Steve Conover: Thank you for joining us for The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover, executive director of The Friends of Israel. With me as always is our host and teacher, Chris Katulka.

Chris Katulka: Steve, before we get started, I want to encourage our listeners to go to foiradio.org. It's there you can connect with us, especially if you've never heard of The Friends of Israel Today radio program. We're so thankful that you've tuned in. We have over a decade, that's right, 10 years of content on our website that's full of insightful biblical teaching about Israel and the Jewish people along with various interview guests as well. Again, that's foiradio.org. Now, Steve, we're starting a brand new series this week. It's all about the prophet Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament that launches us into this prophetic hope for the coming of the Messiah. But really Israel was dealing with some issues at that time, spiritual issues because they lost focus of God. In fact, they stopped giving God the best and they forgot that the best was yet to come. So today we're going to begin our introduction with the prophet Malachi.

Steve Conover: It's going to be a great series. But before we get into that, in the news, following the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, a new survey revealed a striking trend. Most Jewish Israelis are against any hostage deal that would leave Hamas with a foothold in Gaza. Even more revealing, 70% of all participants fear another October 7th-style massacre, this time originating from the West Bank.

Chris Katulka: Well, Steve, here's my take. While international attention remains fixed on Hamas in Gaza, Israel hasn't forgotten that Hamas gained ground in both Gaza and the West Bank during the 2006 elections. Their extremist ideology didn't stop at the coastal strip, it seeped into Judea and Samaria where it continues to inspire violence, especially toward Israel. Israelis aren't just looking backward at what happened on October 7th. They're looking eastward toward what might be coming as well.

Chris Katulka: Today we're beginning a series on the last book of the Old Testament and the last prophet to speak in the Old Testament as well, Malachi. The name of this series is called Give God the Best Because the Best is Yet to Come. Today we're going to talk about the background of Malachi and look into the prophet's first chapter as well. So let's get started. The prophet Malachi is speaking to a generation of Jewish people who lived in the land of Israel but are on the other side of a very dark moment in Israel's history. See, after Israel's sins reached a certain point, God couldn't take it anymore. The Lord permitted nations of the world to judge his Chosen People. He did this through two major empires from the past, the Assyrian Empire and the Babylonian Empire. The Assyrian Empire judged the northern 10 tribes of Israel while Babylon was used by God to judge Judah the southern tribe.

God permitted his people to be exiled from the land that he gave them, and he permitted the Babylonians to destroy the temple that Solomon built. In all of it, as the nation is being judged by these empires, God would speak through his prophets like Jeremiah, that one day the Jewish people would be returned to Israel and that the land would be revived. There would be a physical renewal of God's Chosen People, but also a spiritual renewal. So let me clarify something here. There are three major moments in Old Testament history and they surround the moment the Babylonians destroyed the temple and exiled the Jewish people from their land and here they are. Are you ready? The first is called the pre-exilic period. Pre-exilic are all the events of the Old Testament that happened prior to the destruction of the temple in 586 BC and when the people were carried off in exile. Events like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Exodus, the giving of the Law, Joshua's conquest into the land, the rise of the kings like Saul, David, and Solomon. All of these and many more are pre-exilic events.

Second is the exilic period. The exilic period only lasted 70 years and that's when Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king exiled the Jewish people to his land. Prophets like Ezekiel and Daniel would write during the exilic period. These prophecies were full of the despair of the Jewish people in exile, but full of hope and what God would do to restore them. Again, this was a very dark or the darkest, if I will, moment in Israel's history. Finally, the post-exilic period. The post-exilic period happened the moment the Jewish people were given permission to return to their homeland after 70 years. They returned under another empire that defeated the Babylonians. It was called the Persian Empire, and these include accounts that come from Ezra and Nehemiah and the prophet Zechariah, Haggai and our prophet, the one we're studying right now, Malachi. All of them wrote during this post-exilic period. 

