The Book of the Prophet Malachi

, consisting of 4 chapters, contains chiefly severe denunciations of the sins and iniquities of the Jewish people, and solemn predictions of the coming of the Messiah and of the preparation of His way by the preaching of John the Baptist. Truly, his prophecy is, as it were, a voice crying in the wilderness: “Prepare ye the way of the LORD” (Matt 3:3). In particular this book sternly rebukes the negligence, indifference, and self-love of the Jewish priests — vices that had an extremely bad influence on the people.

The people themselves, though they had only recently returned from the Babylonian captivity and re-entered the land of their fathers, quickly began to fall into moral corruption (Mal 3:5), and for this the prophet utters threats and stern denunciations. But these threats are tempered by comforting promises of the coming of the Messiah, who will punish and purify: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?” the prophet continues, from the person of God, “for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap” (Mal 3:1-2). Before the coming of the Redeemer, His forerunner John the Baptist must appear, whom the prophet Malachi calls Elijah: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (4:5-6).

The prophecies of Malachi are frequently referred to in the New Testament by the Lord Himself, and were undoubtedly known to the scribes and to the people (Matt 11:10; 17:10-12; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:16-17 and elsewhere).