CROWN OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH The Minor Prophets: Malachi Growth Group Bible Studies Rick Johnson 5/11/2011 Studies on the book of Malachi.
Lesson 1- The Minor Prophets: Malachi Intro: A brief historical reminder Malachi is the final prophet of Old Testament times. In fact God won't send another prophet to Israel until 400 years later when John the Baptist arrives in the desert preaching repentance. Malachi is a contemporary of Nehemiah, addressing the same issues of priestly laxity, intermarriage with pagans and a stingy attitude toward giving to God. Today, we begin this short but very pointed book of the last prophet of Israel. Read Malachi 1:1-5 Jacob Loved--Esau Hated 1. "Oracle" note that the word in Hebrew translated here as oracle literally means "burden." Malachi was given a burden, a message that he had to bear witness to Israel. This way of speaking is nothing new to the Bible. Look up the following passages. --Jeremiah 20:9 --1 Corinthians 9:16 --Jeremiah 23:26 What does Jeremiah warn about? Discuss: What are some signals that a person's "burden" is more there own than God's? 2. vs 2 "How have you loved us?" Why do you suppose Israel asks this question of God? Discuss: Do believers today ask God the same question --"How have you loved us?" as Israel did? How does God answer, based on this passage? 3. vss 3-5 What do you do with "Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated"? In your answer keep in mind the following --Edom is another name for Esau (meaning "red") and the land of Edom is populated Esau's descendants. --Edom will be called "the Wicked Land" --the result of God's demolishing Edom is that Israel will say "Great is the Lord" Discuss: Explain how a God of love can hate anyone or anything? Read Malachi 1:6-14 Blemished Sacrifices 1. What were the Jews doing when selecting their offering to the Lord? How were the priest part of the problem? According to verse 6, what was this displaying about their attitude toward God? 2. Look up Exodus 23:19. What was so important about giving this kind of offering? 3. Why does God say "try offering them to your governor?" 4. Notice and name the three kinds of disrespect the Lord mention in 1:6-14. What commandments are broken?
5. What was the real problem with the people's offering to God? Discuss. 1. What would be the yardstick a Christian would use to see if his gift was good enough? 2. How would we fair if we measured our faithfulness to God with the same yardstick as we used in other areas of our lives? 3. Are there ways today that we mimic the attitudes and actions described in these verses? 4. What else happens when believers profane God's name by their slipshod attitudes and offerings? Refer to "because my name will be great among the nations" "my name is to be feared among the nations."
Lesson 2- The Prophet Malachi 9/14/03 Intro Malachi, much like James in the New Testament, tells those who claim to be the people of God to act like it. Those who claim saving faith will show the fruits of that faith. Those who claim the work of Christ for salvation will do good works in gratitude to Jesus who saved them. Today, the prophet directs his words once again to the priests and then also to the general populace. Read Malachi 2:1-9 Admonition for the Priests 1. What did God expect of the priests that apparently they were not doing? 2. "To whom much is given, much will be required" is a Biblical maxim. In what way had God given the priests much? 1. To what degree does a pastor's faith affect what comes through him to the people he serves? Where does and where doesn't his faith affect what the people receive from him? 2. If a pastor is not a Christian, are baptisms that he does real baptisms and is Communion that he administer truly the "body and blood of the Lord?" 3. What would cause a pastor (priest) to not speak "true instruction" and not to "preserve knowledge"? 4. Although these words are directed at the priesthood (clergy), what responsibility does the Bible also assign to the lay people? Read Malachi 2:10-16 Judah Unfaithful Note: As we study this section, there are two schools of thought as to what exactly Malachi is talking about. Some think that Malachi may be addressing a problem that existed at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, contemporaries of Malachi, the problem of intermarriage between Judah and the Canaanite pagan people of the area. Therefore, the Lord is talking about actual marriages between men and women. The other school of thought states that often in Scripture the relationship between God and his people is described as that of marriage and when God chastises Israel for being unfaithful, he is talking about their unfaithfulness to him by chasing after idols. 1. What is the covenant of our fathers? 2. How would both idolatry and divorce desecrate the sanctuary of the Lord? 3. According to vs 13-14 What stands in the way of answered prayers?