The post-exilic Jewish community actually had every reason to be hopeful. Roughly a century had passed since Cyrus the Great, the Persian, issued the famous decree in 538 BC allowing the Jewish exiles to return from Babylon to Judah. Through the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah, the temple had been rebuilt by 515 BC. And by the time of Malachi's prophetic ministry, likely during or just after Nehemiah's tenure as the governor, the walls of Jerusalem were again standing strong. So outwardly, if you think about it, outwardly, the restoration was complete. The temple, the city and the people were back. Yet inwardly, the hearts of the people were anything but restored. Despite the external signs of progress, spiritual apathy had settled over Judah. Economic hardship, foreign rule under Persia, crop failures and the sting of unmet Messianic expectations had left the people absolutely disillusioned. Worship had become mechanical. Sacrifices were given, but they were blemished and second-rate animals. 

Priests went through the motions. The people questioned God's love even as they violated his commands with impunity. Into this spiritual malaise, God sends Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament era, with a sharp rebuke and a glimmering hope: Give God the best, Israel, because the best is yet to come. Malachi ministered in the fifth century BC roughly around 430 BC making him a contemporary or successor to Nehemiah. And his message comes after the major restorative efforts of Ezra and Nehemiah, which we already had mentioned, and the temple stood again for nearly a century. Yet the grand spiritual revival hoped for by earlier prophets just did not seem to materialize. The Jewish people were still under Persian rule. In fact, Malachi 1:8 gives us that hint because in the Hebrew they use the word governor, which reflects a Persian administrative structure and confirms the lack of Israel's autonomy.

What does that mean? It means that Israel's king wasn't sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. In fact, Israel's king at that time was a Gentile Persian king sitting on the throne in Persepolis. In addition, the harvests were poor, suggesting that the land itself was not flourishing under divine blessing. And the people rather than seeking God's face in humility, had grown cold and cynical. Religiously, the people were guilty of offering defiled sacrifices, withholding proper tithes and offerings, intermarrying with pagans, breaking the covenant of marriage and questioning God's justice and covenant faithfulness to them. So Malachi's burden was clear. God deserves honor, not leftovers. His love is constant. His name is great. His promises are sure. If God's people truly believed the best was yet to come, they would live and worship accordingly. Malachi's opening chapter is a prophetic courtroom scene. God, the plaintiff, levels a charge against his covenant people and not about their behavior alone, but about their hearts.

The central theme of chapter one is the call to honor God with the best of who we are and what we have. The prophecy begins not with condemnation, which is amazing, but with, actually, affirmation. God says, “I have loved you, says the LORD.” This is Malachi 1:2. This declaration echoes the covenant language of Deuteronomy and underscores that all God's expectations are rooted in relationship. However, the people's immediate response is actually very sad. They said, “How have you loved us?” That's Malachi 1:2, in the same verse. God answers by pointing to his sovereign choice of Jacob over Esau. This isn't merely about national preference, but about God's covenantal faithfulness to Israel. 

In the days of Malachi following the return and rebuilding after the Babylonian catastrophe, God says, “Look at Edom.” That's the neighbor to Israel. Look at Edom, the descendants of Esau. Remember the brother of Jacob? They are a visible contrast to Israel. Though both suffered devastation under Babylon, God preserved Israel while Edom faced ongoing desolation. By recalling his love through election, God reminds Israel that their very existence and restoration are a proof of his faithfulness. And the implication is clear: if God's love is not changed, then the problem lies not with Him, God, but with them, Israel. See, we're going to take a quick break and when we come back, when we return, we're going to see how God zeroes in on the ones permitting the spiritual apathy to happen to his people. It's his priests. You're going to want to hear this, so stick around.

Steve Conover: Chris, we've been blessed to add some new radio stations recently and I'm sure we have some who don't know much about The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

Chris Katulka: Yeah, Steve. For years The Friends of Israel has been a trusted source for those seeking to understand God's heart for the Jewish people. We're excited to invite new listeners into our growing community. We're offering a free digital download of our popular booklet, Whose Land is it Anyway? This booklet explores the historical, legal, and biblical claims to the land of Israel, providing clarity on a complex and often misunderstood topic.

