Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 17, 2015

“When Leftovers Will Not Do” Malachi 1:1-14 Bible Study 05/17/15

Malachi’s prophecy is dated sometime between B. C. 475-450. It apparently occurs before Nehemiah’s second return to Jerusalem in which he led in the completion of the wall around the city. Clearly, at the time of writing, the Temple has been rebuilt and regular Temple practices have been reestablished. A key focus in the prophecy of Malachi, whose name means “My Messenger” or “My Servant,” is the substandard or defective worship in Jerusalem and the defective leadership of priests and religious leaders of the day. Structurally, the prophecy contains six “oracle” disputations between the Lord and the priests/people of Israel. In each of these oracles, one finds a similar pattern: The Lord makes a charge, the people question the charge and then the Lord defends His charge. Our text this morning includes an opening affirmation of the covenant faithfulness of the Lord which is followed by the first of six oracles.

I. Affirm the Lord’s covenant love (1:1-5)

-He rescues the unworthy
-He conquers sinful strongholds
-He declares His greatness to the world
-In light of God’s unchanging love, fix your attention on His greatness and focus your affection on His glory

II. Purify your worship (1:6-14)

-the charge of worthless worship
-the cause of worthless worship
-the cure for worthless worship
-Because the covenant-keeping God deserves honor, purge your life of worthless worship and proclaim His greatness with your lips and your life.

III. So what?

-Recognize the danger of “open hearts, open minds, open rebellion”
-Reject spiritual mediocrity
-Join God’s global “choir”
-Magnify the matter of ultimate fulfillment in Christ