Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. It was written more than 400 years before Jesus was born. The temple that Haggai and Zechariah helped rebuild was standing again, but many people had grown careless. Priests were offering the Lord blind, lame and sick animals, the ones nobody wanted. That’s Malachi 1:7–8. Many people had stopped paying tithes, in 3:8. Yet the Lord’s very first words in the book are tender: “I have loved you, saith the LORD,” in 1:2. He wanted their hearts, not their leftovers.
Malachi 3:8–12 is one of the great scriptures on tithing. The Lord says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse.” He invites us to “prove me now herewith.” And He promises to “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Today, tithing is one-tenth of our increase, in Doctrine and Covenants 119:4. Children pay tithing on money they receive, like birthday money or allowance. They fill out a donation slip and give it to a member of the bishopric. Or a parent can help them pay online. Tithing helps build temples and meetinghouses and share the gospel. The Lord’s blessings come in many forms, often quiet ones like peace, faith and help when we need it. Some children don’t receive money yet, and some families are going through hard times. Never ask who pays. Tithing is paid on money we actually receive. Keep it joyful. Tithing is a way to say thank you.
Malachi also looked ahead to Jesus Christ. A messenger would prepare His way, in 3:1. John the Baptist fulfilled that, in Matthew 11:10. The Savior would be “like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope,” in 3:2. He purifies His people the way a silversmith purifies silver or a fuller scrubs wool clean. Those who love the Lord and talk about Him are written in “a book of remembrance.” He calls them His “jewels,” in 3:16–17. When the risen Savior visited the Nephites, He gave them Malachi 3–4 and had them write it down. Their families had left Jerusalem before Malachi wrote. See 3 Nephi 24–25 and 26:2.
Malachi ends with a promise: “I will send you Elijah the prophet.” Elijah would turn the hearts of the fathers and the children to each other, in 4:5–6. It’s so important that it appears in all four books of scripture. The angel Moroni quoted it to Joseph Smith in 1823, with some different wording. That’s Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39. Then came April 3, 1836. It was Easter Sunday, during the Passover season, when Jewish families traditionally watch for Elijah. The Savior appeared in the Kirtland Temple to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Then Moses, Elias and Elijah came. Elijah gave them the sealing keys, in Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16. So families can be sealed forever in temples. Be sensitive. Some children’s families aren’t sealed or are going through hard things. Every child belongs to Heavenly Father’s family, and every child can learn about their ancestors.
