Years ago, an atheist visited one of the remote Fiji islands and had a chance to speak with the island chief and told him that the missionaries that were there only wanted to get rich off of them. The visitor said that nobody believes what the Bible says nowadays. He even went as far as to say nobody believes that Jesus is God either. He concluded his remarks by saying “People know better now, and I am sorry for you that you have been foolish.”
The Fijian chief shocked by his statements then told him about their old savage ways. The chief said, “Do you see that stone over there? On that stone we smashed the heads of our victims. Do you see that oven over there? In that oven we roasted their bodies for our feast. If it had not been for missionaries, the Bible and the love of Jesus Christ which changed us from savages into God’s children you would have been killed and roasted in the oven. You should thank God for the Gospel” (A. Naismith. 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes. Great Britain: Pickering Paperbacks, 1988, p. 134).
That day the Good News saved that island visitor and the Good News of Jesus Christ saves us from a far greater horrendous situation and that is God’s judgement.
We have come to the end of our series on Malachi.
We are going to be studying from God’s Word about the day that is coming that will be unlike any other day in the history of the universe. For some people that day will be the most terrible day ever, for others it will be a wonderful, incredible day.
In the book of Malachi: We learned that God loves us (Chapter 1). That we should give God our best in worship (Chapter 1). That we honor God for He is worthy (Chapter 1). That we are required to be a loyal priesthood of believers (Chapter 2). That we must be faith keepers in all our covenants with others and God (Chapter 2). That we are to trust God with our possessions (Chapter 3). That we are called to live a lifestyle of grace to one another and especially to the body of Christ (Chapter 3). And that we must keep our focus on the end goal and purposes of God in our life. (Chapter 3)
The last six verses of the book of Malachi are about a day that is coming: the bible announces this occasion as “The Day of the Lord.”
Before we study this chapter. There is one fact that I want you to know. In the current Hebrew Bible, there is no chapter four in the book of Malachi. The last six verses continue from chapter 3. In verse 18 of chapter 3, God is speaking and He told them that there will be a distinction between those who love and obey God and the those who only love themselves.
For English readers, a division was supplied and chapter 4. This division distinguishes the identification of the effects of the day of the Lord to each group of people.
This is what is found in Malachi 4…
1. A PREDICTION OF JUDGMENT (v. 1)
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts.” – Malachi 4:1
What is “The Day” all about? (The definite article.) This Day refers to the second coming of Christ when the Lord Jesus will come to judge the world and establish a universal reign of righteousness. Malachi announces that there’s a day coming when judgment will be imminent and unavoidable. Many of the other prophets saw this day coming and described it in very graphic terms.
The term “the day of the Lord” is used 25 times in 23 verses in the Bible. We find this phrase used by the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zachariah, of course Malachi, apostle Luke in Acts, by the apostle Paul in 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and by the apostle Peter in 1 & 2 Peter. Each of them addresses this day as a judgment day. The apostle John describes in the book of Revelation “The Day” as an apocalyptic time of God’s almighty wrath, which comes upon those who are deemed wicked.
The apostle Peter responded to people who were questioning whether Christ would really return in 2 Peter 3:9… “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
The day is coming! Really? Is it really coming? Who says so? Look at verse 1 again…
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts.” – Malachi 4:1
God Himself announces judgment on this day!
And who is it that He will judge? Notice what verse 1 says…
“…All the proud and all who do wickedly…”
There is a day coming where people will be judged and there will be no escape.
When we think of wicked people, we think of the criminals and “bad” people that cause havoc in our society. It’s important to note that the bible declares that everyone is wicked.
“They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good No, not one.” – Psalm 14:3
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” – Romans 3:10-12
But, God made a way for people to be saved from this day. Early in Malachi chapter 3, God told the people that Messiah would come 3:1-3.
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.”
The message the people heard was about the coming of the Messiah bringing salvation from God’s judgement day.
Interpreting Malachi through God’s further revelation of the New Testament, it is through Jesus, we are redeemed and declared right with God, so we are no longer wicked but declared righteous.
“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day”. -John 12:47-48
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” – John 3:16-19
The day of judgment is coming however, there is also a day coming where there is…
2. A PROMISE OF BLESSING (vv. 2-3)
The blessing in verse 2 is given to faithful people …
“But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; And you shall go out
and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” – Malachi 4:2
Notice this blessing comes to those who: “…fear my name…” What does it mean to “fear my name?”
