Day 250: Malachi 1-2

Summary

The Bible Dept. – Day 250: Malachi 1–2 Summary

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode, hosted by Dr. Manny Arango and a co-host (both Bible teachers with a warm, approachable tone), guides listeners through Malachi chapters 1–2 as part of a 365-day reading plan. The main focus is on understanding the historical context, uncovering the book’s structure as a series of “disputes” between God and the returned exiles, and pulling out “timeless truths” about disappointment, cynicism, worship, sacrifice, leadership, and faithfulness—both to God and in relationships.

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1. Historical and Literary Context (04:41–06:14)

• Time and Setting:
  • Malachi is the last prophetic book before the New Testament.
  • Chronologically, Malachi addresses the Jewish community about 100 years after their return from exile (~450–430 BC), after the rebuilt temple (515 BC) but before Nehemiah’s reforms.
• Cultural Situation:
  • The people have the temple, priests, sacrifices, and the Torah, but lack what the prophets promised: a Messiah, a Davidic king, a glorious return of God’s presence, and covenant renewal.
• Key Insight:
  • The disappointment of unfulfilled promises has bred cynicism among God’s people, leading them to “go through the motions” while their faith and relationships grow hollow.

“It is very, very easy for the small seed of disappointment to turn into the big tree or fruit of cynicism.” (Dr. Manny Arango, 05:21)

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2. Structure of Malachi: The Disputes Format (05:48–06:14)

• The book is organized around a dialogue:
  • God makes a claim.
  • The people dispute or question it.
  • God answers, setting the record straight.

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3. Key Disputes & Insights (“Nerdy Nuggets”)

Dispute #1: God’s Love for Israel (06:38–08:23)

• Text: Malachi 1:2–5
• Dialogue:
  • God: “I have loved you.”
  • People: “How have you loved us?”
• God’s Answer: Points to Israel’s restoration vs. Edom’s total devastation. Israel’s very survival and restoration is evidence of His love.
• Insight:
  • The people’s focus is on what God hasn’t done, ignoring what He has.

“You could be so entitled around what God has promised that you’re not appreciative of what he has done. The only thing you can focus on is what's lacking.” — Dr. Manny Arango (08:25)

• Timeless Truth:
  • Gratitude starts with appreciating what is present, not fixating on what is missing.

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Dispute #2: Dishonoring Worship and Sacrifices (11:14–18:39)

• Text: Malachi 1:6 – 2:9
• Dialogue:
  • God: Claims the priests dishonor Him.
  • People/Priests: “How have we shown contempt?”
• God’s Answer: They’re offering blind, lame, or blemished animals—against the Law. The priests allow it, treating ministry as a burden, not a privilege.
• Key Quotes:

“The quality of my sacrifice should reflect what I think about God... If God was average, then average praise would be okay. But He’s great, so He’s deserving of great praise.” — Dr. Manny Arango (15:47 & 15:56)

• Leadership Challenge:
  • The priests’ tolerance for subpar sacrifice teaches the people to treat God with less honor.
• Timeless Truths:
  • What we offer to God—our time, treasure, and talents—reflects our heart posture.
  • Ministry and worship should never become chores but are privileges.

“We get to do this... Before I preach, I don’t say I have to preach, [I] say I get to preach.” — Dr. Manny Arango (17:26–17:37)

• Connections: The roots of stinginess or half-hearted worship lie in internal disappointment or cynicism.

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Dispute #3: Unfaithfulness in Marriage (18:39–21:32)

• Text: Malachi 2:10–16
• Dialogue:
  • God confronts treachery and divorce among His people.
  • The men plead confusion, wondering why God no longer accepts their offerings despite emotional displays.
• God’s Answer: The men are breaking covenant through two sins:
  • Marrying women who worship foreign gods;
  • Divorcing “the wife of your youth” unjustly.

