[Forty-Fifth in a series of posts on Bible Stories] Encore Post: The people of Judah had returned from exile in Babylon. Through the Persian ruler Cyrus, the people had resettled in the promised land. They rebuilt the temple, although not nearly to the glory of Solomon’s Temple. They rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem — and their lives. And then the people felt forgotten and isolated, a small province of a vast and worldwide foreign empire. God sent the prophet Malachi. His name means Messenger, Angel.
Malachi assured Judah of God’s love, calling on them to repent, especially the priests. He then lifted their eyes to look towards the future. He would send another Malachi — a messenger — Elijah, to prepare the way of the Lord. He would turn their hearts to each other, so that the Lord would not need to destroy them completely. With that, the voices of the prophets fell silent. It would be at least four hundred years before God would speak through a prophet again.
The people would not forget this time. They would bring together all the prophecies and types of the Messiah and his Malachi — Messenger. They came to look for an earthly kingdom and the day of the Lord. And so they missed the return of the Prophets — a Son of Levi and David — a second Zechariah and his son, the last and greatest prophet. But that is another story!
While God was silent, he was not absent or idle. In the time between the testaments, God began to prepare the ground for his prophets — and for his Son. The next few posts will delve into the methods he employed.
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