The last chapter was filled with rebukes from God. Here the priests are getting warnings from God: change or else.

God does not dole warnings without reason. He directs the priests' attention to the importance of various covenants, the responsibilities of those involved, and God's view of broken promises.

Let's dive right in!

The people of Israel have been out of Babylonian captivity for approximately 100 years and are several generations removed. The cycle of faithfulness and unfaithfulness of God's people continues. God is now speaking through His prophet Malachi to a nation that has grown indifferent, complacent, and arrogant in their heritage and worship of God.

This is God's final attempt to extend His grace, mercy, and patience before taking very drastic measures.

Welcome to Season 5!

We are planning to study the Old Testament prophetic books of Malachi and Joel.

Today's episode is a background and overview of Malachi. In the next four episodes, we will dive into the text in more detail. Then we will study Joel.

We are excited for this season and excited that you are joining us!

The conclusion of the whole matter is.....

The author brings his book of wisdom to a close with a plea and its reason.

Hevel. What does it mean? Where does it take us? Let the truth goad the reader as well as the son.

The proverbs of Ecclesiastes continue in this chapter. We went from learning how to spot the fool to realizing that in all our wisdom, we still won't know everything. There are things that happen in life that we just cannot know the how's and why's about them.

Can we really spot a fool? Chapter 10 details some examples of spotting a fool both visibly and by their words. This proverb-type chapter also serves as a warning not to become a fool.

Send us a message (or answer the question posted if you listen on Spotify) with your thoughts of verse 11.

The living dog is better than the dead lion. How is that? "even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" Matthew 15:27. There is hope while we are alive - eat, drink, and be merry!

Hevel is the theme of the book, with death as one of the recurring topics. We go from the "gloomy proverbs" of chapter 7 to what we consider to be a non-linear way to answer the author's own question, "Who is like the wise?"

Why does he ask this question? After all, is anyone wise?

This chapter begins with the "gloomy proverbs." We discuss the spiritual and practical application of a few. We see that the dark side of these thoughts only highlights the whole purpose of life. It is not all about wisdom and mourning, righteousness and sadness. What are the things that we should remember? Forget? Ask?