Malachi 1 Commentary

The prophet Malachi speaks words from God after some Israelites who had been exiled from Judah to Babylon now were returned to the land of Israel.

In Malachi 1, the LORD begins by reaffirming His faithful commitment to Israel. He then highlights the shameful and disobedient behavior the priests, Israel’s leadership, is exhibiting toward Him. God reprimands the post-exilic priests for being disobedient and disrespectful to Him in their offering of worship to Him.

He then contrasts that behavior with a future time when all the nations of the earth will worship Him properly.

The chapter’s outline is as follows:

1. The LORD reaffirms His faithful commitment to Israel. He contrasts Esau with Jacob to show how He chose the descendants of Jacob (the Israelites) over those of Esau (vv. 1–5).
2. The LORD rebukes the priests of Judah for dishonoring Him through their disobedient worship through making defiled sacrifices. He even wishes someone would shut the temple doors to stop these vain offerings (vv. 6­­–10).

3. The LORD predicts a day when every nation will exalt His name, acknowledge His greatness, and offer pure worship to Him (vv. 11–14). This is in contrast to the disrespectful behavior He is experiencing from His own people.