Jeremiah 22:20 - Meaning and Application

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of the Prophecy of Malachi

God’s prophets were God’s witnesses to his church. In every age, they testified for him and for his authority. They also testified against sin and sinners, and they explained the true purpose of God’s dealings with his people. They pointed ahead to God’s gracious plans for his church in the days of the Messiah, and all the prophets gave united testimony about him. Now we come to the last witness, and with him our evidence is complete. Though he is the last prophet, and prophecy ends with him, the Spirit of prophecy shines in him as clearly as in any who came before. His testimony deserves the same respect.

The Jews say that prophecy continued for forty years under the second temple, and they call this prophet the seal of prophecy, because the line of prophets ended with him. God wisely arranged for divine inspiration to stop for a time before the coming of the Messiah. In that way, that great prophet could stand out more clearly, be easier to recognize, and be more welcome.

1. The person of the prophet. We know only his name, Malachi, and nothing about his country or family. Malachi means “my angel,” and this has led some to suppose that he was an angel from heaven, not a man, like the angel in (Judges 2:1). But there is no solid reason for that idea. Prophets were messengers, God’s messengers, and this prophet was one of them. His name is the same as the word used in (Malachi 3:1) for “my messenger,” and he may have been called Malachi from that word, though he likely had another name.

The Chaldee paraphrase, and some Jews, suggest that Malachi was Ezra, but that is also without basis. Ezra was a scribe, but we never read that he was a prophet. Others, even less likely, say he was Mordecai. The safer conclusion is that he was a real person whose proper name is the one given here. Some ancient traditions say he was from the tribe of Zebulun and died young.

2. The scope of the prophecy. Haggai and Zechariah were sent to rebuke the people for delaying the rebuilding of the temple. Malachi was sent to rebuke them for neglecting the temple after it was built, and for corrupting its worship. They had turned from idolatry and superstition only to fall into the other extreme of irreverence and unbelief. The sins he speaks against are the same ones complained of in Nehemiah’s time, so he was probably a contemporary of Nehemiah.

Now that prophecy was about to cease, he speaks more clearly than any other prophet about the Messiah, who was near at hand. He ends by calling God’s people to remember the law of Moses while they waited for the gospel of Christ.