Steve Conover: It's a great resource. If you've ever wondered about the ongoing struggle in the Middle East and want to be able to understand and defend why God has given the Holy Land to the Jewish people, this is the resource for you. We want to equip you to understand and support the Jewish people, not based on mere opinion, but based on God's trustworthy and unchanging Word. To get your free digital copy of Whose Land is it Anyway?, visit foiradio.org. That's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everyone. We're talking all about the prophet Malachi and the spiritual malaise that he was condemning among his people. There were many issues. I'll tell you, a lot of issues, but God's going to start at the top. See, God will have indictments against several players in Israel, but first he zeroes in on the priests, the spiritual leaders. They were supposed to model reverence and holiness. Instead, they had shown contempt for God's name. In Malachi 1:6, the prophet Malachi says, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is My honor?” This is God speaking through Malachi. The logic is inescapable. If God holds the highest relational titles, he deserves the highest respect. 

The priests pretend they're ignorant to question God and they say this, “How have we despised your name?” God answers: They offer blind, lame and sick animals on the altar. The sacrifices are polluted. They're half-hearted, they're unworthy. The sacrificial system was designed to teach holiness, atonement and gratitude. Yet by offering what was blemished, the people declare that God was not worth their best. God challenges them and says this in Malachi 1:8, “Present that to your governor. Will he accept you or show favor to you?” Look, God is saying, even their Persian overlords would reject such horrible offerings. Why then should the King of all and the Creator of the universe tolerate it? The point is piercing. If we wouldn't give such a gift to a human authority, how could we justify giving it to God? See, God's patience isn't infinite. He expresses holy frustration in verse 10 when he says, “Oh, that there were one among you who would just shut the doors, that you might not kindle a fire on my altar in vain.” God is actually saying when he talks about closing the doors, he says, it's better to close the temple doors than to defile it with insincere worship.

In contrast to their contempt, God paints a vision of the future: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations” (v. 11). This stunning prophecy anticipates global worship of the Lord—pure offerings from every nation. In other words, God is going to fulfill his promises despite Israel's half-hearted worship. Remember, it's always been in God's plan that through Israel, all the nations of the earth will be blessed by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. See, Malachi chapter one is not just a historical indictment, it's a mirror that's held up to every generation of God's people. The temptation to offer God less than our best, it's a timeless thing. The root of their disobedience was not ignorance but indifference. They knew what was required but they didn't care enough to do it. They lost sight of God's promises and forgot that the best was yet to come.

The principle for us today as believers in Jesus is simple but really profound and strikes at my heart as I'm speaking right now, give God the best because the best is yet to come. See, worship is not a performance. It's surrender. It's not merely songs and sermons, but a heart posture that says, “You are worth it. Lord.” When we worship casually, distracted or out of routine, you know what? We offer polluted sacrifices. God doesn't want our leftovers. He wants our first and our finest. That's why Romans chapter 12:1 says, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Worship, my friends, is a lifestyle. It includes our time. It includes our treasure. It includes our talents. Giving God our best doesn't mean perfection. You know what it means? It means priority. Malachi's primary rebuke falls on the priests, the spiritual leaders who were to set the tone for the community's relationship with God.

Today, pastors, teachers, ministry leaders and parents bear a similar responsibility. When leaders grow apathetic, the entire community follows. The key reason the people in Malachi's day grew cold was disappointment. They had returned from exile with great expectations, yet life remained hard. The Davidic King, the Messiah, had not come. Peace had not dawned. The Messianic age, it seemed so far off. Persia was still in control. So you know what happened? They settled into complacency. But God promises in Malachi 1:11 that his name would be great among the nations. It's a reminder that the best is yet to come. 

From a post-exilic village in Judah, God looked forward to a global movement of worship in Jesus the Messiah. That's where this promise finds its fulfillment, in Jesus. Through His death and resurrection, the gospel has gone to the ends of the earth. Millions from every tribe, tongue, and  nation now revere the name of the Lord. And one day that worship will culminate when the Lord Jesus returns and establishes his throne in Jerusalem where every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord. See, according to Malachi, the best is yet to come. If we truly believe this, we will live now in light of then. We will not give God our leftovers, but our best. Malachi's message is sobering but hopeful. God is not indifferent to our offerings. He's not impressed by our half-hearted faith. He calls his people to honor him with sincere hearts, not because he needs it, but because he deserves it. The post-exilic Jews were tempted to think that their small sacrifices didn't matter, but God saw it all. He knew their hearts and he reminded them and us today that his name will be great whether through them or through others.

