Malachi – A Prophet in Times of Despair

Malachi – A Prophet in Times of Despair, by Baruch Maoz ★★★★
I had reviewed another book by Maoz about the book of Jonah, and it was excellent. This book is quite similar. Baruch Maoz offers a distinctly Jewish perspective to his discussions of the text, often of which are quite informative. Maoz covers the basic themes of Malachi, as to how the Jews possess a religiosity, but they have lost their heart for loving God. Malachi offers prudent advice on returning to God, and the promises God gives for faithfulness to Him.  Maoz has a very Reformed form of theology, and this colors his thinking all the way through the book. The essential theme is that the OT is quite relevant today. It is not made of lesser stuff than the NT. His final statement brings the entire book of Malachi together,
“As I hope you will see, the New Testament teaches the same principles as does the Old. It is not difficult to preach the Gospel in front of the Old Testament without resorting to spiritualization or any of the interpretational manipulations that are so common in modern Christian pulpits. If we will but allow the Old Testament to speak for itself, it will inexorably lead to the Gospel of Jesus, the Messiah”.
I couldn’t say it better.