“I hate divorce.” — God (cited by Dr. Manny Arango, 21:11)

• Key Insight:
  • Faithfulness in our horizontal relationships (marriage/community) is linked to faithfulness in our vertical relationship (with God).
• Timeless Truths:
  • “Holiness in worship is tied to holiness at home.” (23:27)
  • Betraying a spouse is covenant-breaking; it affects worship and God counts the pain of the betrayed.

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4. Leadership and Influence (23:49–24:30)

• Priests’ Failure: By allowing flawed sacrifices, priests teach the people to value God lightly.
  • Quote: “Everything rises and falls on leadership. So God has some tough things to say to the people, but ultimately He has tough things to say to leaders, namely priests and husbands.” (24:21)
• Challenge for Today: Spiritual leaders and heads of households shape how God is valued through their standards and behaviors.

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5. Application & Timeless Truths (21:32–23:48)

• Worship is Revealed by Value, Not Ritual: Going through the motions doesn’t honor God; heartfelt, sacrificial gratitude does.

“When we cut corners when it comes to worship, we are saying that we don’t value God. That’s a non-negotiable.” — Dr. Manny Arango (22:31)

• Delay is Not Denial: Unmet expectations can breed cynicism, but God’s apparent delays don’t mean He’s abandoned His promises.

“A delay is not a denial... The vision that God gives should lift our eyes above our discouragement.” — Dr. Manny Arango (24:42)

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6. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “It’s crazy how sometimes we can be so upset about what God hasn’t done that we begin to ignore what He has done.” (07:56)
• “What we sacrifice to the Lord has little to do with the sacrifice and a lot to do with our heart posture toward the Lord.” (14:20)
• “God is a lot like my wife. She doesn’t just want me to do the dishes. She wants me to want to do the dishes.” (17:46)

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7. Timestamps for Key Segments

• Historical Context: 04:41–06:14
• Dispute 1: God’s Love: 06:38–08:23
• Dispute 2: Defiled Sacrifice: 11:14–18:39
• Dispute 3: Marital Unfaithfulness: 18:39–21:32
• Timeless Truths Recap: 21:32–23:48
• Leadership & Application: 23:49–24:30
• Conclusion—Delay is Not Denial: 24:30–25:45

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8. Conclusion

Malachi 1–2 confronts the people’s transition from disappointment with God into deep cynicism and hollow worship. Through a series of disputes, God challenges their disregard for His love, their subpar sacrifices, and their covenant-breaking in relationships. The call is for heartfelt gratitude, excellent worship, faithful leadership, and integrity both in church and at home—even (and especially) when God’s promises seem slow or incomplete.

Next Episode: Malachi 3–4 (“Day 251”) wraps up the final prophetic book of the Old Testament.

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For further study: Visit thebibledepartment.com for reading plans and Bible courses.

Transcript

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Hey, Bible nerds. This is Dr. Manny Arango and I'm your host for the Bible department podcast.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Powered by Arma.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

This podcast follows a Bible reading plan we created to help you read the.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Entire Bible in a year.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

You can head to the show notes or thebibledepartment.com to download our reading plan.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

And join the journey.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Let's be honest, a lot of us are still treating digital ministry like it's a backup plan from 2020. But discipleship isn't just happening on Sundays anymore. People need gospel centered connection every day of the week. And if you're stuck juggling five different platforms, one for giving, another for sermons, something else for events, it's no wonder engagement feels off. That's not ministry. That's a mess. Subsplash changes that one platform. Everything you need. Media, giving, events, messaging, your app, your website, built specifically for churches. No hacks, no workarounds, just clarity and simplicity. Because every day you wait, families scroll past your sermons, new guests click away from clunky sites, and real people miss real moments with Jesus. Don't waste another summer stuck in digital survival mode. Use it to get ahead, simplify, upgrade. Get back to what matters. Head to subsplash.combible-dept and schedule a free no pressure demo. And let this be the summer your church gets focused and fully equipped. Family. Welcome to Day 250 on the Bible department. We are in Malachi today. Malachi, chapters one and two.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

We'll spend two days in the book of Malachi, like every day.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

I've got context clues for you, I've.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Got nerdy nuggets, and I'll always leave.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

