Malachi 4

1be consumed—roots, branches, and all. 4:2 2”But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his 's4 90:26; 95:6 wings.* And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when £3 40 Tact, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the LORD of 4:4 Heaven's Armies. Deut 4:1 4"Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant—all the decrees andregulations that] 45. ara gave him on Mount Sinai* for all Israel. Mark o: 4 13 Ul!: 5"Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Jonn 1:21 LORD arrives. SHis preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts 4:6 Isa 11:4 of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Bae t:17 4:1 Verses 4:1-6 are numbered 3:19-24 in Hebrew text. 4:2 Or the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its Rev 19.15 wings. 4:4 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai. i 3:16 God will remember those who remain faithful to him, death, the voice of God’s prophets would be silent for 400 years. and who love, fear, honor, and respect him. Then a prophet would come, like Elijah, to herald the Messiah's 3:17 God's special treagure are those faithful to him. This fulfills coming (Matthew 17:10-13; Luke 1:17). This prophet was John the promise he made in the covenant to his people (Exodus 19:5). the Baptist. John prepared people’s hearts for Jesus by urging According to 1 Peter 2:9, believers are God's very own posses- People to repent of their sins. Christ's coming would pring not sion. Have you committed your life to God for safekeeping? only unity and peace but also judgment on those who refused 4:2. In the day of the LORD, God’s wrath toward the wicked will to turn from their sins., a - burn like a furnace (4:1), But he will be like the healing warmth 46 Malachi gives us practical guidelines about commitment of the sun to those who love and obey him. John the Baptist to God: God deserves the best we have to offer (1:7-10). We prophesied that with the coming of Jesus, the dawn was about must be willing to change our wrong ways of living (2:1, 2). to break with light for those in sin’s darkness (Luke 1:76-79). We should make our family a lifelong priority (2:13-16). We in Isaiah 60:20 and Revelation 21:23, 24, we learn that no light should be sensitive to Goo's refining process in our life (3:3). will be needed in God’s holy city, because God himself will be We should tithe our income (3:8-12). There is no room for pride the light. aa; 7 4:2ff These last verses of the Old Testament are filled with hope. day i cinment ois Mececito by ON ed ae dom ent Regardless of how life looks now, God controls the future, and day will be a day of joy because it will usher in eternity in God's everything will be made right. We who have loved and served ‘: “ ” God look forward to a joyful celebration. This hope for the future aoe ue Those who have ignored God will be “straw,” to be becomes ours when we trust God with our lives. ured up (4:1). To help the people prepare for that day of judg- .: ment, God would send a prophet like Elijah (John the Baptist), 4:4 These decrees and regulations, given to Moses at Mount who would prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah. The New Sinai, were the foundation of the nation’s civil, moral, and cere- Testament begins with this prophet calling the people to turn monial life (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 4:5, 6). We still must obey —_from their sins to God. Such a commitment to God demands the moral laws because they apply to all generations. great sacrifice on our part, but we can be sure it will be worth 4:5, 6Elijah was one of the greatest prophets who ever lived it all in the end. (his story is recorded in 1 Kings 17—2 Kings 2}. With Malachi’s