The Prophet Malachi: History, Prayer and Interesting Facts

In everyday life, the word "prophet" denotes the identity of a person who predicts the future. But in the Orthodox faith, these people performed a more serious and important function. We learn about the mission of God's messengers, and also find out who the prophet Malachi is, the prayer to which is also read.

Prophetic activity in the Bible

By their speeches, the prophets informed the elect of the people of Israel of the will of the Most High, and also proclaimed the coming of the Messiah (Savior). Their activities are described in the largest part of the Bible, that is, in the Old Testament. The role that the prophets played in the confessional development of Israel was great. The Old Testament presupposed a two-way connection between man and God. Prophets are the sources that conveyed the revelations of the Lord to the God-chosen people, that is, the Israelites. The doctrine that the prophets told us, as a rule, consists of three elements characteristic of the Old Testament:

• Faith in one God;
• Moral behavior;
• The expectation of salvation.

Prophetic activity unfolds in Israel and Judea from VIII to IV century BC, although there are some prophets who lived before, for example, Samuel and Moses. The composition of the Old Testament included only 12 works of small prophets, as well as four creations of great prophets, although there were more. The 12 small prophets included Amos, Jonah, Avdey, Zechariah, Malachi and others. Today you will find out who the prophet Malachi is, and why he was called "the seal of the prophets."

Brief information

The prophet Malachi refers to the 12 small biblical prophets. If you believe the Holy Scripture, then it says that Malachi comes from the tribe of Zebulun. He passed away at a young age. His prophetic activity was at a time when the temple of Jerusalem was rebuilt again after the capture. This is approximately 400 years before our era. The Holy Prophet Malachi severely censured people for lack of diligence in the sacrifices. He rebuked the priests because they evaded faith, threatened them with God's judgment for blasphemy and various vices, and clearly predicted the coming of the Savior, the appearance of John the Baptist and the fast Judgment of God. The memory of the prophet in the Orthodox Church takes place on January 3, according to the old style, or January 16, according to the Gregorian calendar.

The life of the saint

The prophet Malachi lived godly. He led the people into admiration and wonder at the fact that his life was pure, like the angel of God. His name in Hebrew means "angel of the Lord." Since Malachi was called to prophetically serve, he became a zealous champion of faith, piety and law. When the Jews returned from captivity, they had many moral and religious problems, which became even more because of the carelessness of the priests. Looking at this picture, the prophet Malachi was outraged and upset, after which he had to formidably act and convict the people.

His speech was that they do not treat God with due reverence and veneration, they bring inadequate sacrifices. To the priests, however, he said that because of their incorrect activity, people are shying away from God's way, because they do not keep the commandments and are hypocritical. In this way they blaspheme God and yield to temptations. The people he blamed for the fact that he treacherously violates the behests of fathers and ancestors, that husbands and their spouses are unjust, reject the lawful wife and live with foreign women. In his speeches, God's messenger threatened all people with the Supreme Court for various vices, including for adultery, witchcraft and sorcery, for making false oaths, for offending and oppressing orphans and widows, for violating and not They fulfill the law of the offering in the temples.

His words touched the Jews, because they spoke daring and bad words. As if service to God is vain and useless, as if there is no sense in keeping the commandments. It was said that the wicked who do lawlessness live better and have no problems. In his activity Malachi denounced human sins, and simultaneously saw the coming of the Savior, and before that - the phenomenon of the Forerunner and the speedy God's judgment for the wicked. He died at a young age, and was buried with his ancestors in his native village of Sufa. In Orthodoxy it is called "the seal of the prophet", because he was the last of the Old Testament prophets.

The Interpretation of the Prophet Malachi

The theological works of the saint have reached the present day. This book has four chapters that set forth his prophetic speech, instructions to the people and priests. It contains the words denouncing the moral and moral shortcomings of the Jewish people, as well as the threat of punishment by God.

The essence of his book is that he protests against careless treatment of liturgical affairs. Especially he curses the priests and Israelites who did not fear God and abandoned their lawful wives. Malachi wanted his speeches to contribute to the restoration and strengthening of morality among the Israeli people. He believed that his main goal was to prepare people for the coming of the Most High, but among the Jews there were impatient people who began to question the prophecy that the Lord would come. Malachi argued the opposite, that He will soon be with the people.

What else did the prophet say?

The saint always said that the Lord loves every person, that our Most High demands respect for himself. He cited comparisons that as a son of his father reveres, so the slave should respect and fear his master. Malachi very often asked a rhetorical question: is not mankind the Father? Did not the Lord God alone create each of us?

His words contain the thought that God is the judge and deliverer at the same time for each of us. His laws must be respected by mankind, for which he will bless us and take us into his kingdom. When a person comes to the temple, he must sacrifice something. It can be in the form of a purchased and lit candle at the image of the Holy, in the form of money that you gave to help the temple or a beggar, in the form of a sacrificed time for God - this is also a kind of sacrifice that must be borne with a clean, clear mind and heart .

Prayer to the saint

They say that the prophet Malachi helps with the spoiling. This is partly true. In the life of any person, very often there are various troubles. A person by his own superstition, which is also a sin, begins to seek funds and prayers from the removal of the evil eye and spoilage. The priests in the temples say that a true Christian who correctly believes in God observing all church canons will not take any magical plot. This is explained as follows: if a person regularly prays, goes to confession, and then takes communion, his soul becomes so pure and light that the dark forces are not able to take possession of it, and hence the very body of man.

Standing is the Akathist to the prophet Malachi, as well as to the rest of the saints of the Orthodox Church. It consists of kontakion, which contains the life story of a saint. Like any other saint, the prophet Malachi protects the believer. The prayer for spoiling is invented by the Orthodox, not the saints. That he helped your soul to be purified, you need to read:

• Kontakion 1, voice 4;
• Kontakion 2;
• Troparion, voice 2;
• Troparion, voice 4.

Also in the prayer of the Orthodox there is a prayer in which a person turns to a saint. It begins with the words: "O praiseworthy and pathetic, the prophet of God Malachi ..."

In addition to protecting against magic

If you suffer from spell castles, during the day you should as often as possible read the prayers "Our Father", "Theotokos of the Virgin, Rejoice," "The Symbol of Faith," and Psalm 90. Start the day with morning prayers, then take the holy water on an empty stomach With the words assigned to it. To finish the day you need similar evening prayers.

To use the book "The prayer shield of the Orthodox Christian" should not be, in spite of the fact that her release is approved by the priest. Such a book contains psevdopravoslavnye prayers with elements of conspiracies (and this is witchcraft), which are elements of magic banned by the Orthodox faith.

Conclusion

The prophet Malachi was right in his words. The prayer for this saint must be in the arsenal of every Orthodox Christian. Words addressed to God or his helpers should contain requests for the salvation of the soul, not the body. It's not for nothing that they say that a healthy spirit lives in a healthy body.