The episode off with a timeless truth. Maybe a couple today.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

We'll see. But before we jump into the episode.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

How about you make sure, make sure.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

You'Ve done the reading.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Grab your Bible, whether that be a physical Bible or digital, and listen to the chapters. Read the chapters, get the reading done. You can stop this video, you can pause the audio and come back once.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

You'Ve completed the reading. We don't want this podcast to be a substitute for your daily Bible reading, but a supplement to your daily Bible reading.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

And so, with no further ado, let's jump into the last book of the prophets. That's going to be Malachi. Malachi. Chronologically speaking, this is the very, very last prophet to prophesy to the returned exiles who have come home to Jerusalem. For context. Okay, if we just want to map.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

This out, the people have been back in the land for about a hundred years. Malachi is most prophesying and giving oracles to the people in probably 430 B.C. okay, so the temple got rebuilt in 515 B.C. but before the reforms of Nehemiah ended. So 430 B.C. so our timeframe here is probably 450 B.C. to 430 B.C. because we want to place Malachi after the temple has been rebuilt but before Nehemiah's reforms.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

So that's kind of the guardrails that we have historically. And essentially, the Jewish community at this point had the temple. They had priests, they had sacrifices, and they had the Torah, but they did.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Not have all of the things that.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The prophets had prophesied or promised. Remember, the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, they didn't just say that the people would return from exile. They said that there would be a Messiah, there'd be a Davidic king, there'd be a glorious return of God's presence, there'd be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and there'd be a sense of covenant renewal.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

These were all of the promises that God had spoken through the prophets before exile even happened. So it's kind of like part of the prophecy has happened.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

And I bet you could relate to.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

That in your own life, right?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

You feel like you've got a promise.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

From God and you've seen partial fulfillment, but not full fulfillment, which can lead to discouragement, which is exactly what's happening in the context of the people of Israel in this historical moment, as they are relating to their God, as they're relating to Yahweh. Okay, they've gotten partial fulfillment. What's the partial. Well, they've been returned to the land. They've rebuilt the temple, they've rebuilt the walls.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

But again, there's no Messiah, no Davidic king, no glorious return of God's presence, no outpouring of the Spirit, and no sense of covenant renewal. And so the people's disappointment turns to cynicism.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Man, I don't want to steal my thunder for my timeless truth today, but.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

It is very, very easy for the.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Small seed of disappointment to turn into the big tree or fruit of cynicism.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

They're cynical. And what happens when we're cynical? Exactly what happens to the people of Israel? They were going through the religious motions, but their worship and their relationships betrayed or portrayed how hollow their faith had actually become. And so the book of Malachi is going to be a series of disputes.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Dr. Manny Arango]

God is going to confront them about something that they could be doing different.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

And the people are going to dispute it. No, we're not that way or they're.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Going to ask a question that's kind of like, you know, you don't know.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

What you're talking about.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

And then God is going to have a rebuttal or a response to all of their disputes. And the entire book is kind of framed that way. God says something, the people don't agree, and God sets the record straight.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

He gets the last word in. And so we're going to look at a couple of those as we dive into our nerdy nuggets. Okay, so you ready for the nerdy nuggets? Let's go. Dispute number one. Okay, we're going to try to look at all three of the disputes in these first two chapters. Dispute number one is God's love for Israel. So Malachi, chapter one, verse two says.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

This, I have loved you, says the Lord.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

How cynical do you have to be to disagree with this?

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Okay, so the Lord says, I have loved you, but you asked, how have I loved you? So that's their dispute.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Okay, God says, I've loved you. The people question God's love and asking, how have you loved us? This is chapter one, verse two A and B. Here's God's response. God points to his contrasting treatment of Israel, the descendants of Jacob and their neighbors Edom, the descendants of Esau. And God asks a question, okay, does Edom still exist at all?

[Dr. Manny Arango]

No.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Edom was utterly devastated and would never recover. Meanwhile, Israel was restored to their land after judgment.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

This restoration of the people of Israel.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

To their land and the rebuilding of their temple is proof that God continuously and faithfully loves his people, Israel, even in their struggles. And so, just let's think about that. Isn't it crazy how sometimes we could be so upset about what God hasn't.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Done that we begin to even ignore.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

What he has done?

