2. Don’t you just love gifts?

3. What if you opened it and it was broken?

4. Malachi 1&2
What if you found out the giver knew it was broken before they gave it to you?

5. Who was Malachi? Malachi means “my messenger”
Very little is known of his background
A contemporary of Ezra & Nehemiah

6. Who was Malachi?
Last prophet we know of to minister in the land of Israel until John the Baptist began to preach more than 400 years later

7. Tell the people what I feel for them…
Malachi
1:1-3

8. Okay, that is kinda confusing!
Who does the Lord love and who does he hate?

9. Context, Translation & Symbolic Language
Let’s understand the
Context, Translation & Symbolic Language
Jacob =
Covenant People
Esau
the World
Esau was the brother of Jacob, who became Israel, father of the twelve tribes.
The word “hated” in Hebrew means to be loved less not disliked with bitter hostility

10. Tell the people what I feel for them…
I have always loved you, my covenant people!
But I dislike the wickedness of the world & will destroy it

11. Malachi 1:6-8, 13

12. What kind of offerings was Israel bringing to their God?
Leviticus 22:21-23
What does this indicate about their feelings towards their God?
What were their offerings supposed to symbolize?

13. Cursed be the deceiver who tries to trick God with his offerings
Malachi 1:14

14. How can you honor God?

15. What are some opportunities
we may have to give our
best to the Lord?
sometimes giving our best to the Lord includes the amount of effort, willingness, or quality we put into something.
How might a person offer less than their best to the Lord in these activities? On the other hand, how might a person offer their best?
Effort
Willingness
Quality

16. Apply it… Giving your best to the Lord
When have you? How did you feel?
What could you do better?

17. With all your heart 3:27 min
Watch:
With all your heart 3:27 min
Watch:
With all your heart 3:27 min

18. Now, a message to the Priests…
Malachi 2
You who are responsible for providing a righteous example to the people…

19. Now, a message to the Priests…
Malachi 2:4-7
This is what God expects of you…
to fear the Lord means to honor and respect Him. The phrase “the law of truth is in his mouth” in verse 6 means that the Lord expected the priests to be honest.

20. Now, a message to the Priests… Malachi 2:8-9
Because of your poor example…
to fear the Lord means to honor and respect Him. The phrase “the law of truth is in his mouth” in verse 6 means that the Lord expected the priests to be honest.
Finish the principle:
If we do not follow the Lord’s ways, then…

21. How might our poor choices cause others to stumble?
Scriptural examples?

22. What can you do?

23. Watch: Bullied no more 4:56
Watch:
Bullied no more 4:56

24. Give Him your whole heart!
Give God your best gift!
Give Him your whole heart!