The Bible Study Podcast, episode 793.

Today, the Bible Study podcast starts a new book, the book of Malachi with chapter 1.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast.

I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

Let's jump into Malachi 1,

which is Israel doubts God's love. A prophecy, the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.

I have loved you, says the Lord, but you ask, how have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother,

declares the Lord, yet I loved Jacob.

But Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.

Edom may say, though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.

But this is what the Lord Almighty says.

They may build, but I will demolish.

They will be called the wicked land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.

You will see it with your own eyes and say, great is the Lord even beyond the borders of Israel.

And so Israel here, in the time of Malachi, Malachi being the last of the prophets before Jesus, before this time period where there's 300 years or so with no prophets, no prophets recorded, between Malachi and John the Baptist.

The last of the minor prophets also, at least in the order that we have them,

the order that we have them in the Old Testament.

And they've got this problem, Israel does, that they're doubting that God loves them.

And so God starts this debate with them here in this chapter and points out to them that

remember that Isaac had two sons.

He had Esau and he had Jacob who became Israel.

All the tribes of Israel descend through Jacob.

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