[Dr. Manny Arango]

It's like the things that he has done aren't enough. And so God begins to say, look, I've loved you. And the people are like, how? How have you loved us? And meanwhile, the evidence of God's love is all around. But because of what God has not done, they cannot appreciate what God has done. Man.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Woo. That's timelessly true.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

You could be so entitled around what God has promised that you're not appreciative of what he has done. The only thing you can focus on is what's lacking. The only thing you can focus on is what he hasn't done. The promises that aren't fulfilled yet.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

But God says gratitude starts when you.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Actually just start to appreciate what is there, not what isn't. There family, the wait is over.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

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[Dr. Manny Arango]

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[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

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[Dr. Manny Arango]

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[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

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[Dr. Manny Arango]

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[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

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[Dr. Manny Arango]

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[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

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[Dr. Manny Arango]

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[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

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[Dr. Manny Arango]

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[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

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[Dr. Manny Arango]

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[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Okay, second dispute. We got three disputes to go through in our nerdy nugget. Second dispute is really centered around the priests who are dishonoring the sacrificial system of worship. Here's God's claim. God as a father and master deserves honor from his people, particularly the priests. Okay, here's the dispute. Of course the people don't agree with this. Okay, this is by the way, this starts in chapter one, verse six and this goes all the way to chapter two, verse nine, this second dispute. And I'll give you verses for the first dispute. The first dispute starts in verse two of chapter one and goes all the way to verse five of chapter One. Okay, so chapters chapter one, verse two, three, four, and five. Now picking up in chapter one, verse six.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Okay, I'll actually just read it for us. A son honors his father and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I'm a master, where is the respect due me? Says the Lord Almighty.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

So first, just timeless truth we can.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Take from that is God doesn't just request praise, he demands praise. He demands worship. He demands that we honor him. So God right here says, hey, sons honor their fathers, and I'm a father, but you don't honor me. And slaves honor their masters, and I'm definitely your master, and you don't honor me. It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, okay, that's the key word. But you ask, okay, the people always.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Have a question in dispute against God's claim.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Okay, here's the dispute. How have we shown contempt for your name?

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

How have we shown contempt for your name? And I love God's answer. Verse 7. By offering defiled food on my altar. But you ask, how have we defiled you? By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you, says the Lord Almighty. Now plead with God to be gracious with us. With such offerings from your hands, which will he accept? You, says the Lord Almighty. So the people this their cynicism or their disappointment with God is now coming out in the quality of the sacrifice.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

That they're offering to the Lord.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

They're offering God blind animals, diseased animals, lame or paralyzed animals. And Leviticus tells us what kind of offering, what kind of sacrifices are acceptable to God? The offerings that are acceptable to God. These animals are not allowed to have imperfections or broken bones or anything that's wrong with them. And so God has a problem with.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The quality of the sacrifices being placed on the altar.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

And really it's a reflection of the people's hearts. Again, I don't want to get into my timeless truth too early, but what.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

We sacrifice to the Lord and has little to do with the sacrifice and a lot to do with our heart posture toward the Lord. We say this when we take up the offering, when we take up the.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Financial offering, when it's time to give out of our tithe and offering to the Lord. We say this every Sunday. We say, hey, out of your treasure, where Your treasure is your heart will be also right. We don't just give based on a financial number. No, we give based on the gratitude that's coming out of our heart. But if disappointment is in our heart and cynicism has now gripped our heart, then that's always going to find its end. Or that's gonna always result in us.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Being stingy with God. And so they're offering blind, cheap, blemished sacrifices. So here's God's response. God exposes their hypocrisy, detailing their unacceptable behavior. First, there's a couple issues. Number one, the sacrifices themselves. God reveals that the people are bringing blind, crippled, and diseased animals for sacrifice, a practice forbidden by the Mosaic Law. These cheap, blemished offerings show that the people have a low view of God.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