As believers, we are like that post-exilic Jewish community. You know what we're doing? We're waiting. They were waiting for the Messiah to come to bring the best. And now we're awaiting the Messiah Jesus to return to bring the best. In our waiting, we are called to offer ourselves fully to him, not out of guilt, but out of gratitude. For we know the full story. We know that the Messiah came once to redeem and will come again to reign. So we give God the best not to earn his favor, but because he already gave us his best in Jesus Christ. And because no matter how hard life gets today, remember the best is yet to come.

Steve Conover: Now Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life and ministry of Holocaust survivor, Zvi Kalisher.

Mike Kellogg: I recently visited a synagogue where many men were studying the Talmud and other books of commentary. They were friendly until I asked them, “Why do you come here day after day and spend your time with nothing but vanity?”

Then they became suspicious, and one of them said, “I have been here studying for three long years. I come here to purify my soul.”

I replied, “Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, and tell me if you truly think you have purified your soul.” He looked at me strangely and said, “I was a fighter pilot, but now I am like

a bird with no wings. I have come here to repent. Most of the others here have the same background. They were good fighters, but now they are weak before God.”

“You are all making a great mistake,” I told him.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you are like helpless sheep who have gone astray, following false teachers,” I replied. 

“You are always looking to see who has the longest beard or the longest curls because you think he is the most righteous. Your pious outward appearance is like a costume children wear on Purim. Open your eyes and see how far you have fallen. Your only hope is to turn to God in the way He desires.”

They seemed to be listening intently. Then the chief rabbi of the synagogue came into the room, and he too listened carefully. Finally he said, “I am the chief rabbi here. Feel free to come often.”

I replied, “My place is not among those who are committing spiritual suicide. There is no life here. It is like an open grave. The people are spending their lives in emptiness and vanity.”

The rabbi listened, and then he asked, “From which books have you taken these stories?”

I replied, “It is written in Ezekiel 36:25–27, ‘Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take [your] heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you

will keep My judgments and do them.’’’

The rabbi took my Bible and examined it. When he realized it contained both the Old and New Testaments, he said, “This is not surprising. As soon as I heard you speak, I knew you were one of those who believe in that Man—you are one of those whom I do not like. But because you had the great courage to come here, I must admit I respect you. I challenge you to show me, from our Hebrew Scriptures only, where I have gone astray. Can you do that?”

I told him, “God has made the truth about Him plain for us in Isaiah 53, a well-known passage among Jews around the world, and you cannot deny it. You say you are waiting for the Messiah, but you are looking to the wrong people, such as the rabbi from New York who is now dead!”

I was surprised that after a long discussion, they were still very friendly. Even the rabbi said, “Because you have been so open and seem so sure of your beliefs, I would be happy to have you come back for a longer discussion. You are welcome anytime.” This was a real fulfillment of the Lord’s words in Luke 10:3, “I send you out as lambs among wolves.”

These people need our prayers, and so do I as I plan to visit them again soon.

Steve Conover: Thank you for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today. Don't forget to get your free digital download of our popular booklet, Whose Land is it Anyway? That's on our website, foiradio.org. Again, you can get Whose Land is it Anyway? as a free digital download at foiradio.org. Chris, where are we headed next week?

Chris Katulka: Yeah, we're going to continue our study on the prophet Malachi and we're actually going to see that the prophet Malachi is the only book in the entire Bible that calls the altar that was at the temple and the tabernacle, the altar, God's table—the table of the Lord. So we're going to look at what it means to bring our best because the best is yet to come and the idea of the fact that Malachi would call this the table of the Lord. It's going to be an interesting study.

Steve Conover: We hope you'll join us then. As mentioned, our web address is foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org. Our mailing address is FOI Radio PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. You can call our listener line. That number is 888-343-6940. Again, that's 888-343-6940. Today's program was engineered by Bob Beebe. Edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Lisa Small is our executive producer. Sarah Fern is our associate producer. Mike Kellogg read Apples of Gold. Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. And I'm Steve Conover, executive director of The Friends of Israel. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.