I Have Loved You

Malachi 1-2
Key Verse 02: ““I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob's brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob.”

Note: Malachi took place at the end of Zechariah, Ezra, and Nehemia, after the Israelites had returned from Babylon and about 100 years after they had rebuilt the temple.

Chapter 1

1. Look at verses 1:1-5. What did the LORD say to the Israelites?(2) Why might they have thought that the LORD did not love them? How does the LORD show proof that he loved them?(2-5)
   Application: Why might we doubt God’s love for us? How can we know that he loves us?

2. V1:6-14. What does the LORD accuse the priests of?(6-9) Why might the priests have thought that they did not despise the LORD’s name? What did the priests not understand about God’s name?(6,11,14b)
   A: Why do we need to have a right understanding of God’s name in order to make a pure offering?

Chapter 2

1. V 2:1-9. What qualities made Levi an exemplary priest according to the LORD?(5-7) What do the current Israelite priests do in contrast?(2, 8-9) How can we be a priest like Levi?(5)
   A: How can we engage in the same covenant as Levi with the LORD?

2. V2:10-15. Why is it a serious problem that the Israelites were faithless to their wives and marrying foreign women?(14-15) What is God seeking through marriage?(15) How is the marriage covenant intertwined with the covenant of Levi?
   A: How can we have Godly offspring?

3. V2:17. How did the people weary the LORD by saying: “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them” Or by asking: “Where is the God of justice?”? What may have caused the people to have this misunderstanding about God?

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