Read all of Malachi. What is the condition of the Jewish people as he writes? What are the particular problems he addresses? How is the situation different from that addressed by earlier prophets, e.g., Isaiah and Jeremiah? What keys to Jewish survival do you see here?
Thursday, April 19, 2012
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The people's faith has been shaken and they are not following the lord properly. They believe they havent felt his love at all and do not thank him or pray to him properly. God says if you do not listen to my i will curse you and curse your blessings. These are the main problems of the Jewish people in this book. As well as a covenant being broken and Israel spoke arrogantly of God. Keys to Jewish survival would be to turn around what you are doing and put faith in God. Sadly though, sometimes it takes a crisis for people to open up their eyes and turn back to God.
ReplyDeleteR. Casey Oberle
The condition that the people are in when Malachi writes is one of questioning. Right away in the book of Malachi there is question after question. "If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If i am a master, where is the respect due me?... But you ask, How have we defiled you?"
ReplyDeleteAll these questions reflect on a time when the Jewish people had started to question God's word and law. They had become relaxed on many of God's laws. Intermarrying with pagans, giving unfit sacrifices at temple, robbing God by withholding tithes.
In this way it is different because with Jeremiah and Isaiah it was good times for the Jewish people, they didn't want to hear bad messages, they just wanted to enjoy themselves, and in doing so strayed from God. With Malachi the Jewish people are questioning God. Because it seems to them that even when they follow his law they get nothing but hardship.
The key to survival that I see is perseverance. Make it through the hard times and then you will be set.
Malachi's situation is different from the prophets that came before him as he is looking back on the captivity of the nation. He is in a time where people need to change their attitudes; they have lost sight of their captivity as a punishment and no longer uphold God as highly as they should. Malachi is calling on the people to change their hearts to be people of God. He also says that those who truly follow God will be rewarded; that is how they and he can persevere. -Zach Kuhlman
ReplyDeleteThe Jewish people are really wicked. They don’t honor God or respect him. They offer the Lord polluted bread on his altar and sacrifice things they wouldn’t offer to their governor. Malachi addresses the fact that the priests are leading people in the wrong direction. He tells the priests what they should be doing and points out what they are doing wrong. They are breaking the covenant that their people have with God and they will be cursed.
ReplyDeleteHe also addresses the problem of Judah marrying women who worship foreign gods. When they do this they are basically turning away from God and they wonder why he disregards their offerings. They weep and cry out unto the Lord at his altar to no avail. They also cheat on their wives. That is a no-no because that is another covenant they are breaking.
They also withhold tithes and offerings from the Lord. 3:10 says that if they take all their tithes and put them in a storehouse, God will open the floodgates of Heaven and shower them with blessings. Their problems are just so easy to fix; stop being ignorant and do what you’re supposed to do. (It’s crazy how they have set laws of how to live a righteous life and they choose not to. It seems like it would be easier to live a holy life back then versus here today).
The people also say that it is pointless to serve God because wicked people seem to get away with it and they also seem to prosper.
This situation is different from the others because these people really seem to have given up on God. They have really turned their backs on him and don’t fear him at all. They have the same problems as the others, but they don’t view God as Almighty. They’ve lost respect for God, their fear of Him, and their morals. Corrupt is the way to go :D…..apparently.
Malachi wrote the words of the Lord to the Jewish people who had gone astray, especially the priests who had turned from the Lord. Priests were not treating the sacrifices they were to make to God seriously. Animals with blemishes were being sacrificed even though the law demanded animals without defect (Deuteronomy 15:21). The men of Judah were dealing with the wives of their youth falsely and wondering why God would not accept their sacrifices. Also, people were not tithing as they should have been (Leviticus 27:30, 32). But in spite of the people’s sin and turning away from God, Malachi reiterates God’s love for His people (Malachi 1:1-5) and His promises of a coming Messenger (Malachi 2:17–3:5).
ReplyDeletetom quigg
Tyler Munson
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 2 he gives an absolute tongue-lashing to the priest because they have not been true to the lord. By going against the convenant made by their fathers they have completely lost sight of the faith. So with this going on i can't imagine the Jewish people were in a very good state.
Malachi wrote that the sacrifices being made were improper and polluted. in Chaper 1:7-9 "when you offer polluted sacrifices on my alter. Polluted sacrifices? When have we ever don a think like that? Every timen you say dont bother brining anything very valuable to offer to God! You tell the people that lame animals are all right to offer on the altar of the Lord- yes even the sick and the blind. And you claim this isnt evil? Try it on your governor sometime- give him gifts like that- and see how pleased he is"
ReplyDeletethis really speaks as to how astray the jewish people have gone even in the sacrifices to god. it compares to daniel or ezekial.
jason schumacher
At the time Malachi is writing this book, the people of Jerusalem are not worshiping God the way they should be. They are hoarding their best animals and sacrificing blemished ones. They are not fully listening and obeying the commandments set fourth from Him - they are 'profaning the covenant of [their] fathers.' These are the issues which Malachi is addressing, and he is telling of the consequences of their actions; God is turning His back on them and becoming angry with them because of all of these selfish acts. God (through Malachi) is fortelling the comming of the prophet Eli'jah...that is if He does'nt 'smite the land with a curse' first. The day is suppose to come where the people who fear His name will 'tread down the wicked'.
ReplyDeleteThe Jewish people are in a state of defiance. Listening to what they are doing delebrately reminds me of a teenager doing the excate opposite of what they were told. Like bringing unclean animals to the alter for sacrifice in Malachi 2 or marrying pagan women then devorcing them.
ReplyDeleteFor the being in Babylonian captivity as punishment for their sins of the past, they do not learn to0 well.
This book describes exiled Jews being allowed to return to their homeland and, eventually, rebuilding their temple and much of their city. With help from people like Ezra, the Jewish people did quite well considering the difficult tribulations they faced. As far as the actual deep message of the book goes, i believe it is that God will come to judge his people, but thats not all...he will also restore and bless his people. It is almost like Malachi knows that the Jewish people are afraid that they may have lost God's love, due to their homeland not really being theirs, as well as their prophetic great future still having not arrived yet arrived, so he is reassuring them of God's love and intentions...even though they have messed up, God still loves them, and they will survive with the help of faith and God's love.
ReplyDeleteThe condition of Jewish people they know little about the scripture, the father, son, and family relationship is messed up, and that the people need to have their comment with God stronger. Malachi message defers from the other prophets because the people should know of the past and that if you do wrong and be wicked you will be easily noticed and not be left of the few to be forever lasting with God.
ReplyDeleteThe keys of survival that is shown is for Jewish people start going into their scriptures, strength the family and do the right things to become righteous in following Gods words.
In the book of Malachi, God is angry with the priests because they have turned from the ways that were good to God. They had begun to sacrifice animals of poor quality, animals that were crippled in some manner and God did not look at this favorably. God believed that these priests had violated the covenant with Levi, and because they had turned against the ways, they had given bad advice to the people, and God cursed them to be humiliated and despised by the people. The people of Judah had become unfaithful to their marriages and God says that he does not look at divorce as favorable at all. God says that there will be a day of judgement for the people. He also tells the people that they are basically robbing himm because they will not pay their full tithes to God.
ReplyDelete