It means to honor God in all areas of our life. It means to live your life in such a way that would bring glory to God’s name.
Look at Psalm 86:11-13… “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.”
And Solomon tells us in Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”
Look how this blessing comes in verse 2…
But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings;
Maybe you have a bible translation that capitalizes the word “Sun” in verse 2, this was a way to emphasize that this verse was talking about when Jesus comes. Many bible commentators see this as a Messianic prophecy describing the coming of Jesus Christ when He will “…wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
It’s helpful to clarify the meaning of the phrases in Malachi 4:2.
- We already seen that the meaning of the phrase “fear God” is to revere and obey Him. (This is defined within the context of Malachi: see 1:6, 11, 14; 2:2,5; 3:16).
- The sunshine imagery is a contrast to the doom and gloom that happens on the day of the Lord.This pictures a sun rising that brings a new day of warmth, happiness and well-being that will come to those who fear God’s name.
- The actual emphasis is God granting righteousness to His faithful people. The word “healing” is often used in the Old Testament as a synonym for forgiveness and salvation.
Also, in verse 2 there is an interesting description of redeemed people: “and you will go out and grow or leap like calves released from the stall.”
The agrarian culture understood this word picture. Young bulls run and leap as part of the process of their muscle development. The illustration serves to show how God’s people will be so free from this sin cursed world that they will act like a calf released from the stall in order to grow and flourish.
Also, there is a different form of blessing in verse 3… Witnessing God’s revenge…
“You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,”
Says the Lord of hosts.” – Malachi 4:3
The faithful people will prevail and all the wicked will be destroyed. This promise to the faithful is not that they will be the agents of wrath but rather they will see how God administers His Judgement on the wicked and every injustice will be dealt with.
Throughout the Bible, God tells us that it’s His job to avenge injustice, not ours. Paul cautions us in Romans 12:19 with these words: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
Verses 2 and 3 announce that faithful people are comforted and will not be judged. In the New Testament, it is because God’s people will have their sins paid for on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20… “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him [Jesus], and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” (also see Colossians 2:13-14)
3. A PLEA FOR OBEDIENCE (v. 4)
As we near the end of the book, and the end of the Old Testament, God points His people to obedience. Notice this in verse 4 …
“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” – Malachi 4:4
There’s going to be 400 years of silence from prophets of God. And He offers a call to remember. Remember!
What does remembering include? This is more than just an intellectual pursuit. This involves so much more than remembering Bible verses. Often when the word remember is used, it requires an implicit action. This word “remember” implies ” to obey” or “put it into practice.”
Let me show you one instance of this in action. At a frightening moment for Joshua, God says in Joshua 1:6-8… “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Obedience is an outward expression of our love for God. “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” (1 John 5:3)
The words of Jesus in John 14:23-24 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”
The closing words of the Old Testament are a command for obedience. The same challenge holds true for us.
Now the last two verses of Malachi (and the Old Testament) end with…
4. A PROMISE OF RECONCILIATION (vv. 5-6)
The end of this book and the end of the Old Testament is about Jesus coming to reconcile His people.
Let’s unpack these verses a bit…
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
6And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” – Malachi 4:5-6
God promises that before “the day,” God will send the prophet Elijah.
400 years after Malachi was written, an angel appeared to a priest named Zachariah and told him he would have a son: “….and he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:14-17)
It is important to understand that John the Baptist only partially fulfilled this prophesy. In Matthew 17:12 Jesus said, “But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”
John the Baptist represented the same work of Elijah by announcing a warning of judgement, the need for repentance, and faithfully proclaiming God’s word.
According Malachi 3:5, Elijah will come before the great day of the Lord. In Revelation 11:6 tells of two witnesses who will prophesy for 1,260 days and have the power to “shut up the sky so that it will not rain.” It was also Elijah the prophet who told Ahab “There will be neither dew or rain in the next several years except at my word…” (1 Kings 17:1)
Since the words of Malachi chapter 3 and 4 show us that Jesus is Yahweh, then, the message to them and us is to repent for the Kingdom of God is near!
It’s a message they pondered for 400 years before His first coming. And yet it’s a message about the second coming of the Lord and it should arouse and inspire the hearts of believers of any era and everywhere.
For us, now is the time to know His love and reconciliation and then to live for Him.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:13)
They waited 400 years for the first coming. Let’s be faithful no matter how long or short the days are until His second coming.