Today, we come to the final book of the Old Testament: Malachi. The prophet Malachi ministered in Judah about 80 years after the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. In Malachi’s day, the Temple had been rebuilt, but the nation was still small, insignificant, and ruled by the Persians. The predictions of peace, prosperity, and the coming Messiah had not been fulfilled. This led to an attitude of disillusionment that the Lord addressed through Malachi.

In the first of six messages, the Lord affirmed His love for Israel, “I have loved you” (v. 2). The word love here does not mean simply a feeling of affection. It is a covenantal term. God affirmed His choice of Israel and His ongoing commitment to them. This sounds like great news. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get a message through a prophet declaring the Lord’s love? Yet, that is not how Israel responded. Disillusionment had hardened their hearts:“How have you loved us?” (v. 2).

The Lord answered by contrasting their situation with Edom. The Lord reminded Israel of Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25:19–34). God loved Jacob but hated Esau (v. 3). The word hate here does not mean an emotional response. God was saying, “I have chosen Jacob, but rejected Esau.” Jacob would be the one through whom the Abrahamic promise would descend. It was not because Jacob was more righteous than Esau, but because of God’s sovereign choice.

God’s choice of Israel had always been for the sake of the nations (Gen. 12:3). As this prophetic message reminded Israel, God’s power and attention is felt far outside Israel’s boundaries (v. 5). “The whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3). Sometimes we need to be reminded that the Lord loves His people even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment. His plans are bigger than our imagination.

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