If you go to church regularly, you will likely be regularly exposed to teachings on major Christian topics such as grace, faith, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and salvation. You might spend weeks or months studying one of those topics.
There are probably many times you have heard a Scripture and said to yourself, “I wish someone would give me a short lesson on a particular word or topic. Not a long treatise, but enough to get a better understanding.” The purpose of this series is to do that for a wide variety of topics. For that reason, some of these videos are shorter than the typical Eyewitness episodes.
As we often caution, we are not trying to add to what the Bible says, we are trying to add context that will help you understand the Bible better. So, please read the applicable Scriptures in the study guides for these stories so you will know exactly what the Bible says.
In 587 BC, the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and destroyed Solomon’s Temple. At that time, they continued deporting wealthy and politically connected Jews to Babylon. Half a century later, in 538 BC, Cyrus the Great started allowing Jews to return to Jerusalem and Israel. In about 515 BC, the foundations for the Second Temple were laid.
Apparently, the Jewish people did not learn their lessons about being faithful to God. By the time of Malachi, about 430 BC, the priests were lax in leading the people and the people had lapsed into complacency in serving God. Malachi’s messages are sent to those people and are applicable to God’s people of all times who lapse into complacency.
One of the underlying messages of Malachi is that God is the only real god and he is all powerful. So, God is worthy of ultimate respect and worship. His people should never waiver in their understanding of God’s magnificence.
Israel’s unfaithfulness begins by doubting God’s love for them. Their unfaithfulness and contempt for God continues by offering him blemished sacrifices. God reminds them he is a great king and deserves their best sacrifices. He challenges them to offer blemished gifts to an earthly ruler and see what happens.
