Malachi
A prophet whose name we do not know spoke to the returned exiles and offered them an explanation of the situation that they faced. He is known as Malachi not because this was his name but because the word means "messenger," and in his predictions concerning the future, he says that a messenger will precede the coming of the Day of Yahweh and will prepare the people for it. Later editors supposed erroneously that the prophet was referring to himself, and hence this name was attached to the writings. He was not a great prophet, but he did have some words of encouragement, as well as words of rebuke, for the people to whom he addressed his messages. Insisting that Yahweh still loves the Israelites in spite of all the misfortunes that have befallen them, Malachi calls attention to the fact that the Edomites were severely punished, which was good news to the Israelites because they despised the Edomites as traitors to those whom they should have befriended. The prophet quotes Yahweh as saying "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."
According to Malachi, one of the reasons why Yahweh withheld his blessings from the Israelites for so long a time was their frequent use of sick and inferior animals for sacrificial offerings. Yahweh demands the best and will be satisfied with nothing less. Another reason why Yahweh did not bless them was their failure in the matters of tithes and offerings; here the prophet accuses his people of robbing God. Also, some men divorced their wives in order to marry women of foreign ancestry, which is contrary to the will of Yahweh. So careless and indifferent have many of the people become that the prophet says that even among the Gentiles, Yahweh's name is honored and feared more than it is among the Israelites. When the Israelites repent and correct all of these mistakes, Yahweh will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing so great that the people will not be able to receive all of it. This blessing will include such material benefits as bountiful crops, increase of their flocks, and freedom from sickness.