1. God refers to the men of Judah forsaking the wife of their youth. What might be a reason a man would divorce his wife? What would this mean if God were talking about Judah's unfaithfulness in pursuing idols? 2. The Lord describes divorce as "a detestable thing", a "desecration of the sanctuary the Lord loves" and states "I hate divorce." Where does that leave divorced people today who confess to be Christians? 3. "So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith." Why guard yourself in your spirit? Isn't divorce a physical leaving and unfaithfulness? 4. Let's return to vs 13-14 We like to say that God hears and answers every prayer but according to this verse, is that true? What can we do?
Lesson 3- Malachi Opening Prayer Today as we pray, let's not only ask God's blessing on our Bible study but ask God to bless our venture into His Word through "40 Days Of Purpose", the daily devotional readings and the week small group Bible studies as well as the weekly Bible verse memorization. Malachi 2:17-3:5 1. vs 17 What is startling about this verse? What makes God tired? : What exactly were God's people saying that tired God out? Look at Psalm 73:3-5,12 What seems to be the complaint of the Psalmist. Does it still seem today that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? Why do you think that is so or why do your think it isn't the way it is? 2. 3:1 "See" Literally "look" or "behold" carrying the idea "all of a sudden" Who is the messenger foretold in Malachi 3:1 cf Matthew 11:10 Who comes after the messenger? : The fact that God uses words like "see" and "behold" throughout Scripture is a message to us. What is the message? Malachi wrote the words prophesying the coming of John the Baptist 400 years before John came. What lessons can we learn from that? Malachi's prophesy seems to have a double fulfillment. What would be the first fulfillment? The second? 3. 3:2-5 What is the purpose of the coming of Christ as these verses express it? What will God do for his people so that they can endure the judgment? What pictures does Malachi use to express the cleansing God will bring about? What is involved in the process of being refined or laundered? : God is refining and laudering us to purify us. How might that also explain the earlier complaint that the evil prosper and the wicked suffer? Malachi 3:6-12 4. Vss 6-7 In this section, God through his prophet will be speaking about giving to God. How do these two verses give us the motivation to give to God? 5. vs 8 How had God's people drifted away from God? How does God depict the action of God's people not making their full offerings to God? 6. vs 9 What is the result of people withholding offerings from God? Who feels that result? 7. vs 10-11 What were the people apparently doing?
"Test me in this." Note that this is the only time in the whole Bible where God invites us to put him to the test. Otherwise he says "You shall not put the the Lord your God to the test." What does God promise? Why do you think he invites Israel to test him and promise that he will bless them if they do? 1. What is the tithe? Does God still require his people to tithe? Look at 2 Cor 9:6-11 What does apply in this section to us? 2. How does withholding offerings from God result in us denying ourselves God's blessings? 3. What does giving generously to God say about our relationship with God? 4. Based on the 2 Corinthians passage, how does generous giving to God make us like God? A or D Christians should tithe to their church.
Lesson 4- Malachi Malachi 3:13-4:6 Intro Today we conclude our study of the minor prophet, Malachi. Next week will begin to study topics pertaining to "40 Days of Purpose." Left from the last class discussion Malachi 3:6-12 5. What is the tithe? Does God still require his people to tithe? Look at 2 Cor 9:6-11 What does apply in this section to us? 6. How does withholding offerings from God result in us denying ourselves God's blessings? 7. What does giving generously to God say about our relationship with God? 8. Based on the 2 Corinthians passage, how does generous giving to God make us like God? A or D Christians should tithe to their church. Read Malachi 3:13-18 1. What again (as earlier) is the complaint that God's people lodge against the Lord? 2. Is God fair in how He deals with His people? 3. What is the importance of the word "compassion?" 1. How are we as Christian to deal with the problem of pain and suffering, an Almighty God and the justice and love of God? How do these things come together to answer people who ask, "If God is loving and all powerful, how could He allow.?" Read Malachi 4:1-6 1. What is "the day"? 2. How thorough will the judgment of "the day" be for the unbeliever? 3. What is the picture of the "calves released from the stall"? 4. Who is "Elijah"? Matthew 17:11-13 1. Sometimes we think of Judgment Day as a horrible day. Is it? 2. How do the last words of the Old Testament bridge the 400 years to the New Testament? 3. Why was John the Baptist characterized as "Elijah"?