Judah Malachi ; , but the historical setting becomes clearer in Malachi Here the prophet used the Persian word for governor, indicating a time period between — BC, when the Persian Empire ruled the Promised Land.

Malachi also wrote about the corruption of the temple sacrifices, meaning that he likely delivered his message many years after the Israelites rebuilt the temple in BC. Their history told of glories like the exodus from Egypt and the faithfulness of God to King David.