"Malachi is comprised of a super scription and six prophetic disputation speeches, the last of which may also contain a summary challenge related to the message of the book as a whole." (p. 1247)
The disputation (more fully, rhetorical disputation speech form has four elements: assertion, questioning, response, and implication. (p. 1248)
It becomes evident when one studies the structure of Malachi that its disputations are arranged chiastically: the first disputation is comparable to the sixth disputation, the second to the fifth, and the third to the fourth. The chiastic arrangement of the book represents a careful, intentional pairing of the various disputations. (p. 1250)
Superscription: "The burden of the Word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi."
1st Disputation: God distinguishes between the good and wicked.
1.2a Assertion by Yahweh: "I have loved you."
1.2b Questioning by Israel: "How have you loved us?"
1.2c-4 Response: (1) Yahweh's alliance with Israel and enmity with Edom
(2) the desolation of Edom
(3) futility curse on Edom's desire to rebuild
1.5 Implication: Israel will learn that Yahweh is not a limited territorial deity.
2nd Disputation: God will not bless your disrespect.
1.6a-b Assertion by Yahweh: "Where is the honor/respect due me?
1.6c/7b Questioning by Israel: "How have we despised your name?" / "How have we polluted the altar?"
1.7a/1.c-8 Response: "By polluting my offering" / "By despising the LORD's table and offering defective animals."
1.8b-2.9 Implication: "The priests will be punished for their disobedience."
3rd Disputation: The Lord is the witness to Judah's unfaithfulness.
2.10-13 Assertion by Yahweh: "Covenant is profaned by being faithless to one another."
2.14a Questioning by Israel: "Why"
2.14b Response: "Yahweh is the covenant witness."
2.15-16 Implication: "Take heed to your spirit."
4th Disputation: The Lord is the witness to Judah's unfaithfulness.
2.17a Assertion by Yahweh: "You have wearied the LORD."
2.17b Questioning by Israel: "How?"
2.17c Response: With two sayings: "All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD." and "Were is the God of justice?"
3.1-5 Implication: "Yahweh will judge and justice will be restored."
5th Disputation: God will not bless your disrespect.
3.6-7 Assertion by Yahweh: "People must return to Yahweh."
3.7a Questioning by Israel: "How can we return?"
3.8a Response: "Should a person rob God?"
3.8b Questioning by Israel: "How have we robbed you?"
3.9-12 Response and Implication: "By shorting the tithes you miss God's blessing."
6th Disputation: God distinguishes between the good and wicked.
3.13a Assertion by Yahweh: "Your words have been harsh with me."
3.13b Questioning by Israel: "What did we say?"
3.14-15 Response: "Serving God is useless. Evildoers prosper."
3.16-4.6 Implication: "There will be a renewal and the Day of Yahweh reward the wicked and righteous."
This post is largely the observations of Douglas Stuart in The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary
The disputation (more fully, rhetorical disputation speech form has four elements: assertion, questioning, response, and implication. (p. 1248)
It becomes evident when one studies the structure of Malachi that its disputations are arranged chiastically: the first disputation is comparable to the sixth disputation, the second to the fifth, and the third to the fourth. The chiastic arrangement of the book represents a careful, intentional pairing of the various disputations. (p. 1250)
Superscription: "The burden of the Word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi."
1st Disputation: God distinguishes between the good and wicked.
1.2a Assertion by Yahweh: "I have loved you."
1.2b Questioning by Israel: "How have you loved us?"
1.2c-4 Response: (1) Yahweh's alliance with Israel and enmity with Edom
(2) the desolation of Edom
(3) futility curse on Edom's desire to rebuild
1.5 Implication: Israel will learn that Yahweh is not a limited territorial deity.
2nd Disputation: God will not bless your disrespect.
1.6a-b Assertion by Yahweh: "Where is the honor/respect due me?
1.6c/7b Questioning by Israel: "How have we despised your name?" / "How have we polluted the altar?"
1.7a/1.c-8 Response: "By polluting my offering" / "By despising the LORD's table and offering defective animals."
1.8b-2.9 Implication: "The priests will be punished for their disobedience."
3rd Disputation: The Lord is the witness to Judah's unfaithfulness.
2.10-13 Assertion by Yahweh: "Covenant is profaned by being faithless to one another."
2.14a Questioning by Israel: "Why"
2.14b Response: "Yahweh is the covenant witness."
2.15-16 Implication: "Take heed to your spirit."
4th Disputation: The Lord is the witness to Judah's unfaithfulness.
2.17a Assertion by Yahweh: "You have wearied the LORD."
2.17b Questioning by Israel: "How?"
2.17c Response: With two sayings: "All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD." and "Were is the God of justice?"
3.1-5 Implication: "Yahweh will judge and justice will be restored."
5th Disputation: God will not bless your disrespect.
3.6-7 Assertion by Yahweh: "People must return to Yahweh."
3.7a Questioning by Israel: "How can we return?"
3.8a Response: "Should a person rob God?"
3.8b Questioning by Israel: "How have we robbed you?"
3.9-12 Response and Implication: "By shorting the tithes you miss God's blessing."
6th Disputation: God distinguishes between the good and wicked.
3.13a Assertion by Yahweh: "Your words have been harsh with me."
3.13b Questioning by Israel: "What did we say?"
3.14-15 Response: "Serving God is useless. Evildoers prosper."
3.16-4.6 Implication: "There will be a renewal and the Day of Yahweh reward the wicked and righteous."
This post is largely the observations of Douglas Stuart in The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary
