440 B.C.- 430 B.C

This book paves a way to the advent of Jesus Christ and John the Baptist. It can be devided into 3 parts.
1.1to5 Message of love
2.6 to 3rd chapter 15th verse Message of rebuke
3.3rd chapter 16,17&18 verses& 4th chapter Message of hope.
Key verse – ” But you ask”

It is a dialogue. They are asking questions and God is answering them.

They are believing they are alright. But God’s perspective of seeing things is different.
1.Malachi 1:2 When Israel doubted God’s love He is telling that he loved Jacob and hated Esau even though they are twins. Think of the love Jesus showed in the cross
2.malachi 1:8 “How have we defiled you ” Israel is asking.
” By offering lame and blind animals for sacrifice ” God is answering them. Our offerings reveal our attitude toward God. Giving second rate offerings is not acceptable to God.
3.Malachi 2:7 Rebuke to the priests.
The leaders should not preach wrong doctrines. They spread and will be carried to generations. According to their preaching the people of God grow in their relationship with God.

4. Malachi 2:13 God is not accepting their offerings because they are unfaithful to their wives and broke the marriage covenant. How is your relationship with your life partner?
   2.malachi 2:17 They wearied the Lord with their words. They were telling all who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord. Where is God of justice?
   This hurt the Lord very much. We must be careful about our words.
   2.malachi 3:7&8 Will a mere mortal rob God ? Yet you rob me by stealing my tieth …the Lord is saying.
   Are we faithful in giving to the Lord?
5. Malachi 3:13&14
   They said it is futile to serve God. Yet they ask “what have we said against you”?

From the above dialogue we can understand God is mindful of our thoughts and words. When believers talk to each other God listens and records.

Here Old Testament ends.
🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁
FROM MALAKI TO CHRIST
1.450-330 B.C
The Persian period
2.330-166B.C
Rule of Alexander,Ptolemies of Egypt and Seleucids of Syria.
3.166- 63B.C
Hormones periodically appear(revolt of Maccabees)
4.63B.C – 70 A.D
Roman period (Jesus birth and death and destruction of the temple)
Chandramani 🖋️

Malachi 2:16

“For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, God of Israel.
Genesis 2:18 – Yahweh God said, ‘It is not right that the man should be alone. I shall make him a helper. “God then created the wild animals 🐆🦓🐅🦍🐘🦬🐗 and birds of heaven 🕊️🦢🦜🦚🦃🦉🦅🦩and the man gave names to all of them. But none of these animals were found suitable as a helper for man.

💞 So God put the 👨 man into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs and closed it with flesh and fashioned the rib of the man into a 👩 woman. God then brought the woman to the man. When the man saw the woman he was very happy and said,
” This one at last is the bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh! ” God had made the woman to be a perfect helper and partner for the man. And God created the first family on earth. (husband & wife)
This family lived happily in the garden of Eden in the presence of God and God took care of them. God instructed them to follow some rules so as to obey Him so that they would live forever with God.(eternity)

💔 But the sin of man destroyed the relationship that was pure and holy. Man had to go away from this garden and toil day and night along with his wife for their survival. But God did not abandon them but guided them to remain united as one family. But today, we find that ‘ marriages ‘ are breaking and so many divorces are taking place in the world. God has united a man and a woman forever in the Sacrament of Matrimony. Mathew 19:6 says, “So then what God has united, human beings must not divide.”
💔 There are divorces because of man’s disobedience to the Word of God. Sins of the flesh, (lust) lack of family prayer, ignorance of the Word of God etc.. are some reasons for this family breakups. But today, the Word of God is still the same, God still says, “I hate divorce.” God has instructed in His Word, as to how a relationship should be between husband and wife and the parents and their children in the book of Sirach. God wants us to be obedient to Him and to follow His Teachings so that we remain united as a family always, whatever be our troubles, God will not abandon us if we seek God. Amen.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
6975- Patsy Fernandes

The words which wearied the Lord, harsh words against God

Malachi 2:17, 3:13-15.

1. Here God is telling about our words which made God weary, and about our harsh words against God. But after speaking these words, yet we say, what have we spoken against you? Let us find out whether we speak such words.
2. What are the words we speak?
   i. Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delights in them. Where is the God of justice?
   ii. It is useless to serve God. What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance and walking as mourners?
   iii. The proud is blessed. Those who are wicked, are raised up. They even tempt God and go free.
   Do we speak or think like this? Yes, many times we have spoken like this in the past.
3. But we are not aware that these are harsh words against God. But remember that our Lord will listen and hear our words. These words are written before Him in the book of remembrance.

Yes, we may be God fearing. But if we speak or think like this, let us repent with our words which made our saviour weary.
In this world, the wicked may be rich and blessed. But they will be judged for eternal fire. So let us live carefully not to speak harsh words which will make our Lord weary. Instead let us praise God in our sufferings for His grace, which sustained in our faith so far. Amen. Hallelujah.

Dr. Padmini Selvyn.