As the proverb goes ‘Old habits die hard.’ Free to return to Judah, and to Jerusalem, after the decree of Cyrus the Great, the Jews – who had languished in Babylon for 70 years – returned home in three waves: The first wave returned with Zerubbabel ca. 538BC; the second wave returned about 80 years later, under the leadership of the Priest Ezra, in 458BC; and the third wave, under the leadership of Nehemiah, sometime between 446-444BC. Construction on the Second Temple was abandoned soon after it was begun and was only resumed in response to the prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah. Worship in the Temple was restored, but in time, old habits returned to ruin society, and pose a threat to Israel’s future life in the Promised Land. The LORD called the Prophet Malachi to preach and prophesy at such a crucial time when a corrupt priesthood, and a complacent people had turned the Worship of the LORD in His Sanctuary into a mockery, reducing it to empty rite, and meaningless ritual
