MALACHI
“Malachi” literally means the “my messenger.” Some believe it is the actual name of the prophet but others believe it is written by a messenger. It is the last book of what is commonly referred to as the "old testament" as well as the "Tanakh." We prefer using the phrase "original scriptures" because they are not out-dated as so many teach. In fact, when YAHWEH's Messiah walked the earth in the days well after Malachi, He and all His disciples walked, talked and taught from these very words--there were no collection of books called the "new testament." Of course, following the death of Yahshua, these letters and such were put together to (1) prove Messiah was here and (2) to show us we CAN live a life without practicing sin (both extremely important reasons). They all harmonize with each other, though, and if they do not, it is something amiss with our understanding.
Most "scholars" believe the time frame this was written to be around 445 BC, about the time when Ezra and Nehemiah came to Jerusalem.
The theme of this book seems to be to remind YAHWEH's people of their responsibilities toward YAHWEH as part of His set-apart covenant people. The "covenant" is the core of his message along with reinforcing YAHWEH's people's confidence and belief in YAHWEH...trust in YAHWEH!
The book is only four chapters so we will have two segments. Don't forget to check and see what you have learned by taking the quiz at the end of each installment.
We will be using the New American Standard version for this book. It is very beneficial, though, to use different versions to see how different translators worded passages. As your skill increases, you can look up the Hebrew words to determine if the translators were correct or perhaps influenced by their personal belief structure.