This is untimeless truth through scripture.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

The quality of my sacrifice should reflect what I think about God.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Dr. Manny Arango]

I say this sometimes in worship services.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Hey, if God was average, then average praise would be okay. But he's great, so he's deserving of great praise. That means the musicians should be excellent.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

The songs should be intentional, and we should sing them with passion and exuberance.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

We don't give God cute golf claps.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Cause he's not cute.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

We give God exuberant, passionate praise because we owe him everything.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

And worship and praise through singing is a sacrifice. It's not the only way that we.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice. Also, God has an issue with the priests because the priests are complicit in this sin.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

What should be happening is that the.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

People should be bringing blind, lame, or crippled animals.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

And the priests should be stopping them saying, no, this animal, once we have examined it, we're realizing that this animal is not up to par. But not only are the people bringing.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Cheap sacrifices, but the priests are allowing this to happen. And the priests should not be allowing this to happen. The priests are therefore complicit. They're accepting these inferior offerings as representatives of God. They should be stopping the people and.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Teaching them and instructing them how to honor God properly.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

But they're failing in their assignment. They have treated their ministry as a burdensome chore rather than a privilege. One of the things that we say.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

As a team, and I got this.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

From the church that is our sending church, is right before every time we serve, we say, we get to do this.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Because we don't have to do this.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

We get to do this.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

That language has honestly helped transform my own heart. Before I preach, I don't say I have to preach, say I get to.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Preach because you never want ministry or.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Serving or sacrificing our time and energy.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

And excellence to the Lord to become a burden.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

We always want God to feel like, oh my God, the people not only did it, but they wanted to do it. God is a lot like my wife. She doesn't just want me to do the dishes. She doesn't just want me to do the dishes. She wants me to want to do the dishes.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Big, big difference.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

She doesn't want to receive any kind.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Of love from me that feels obligatory or that feels burdensome. So the Levites are treating their ministry call like a burden rather than a privilege. As a result, God announces a curse upon their blessings for failing to honor him. And then there's a covenant with Levi that gets mentioned. God contrasts the priests current faithless faithlessness with the ideal covenant made with the tribe of Levi, which called for true instruction and reverence. All right, we're running out of time and I got to give you our last dispute.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

So one dispute was around love. The people don't believe that God loves them.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The second dispute is around the quality of the temple worship or the animals that are being sacrificed. The third dispute is unfaithfulness in marriage. Here's God's claim. God exposes the treachery within the community.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Divorce, okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Divorce is treachery. By asking rhetorically, have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why did we deal treacherously with one another? He reveals that the men of Israel have been unfaithful to their wives.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

And therefore with him you see how.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

With God what happens at the temple.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Is connected to what happens at home.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

God sees that man. This cynicism, this disappointment that's grown into cynicism has an effect on the worship, but it also has an effect on how people are treating each other. Because the two greatest commandments are love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Which means you would offer good sacrifices, but also love your neighbor as you love yourself, which means you wouldn't be unfaithful to your wife.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Loving God, loving others.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

This is basic, twofold demonstration of how.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

We show our covenant. Love towards God is also how we show love towards people. Okay, what do the peoples object and say? The men question why God no longer accepts their sacrifices even though they flood his altar with tears. God absolutely has a response to this. God reveals that there are two ways that people are breaking their marriage covenants to which he himself was a witness. First, they're marrying foreign women. The men have married foreign. Have married women who worship foreign gods. An abomination that profanes the covenant. Second, they're divorcing the wives of their youth. I want everybody to remember that you should stay in love with the wife of your youth. These men are unjustly divorcing their partners to pursue these foreign wives. God states, I hate divorce. Okay, so if you ever wanted. What verse of the Bible does God say that he hates divorce? It's right here in Malachi, chapter two. And calls them to guard their spirit and remain faithful to the wives of their youth. So three disputes and they have the exact same flow. Okay, let's get into some timeless truths. As we close out this episode, Malachi forces us, me and you, to ask, what we give God, are we bringing him our best or our leftovers? And I think that's true for our time, our treasure and our talents. Okay, that's true for our time, but that's also true for our treasure, like our finances, and then also true for.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Our talents, like our gifts.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Are we giving him our best or our leftovers? The priests thought that scraps were fine, that blind or lame or crippled animals were okay. But God calls that contempt. Worship is not about checking boxes, but revealing what we truly value.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

