The Final Word

  • Series: Year Of The Message
  • by: David Crosby 08/24/08

The end of a book is very important. Sometimes I will read the conclusion before I read anything else just to see what the author is truly concerned about.

We come today to the end of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi the prophet. A period of prophetic silence in Israel will follow this man's oracles. The silence will not be broken until John the Baptist comes out of the wilderness dressed in camel skins and eating wild honey. This inter-testamental period-from the post-exilic prophets to the time of Jesus-endures for 400 years.

Most of the book of Malachi is about the offerings we bring to God. It is about what kind of offerings God expects, how he responds to offerings that reflect idolatry in our hearts, and how he responds to offerings that truly honor him.Malachi delivers a message that is relevant to the people in his time-and in ours.

The Old Testament ends with a promise from God both of his blessing and his judgment. We want to be in the blessing place, and we know how to get there.