Malakhi 1 | “Offer it if you will to your governor”

The opening line of Malakhi’s prophecy bears no date: “An oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malakhi.” (1:1) In this way, his message can be read as a timeless prophecy — a final prophetic message to a people detaching from prophecy itself. From the content, however, we can infer that Malakhi prophesied after the time of Nechemia, when the Temple has been rebuilt, the city is surrounded by a wall, and yet nothing seems to have changed, and the people sense that God isn't with them. The priests serve in the Temple, but the people feel that the 'Master' does not arrive to accept their offering.

The book begins by addressing this sense among the people: “the Lord says, 'I have loved you.' But you say, ‘How have You loved us?’” (1:2). The people no longer believe that God loves them. Years have passed since the Temple’s reconstruction, and the promised redemption has not materialized. But Malakhi’s answer, delivered gradually throughout the book, is this: God will return to His Temple, and the situation will improve, once you correct yourselves. Before offering this deeper answer, the prophet presents a contrast with Edom. When Edom sins, God brings upon them a total destruction forever. But Israel is given a chance to correct.

What, then, is the sin that Israel must repair?

Malakhi tells the people that, given the way they are behaving, it would be better to shut the Temple and abolish the sacrificial service altogether. Similar claims appear elsewhere in the Tanakh (see, for example, Shmuel I 15, Yeshayahu 1, Yirmiyahu 7), but Malakhi’s reasoning is unique – the people are simply not investing enough effort in the Temple. Throughout the Tanakh, prophets often rebuke the nation for misplaced priorities — emphasizing the sacred and ritual while ignoring social justice. But here the criticism is the opposite, and it is the sacred and ritual that have been abandoned: “You offer defiled bread on My altar” (1:7). The prophet asks: Would you offer such a gift to your king? Then why do you disgrace My Temple with it?

This is an important balance and refinement of the broader prophetic critique of sacrifices: It is true that sacrifices alone are not sufficient, but they still matter deeply. Each prophet needs to warn the people about what they're missing, and each  prophet needs to correct the unique failings of his generation. In the days of Yeshayahu and Yirmiyahu, the Temple was revered, and the prophets called for the people to honor one another as well. In Malakhi’s time, the opposite is needed — a call to restore reverence for the Temple – the House of God.

Both messages are essential. And in our own day, different communities may require different emphases. Some societies must strengthen acts of compassion and justice. Others, where interpersonal kindness is already taken for granted, must be reminded not to neglect the sacred and the divine.