How to Study Malachi

• 1. Since Malachi is a short book read it without interruption so you can get a perspective of the book as a whole before you observe it chapter by chapter. As you read, catch the atmosphere of this book. Remember, this was written to people who had been sent into exile because of disobedience and then had returned to their land, just as God had promised.

  2. Now read through Malachi one chapter at a time, doing the following:

     1. 1. In a distinctive way or color mark the key words: Lord of hosts, you said (said), profane (profaned), My name (or Your name), priest (s), offering (sacrifices), curse, covenant, treacherously, fear (reverence), divorce. Write these key words on an index card you can can use as a bookmark while you study Malachi.

        2. As you mark every reference to you say or said, watch what the priests and/or the people say and how God answer.

        3. You may want to note the margin with whom God is upset, why He is upset, and what He tells them to do or what He is going to do as a result. 

        4. Observe what will happen to those who fear His name and to those who do not.

        5. Note God's call to return to Him, how they are to return, and what will happen if they do.

  3. When you finish each chapter, decide what the main subject or theme of that chapter is and record it on Structure of Malachi and in your Bible.

  4. As you read the final chapter of Malachi, read Deuteronomy 28 - 30, which speaks of the blessings or curses upon those who obey or disobey the law given by Moses.

  5. God was silent for 400 years after He spoke through His prophet Malachi. His silence was broken when an angel appeared to Zacharias with the news that he and Elizabeth would give birth to a son. Read Luke 1:5-17 and Matthew 11:2-15, and see how these passages relate to God's final promise in Malachi. Record the essence of that promise in the margin of Malachi 4, and write next to it the cross-references in Luke and Matthew.

  6. Record what you learn about the day of the Lord. 

Key Words in the NIV and KJV

Key doctrines in Malachi

1. The Lord's covenant with Israel (2:4, 5, 8, 10, 14; 3:1; Num 3:44-48; 18:8-24; 25:12; Deut 33:8-11; Ezek 34:25)

2. Israel's unfaithfulness (1:2-5; Josh 7:1; 1Chr 5:25; Ezra 9:4; Ps 78:8; Is 1:21; Ezek 44:10; Hos 1:2; Matt 25:29; Luke 12:46; Rom 3:3; 2Tim 2:13)

3. The coming of the Lord (3:1-3; Is 40:3; 63:9; Jer 10:10; Joel 2:11; Nah 1:6; Hab 2:7; Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76; 7:27; John 1:23; 2:14, 15)

The Rulers and Prophets of Malachi's Time 

Worksheets

Studies on Malachi