I will corrupt your seed (Malachi 1-4)

Episode 232: Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces

Malachi 1-4

I hated Esau

1 ¹ This is the burden of God's word to Israel by Malachi.

² I [God] loved you.

Yet you say, “When have you loved us?”

Well, I loved Jacob. Wasn't he Esau's brother?

³ And I hated Esau. I made his mountains a refuge for dragons.

⁴ Whatever Edom builds, I will destroy, because I will be angry with them forever.

⁶ So why don't honor and fear me?

Don't sacrifice defective animals

^7-13 You've brought blind, wounded, lame, and sick animals to sacrifice to me.

Isn't that evil? Do you expect me to accept that?

¹⁴ I'll curse whoever offers me a defective animal for sacrifice.

Because I'm a great king. My name is dreadful among the heathen.

God will spread dung on your face (if you don't give him glory)

2 ¹ This commandment is for the priests.

If you won't give glory to my name, I'll curse you.

³ Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces.

⁴ That way you'll know that I sent this commandment.

Be kind to your wife

¹⁴Judah has committed an abomination by marrying the daughter of a strange god.

¹⁴ But your wife is your companion.

¹⁵ Don't mistreat her.

I'll send my messenger

3 ¹ I [God] will send my messenger to prepare the way before me.

You have robbed me (by not paying your tithes)

⁵ I'll judge those who lie, commit adultery, deprive laborers of their wages, and oppress strangers and the poor.

⁶ I'm God. I don't change.

⁸ You have robbed me by not paying your tithes.

⁹ And I curse you, and the whole nation, for it.

¹⁰ Bring me your tithes, so there will be meat in my house.

Or I'll smite the earth with a curse

4 ¹ The day is coming when all the proud and wicked people will be burned to death.

² But those who fear me will be healed by the wings of the Sun of righteousness.

³ And you'll stomp on the ashes of the burned bodies.

⁴ Remember the law of Moses.

⁵ I'll send you Elijah before the dreadful day of the Lord.

⁶ And he will make fathers love their children and vice versa, or I'll smite the earth with a curse.

A few more words about this episode

By Malachi: The book of Malachi is anonymous; "Malachi" is just a transliteration of the Hebrew words for "my messenger."; The author it thought to have been a priest who lived when the second temple was being built. (ca. 520 BCE)
I hated Esau. (1:3): Why did God hate Esau? Malachi gives no reason, and neither does the story in Genesis (25:24-34). In the New Testament, Paul (Romans 9:11-13) refers to this verse to say that God's love - or hatred - is entirely arbitrary, which is as he thinks it should be.
Whatever Edom builds, I will destroy, because I will be angry with them forever. (1:4): God will be angry with the Edomites forever, because they are the descendants of Esau (Gen 36:1) and God hates Esau (Mal 1:3).
You've brought wounded, lame, and sick to sacrifice. (1:13): God continues to demand animal sacrifices. And not just any animals will do. He is insulted when blind, lame, or sick animals are killed for him. (Dt 15:21, Lev 22:19-24)
I'll send you Elijah before the dreadful day of the Lord. (31:1, 4:5): Jesus said that this prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist, whom Jesus said was Elijah - although John the Baptist denied it. (Was John the Baptist Elijah?)
He [Elijah] will make fathers love their children. (4:5): Then they couldn't be Jesus's disciple. (Luke 14:26)