The Old Testament does not end quietly. It ends with a warning.
That striking reality is at the center of a recent teaching by John Eckhardt, who unpacked the book of Malachi as the final word before the arrival of Christ. Eckhardt makes it plain that this ending is intentional. “The book ends with the word ‘curse.’ The Old Testament ends with the word curse,” he said.
But that is not the end of the story.
A sobering call to return
Eckhardt pointed to Malachi as a direct confrontation with spiritual drift, especially among leaders. “He rebuked the priests for their lack of reverence, devotion to the ministry, and mistreatment of their wives,” he explained.
The issue extended beyond leadership into the heart of the people. “The book of Malachi was written to the people who have lost their fear of the Lord,” he said.
Even giving reflected the decline. Quoting the text, Eckhardt emphasized, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me… in tithes and offerings.”
The message is clear. When honor for God fades, everything else follows.
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The curse points to something greater
Eckhardt did not leave the message in judgment. He made the transition unmistakable. “The curse of the law is something that Jesus came to redeem and deliver from,” he said.
He drew a direct line from Malachi to the New Testament, showing that the failure of the Law reveals the need for a Savior. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law… and so the blessing comes through Messiah,” he explained.
From warning to breakthrough
Even in Malachi, the promise of blessing stands firm. Eckhardt highlighted the well-known passage, saying, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse… if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.”
That tension defines the moment. Judgment and mercy stand side by side.
Eckhardt’s message carries both urgency and hope. The Old Testament ends with a curse, but it points directly to redemption. Through Christ, the curse is broken, and the door to blessing is opened wide.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