If I asked you right now, hey.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

I've got a $10 bill, you've got a $50 bill.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Can we trade?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

You would trade.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Why?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Or I guess if I had the $50 bill and you had the $10 bill.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

And I said, let's trade, you would trade. Why?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Because you see that the $50 bill is more valuable than the $10 bill.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Well, when I think about my tithe and I go, well, what am I.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Getting in exchange for this oh, wow, favor with God.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Oh, wow. Blessings from heaven. Oh, wow.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The presence of God.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Okay, great. A good name, good standing with God. Yep.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

I'm always gonna make that trade because I value the Lord. Okay, so the issue here is that they're checking boxes by worshiping, but they don't actually value the Lord. And when we cut corners when it comes to worship, we are saying that we don't value God. That's a non negotiable.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The way that we value the Lord is to make sacrifices to the Lord. And anytime that we're not, it actually means that there's an issue not with the sacrifice, but with the value and the value that we place on God. But this all stems from the root of disappointment. Now, the first words that God speaks.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

In this prophetic book is I have.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Loved you, which means our obedience must flow, our sacrifice must flow out of gratitude for his grace and his love of us, not mere fear of his judgment, but actually a desire for his love. The prophet Malachi ties holiness in worship.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

To holiness at home.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

That's a timeless truth.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

You and I cannot betray our spouse and then stand at the altar with clean hands. God sees unfaithfulness in marriage as covenant breaking, and he counts the tears of the betrayed as a witness against false worship.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Malachi also warns us about leadership and about the importance of leadership. The priests were supposed to teach by what they tolerated.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

So when somebody came to the altar and they had a blind animal, the.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Priests are not supposed to tolerate that, thereby teaching the people how to value Yahweh. And so leadership is important. Everything rises and falls on leadership. So God has some tough things to say to the people, but ultimately he has tough things to say to leaders, namely priests and husbands.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

And I think the same is true. That's timelessly true.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

God has the toughest things to say to the people with the greatest responsibility.

[Audience or occasional interjection (possibly a listener or another co-host)]

Okay?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The priests were supposed to teach by what they tolerated when they accepted blemish, sacrifices. They trained the people to treat God lightly. And God let it be. Never said of us that we taught people how to treat you less than your actual value. Leaders today in families or churches must shape theology by their example. Finally, Malachi reminds us that God's plans are never small. Israel saw only weakness, but God declared that his name would be great among the nations. So remember, they're not seeing the full fulfillment of the promises made by the prophets, but partial fulfillment. However, just because God has a delay in bringing about his promise does not mean that this is a denial. Therefore, when we're in the middle of disappointment, don't let disappointment grow into full blown cynicism. You've got to begin to tell your heart and your emotions and your mind that a delay is not a denial. The vision that God gives, okay, should lift our eyes above our discouragement and remind us that our part is just one piece of his global story.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

All right?

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

That is our context clues, our nerdy nuggets and multiple timeless truths. For today's episode.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Tomorrow, we are going to wrap up.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The Book of Malachi. We're going to study chapters three and four for day 251. If you're on a streak, I'm insanely proud of you. If you're not on a streak, I.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Love you, but I do want you to be on a streak. Okay, so I'll see you right here tomorrow as we dive in to the.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

Remaining chapters of the Book of Malachi on day 251. I love you guys. Peace.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

Thanks so much for joining us on.

[Co-host (possibly a fellow Bible teacher or ministry partner)]

The Bible Department podcast.

[Dr. Manny Arango]

You can find us online and learn more about the [e-mail] and on Instagram hebibledepartment. If you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library of [e-mail] we'll see you back here tomorrow.