Malachi 4
COMMENTARY:
: 1 For, behold, the day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (1197 “burn” [ba’ar] means kindle, scorch, consume, to undergo combustion, or purge.)
DEVOTION: Judgment is still in the future. There are times of judgment but they are not the Day of Judgment. It is designated as a special day when the LORD is going to judge the living and the dead regarding their relationship to the message of salvation introduced by Jesus Christ when HE came to the earth.
The ones who are going to be judged on that Day are those who reject Jesus Christ. They are described as those who are arrogant and wicked. They will see all their possessions burned up. They will be sent to the lake of fire where the devil and his angels are located. This location will last for eternity.
There are some who teach that those who are without Christ will just be annulated. They believe that those people will cease to exist. That is not what the Bible teaches because we find that those who reject Jesus are going to spend just as much time in the lake of fire as believers spend in heaven.
How long does heaven last? It is described as eternal life. How long is eternity? It is longer than we can fathom. Trust in the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Remember to warn those you love of what is coming if they don’t become a believer in Jesus Christ.
: 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (4832 “healing” [marpe’] means health, restoration, cure, sound of mind, remedy, or wholesome.)
DEVOTION: The LORD makes a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. There are two separate ends for these two groups. The wicked are going to be burned up as stubble. Does that mean that they are annihilated? The answer is NO!! Remember that Sodom and three other cities of the plains were destroyed with fire and brimstone in Abraham’s day but they are still waiting for judgment at the writing of the New Testament. The bodies can be burned but the soul and spirit still remain for judgment.
The second group are called the “righteous.” They are the ones who fear the name of the LORD. They stand in awe of God. These are a remnant of the children of Israel that will go through the Great Tribulation but will stand firm for the LORD. They will see HIM coming in all HIS glory. It will be a NEW DAY for the earth. The wicked will be removed and the righteous will rule and reign with Christ. The Light of Righteousness will manifest itself in the appearance of the earth. Remember that the devil is in chains and the world has the Messiah as it’s ruler. When righteousness is common, things are different in this world. People are different. It is like going to a Bible Conference will individuals who want to bring GLORY to the LORD and their faces and actions show it. That is going to happen on this earth during the Millennium.
The world has been in chains for so long. It groans for relief. Here we see that there is wholesomeness again. It is like what happens when a storm comes and the hen gathers the chicks under her wings to protect from the storm. Christ is going to reign and those who go through the Great Tribulation will have the protection of the LORD covering them.
This verse gives a second illustration of what it is like during the reign of Christ. It is like heifers that have been in a stall or pen for a time period and are finally let loose into an open field. If you have ever tried to catch one, you know what I mean. In my first church there was a farmer who let the heifers out and asked me to catch one. I think it was something they did to people who never grew up on a farm. I chased a heifer until I was exhausted. I never got close. The world will have a new freedom that it didn’t have while it was under the curse of man-made kingdoms.
Those who are part of the Biblical church are going to rule and reign with Christ during this time period. We are part of the group called “righteous.” However, there are many in our worlds that are still part of the group called “wicked” because they have never committed their lives to Christ. Malachi was warning of coming judgment. We need to be warning of coming judgment also.
CHALLENGE: Tell one individual about the coming judgment and what they can do to avoid it.
: 4 Remember you the law of Moses MY servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statues and judgments. (2142 “Remember” [zakar] means mention, to keep in mind for attention or consideration, or recall.)
DEVOTION: The final message to the children of Israel before the first coming of the Messiah was to remember. What were they to remember? They were to remember what the LORD taught them in the wilderness before they wandered away from HIM.
The Old Testament ended with this warning to Israel. They had times of revival and times of wandering for the three hundred years of silent between this point and the coming of Jesus Christ.
The purpose of the Law of Moses was to teach us that we were sinners and that we couldn’t correct ourselves. We needed a Savior to die in our place. We needed someone who was without sin to die in our place. We needed the Messiah that would come from heaven and take on the form of a man and die on the cross for our sins. We can’t do it ourselves.
No matter how good we try to be we can’t earn our salvation. It is a free gift from God to those who believe. Anyone who thinks they are obeying the Law of Moses perfectly is deceiving themselves.
We need to trust in the complete work of Christ on the cross for our salvation. Once we do that our actions should be motivated by a desire to bring glory to God, not earn our salvation.
CHALLENGE: The Bible wants us to study the past to understand the working of the LORD. HE is still working today! HE always works within HIS attributes.
: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (7725 “turn” [shuwb] means restore, to return, turn back, to cause to return, give in payment, refresh, or bring back.)
DEVOTION: The gospel is all about restoration of those who are away from the LORD to the LORD. The nation as a whole was away from the LORD.
There is a promise in the future that Elijah the prophet will come. Some think that John the Baptist was to fulfill this prophecy. It doesn’t seem to be true. He was a witness for the LORD. Many became followers of the LORD during his ministry but the introduction of verse five says that his ministry is going to have before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
We know that that day has not occurred yet. The LORD came the first time to provide salvation to all those who believe. HE is coming a second time to establish HIS rule over the world.
Just before HE sets up HIS kingdom there is a time period called the Tribulation where there are two prophets who witness in Jerusalem about the truth of Jesus being the Messiah and many believe. It is thought that this is the time period that is revealed in this verse.
We have to be witnesses like the Old Testament prophets to the truth of the Word of God. It is our responsibility to tell others what the Bible has to say about Jesus and the future.
However, we have to warn them that they have to take action in the present regarding their relationship to the LORD. Too often we find people who are interested in the future who do nothing in the present for the LORD.
You can be a fan of the Bible and the future without being a believer. Many will say when the stand before Christ in judgment at the Great White Throne judgment and say that they did many wonderful works in Jesus Name but the LORD will say I never knew you. Watch out that you are not one of them. Don’t get caught up in knowing the Bible without knowing the LORD!!
CHALLENGE: Today is the day of salvation for those who are searching for the truth of the Word of God. When truth hits home relationship improve!
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