Introduction:
In this passage of God’s Word we have the theme of the Day of the LORD and what it will bring about for the inhabitants of the earth. In fact we have a wonderful theme in this chapter even though it deals with the judgement of God. When we understand God’s judgement from the Biblical perspective and how the prophets reveal it, we will come to understand that good things come about because of God’s judgement.
Through God’s judgements we are going to experience kingdom victory. Through His judgements we actually come to partake of His blessings and promises. His judgements are designed to turn us back to Him when we have unrepentant sin and disobedience in our lives. His intense desire is not to bring about our destruction but to bring about a change in our attitude towards Him, to bring us to repentance so that He might indeed bless us (2 Corinthians 7:10).
One of the outcomes of God’s judgements is that He sets things in order and brings about a total removal of evil from this world He has created. This is all good news. This has to do with God’s perfect judgement, and if we understand it Biblically we are going to be encouraged. As it is written; “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You” (Psalm 89:14).
We see this in the Book of Revelation from the heavenly perspective where we see the angels of God giving thanks to Him for this righteous judgement which He is going to pour out at the end of this present age (Revelation 16:4-7).
Some today are saying and even preaching to stay away from God’s judgment in order to be a blessing and encouragement to people, and that preaching judgment will turn them off. However, in both Testaments we see that the Law was preached before grace was preached. This same principle has been seen in all of the genuine revivals in past Church history.
Our Triune God has not changed and His Word has not changed (Malachi 3:6) (James 1:17) (Hebrews 13:8) (Psalm 119:89). Repentance must come first before seasons of spiritual refreshing come from the presence of the LORD in heaven (Acts 3:19).
Just emphasising judgment all the time without mercy is an imbalance, likewise, just preaching all the time about mercy and love while avoiding judgment is also an imbalance and God hates the imbalance. As it is written; “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight” (Proverbs 11:1) See also (Proverbs 20:10, 23). The balance is achieved by preaching both held in tension with each other.
Sharing all of God’s heavenly counsel is a good thing and through it God’s family will be brought into unity as we will see as recorded in verse 6 of this chapter. Let’s now look at our text…
Malachi Chapter 4
Exposition
(Vs.1) “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
When we see the word “behold” it is a word used to capture ones attention. God has something significant to say that He wants to share with us. Notice also the phrase “the day.” It this prophetic context it is “a specific day or period of time” that He is speaking about. It is the day that is “burning like a furnace.”
God’s wrath is a part of this day, His wrath that judges, His wrath that consumes, and through this fiery judgment where the enemy of God and His people and everything related to the enemies work (Satan) is going to be burnt up, it’s all going to be consumed, It is going to be done away with! See also (2 Peter 3:10-12).
The word; “burning” is in the present tense which is always emphatic, always being emphasised to the reader as Biblically it has an eternal application. Hell and the lake of Fire are places of continual burning. Notice also who will be going into the furnace; “all the arrogant and every evildoer.” The word “arrogant” speaks of rebelliousness, of a wilful rebellious attitude towards God.
This rebelliousness is referring to one who persistently makes a practice of sinning. It is not referring to one who sins unintentionally by an accident or through a sudden temptation, or by some misunderstanding or a sin he did not intend to do and realised afterwards that it was wrong.
This is someone who knows all along that what they are persistently doing is wrong and against the will of God revealed in His Word, knowing that it is wrong but doing it anyway. It is a continuous action of the will accompanied by a sense of arrogance and a denial of wickedness as God defines it in His Word the Bible.
These who persist in this rebellion will be “chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” Like straw or stubble they will be consumed immediately and this is what God is saying through that day that burns like a furnace.
When you throw straw into a furnace that is burning it is going to be completely consumed, and this day that is coming is for this purpose to consume the arrogant and the wicked that reject the salvation that is only found in the Messiah our Lord Jesus, and to all who make a practice of wickedness on earth.
Notice also the phrase; “says the LORD of hosts,” It is rendered in the past tense; “said the LORD of hosts.” It is rendered in the past tense in the Hebrew denoting an action that has already been scheduled to occur, an event that cannot be avoided. As far as God is concerned it has already happened.
It is fixed “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” It will be a total consuming that leaves nothing behind whatsoever. For the rebellious and wicked it will be an all-consuming judgment. Fame, fortune, business empires, family members not saved, worldly relationships, and having it good in this world with indifference towards God and His commandments will all be consumed and destroyed in their entirety!
Now God changes the focus to zoom in on those who reverence His name, meaning they honour His character, they do not take Him for granted or approach Him with a flippancy, but those who seek to obey His commandments, walk in humility before Him knowing the love and the righteousness of God, and that please Him by their faithfulness (Hebrews 11:6).
(Vs.2) “But for you who fear My name,
Those then those who revere His name are those who reverence His character which is good, it is right, it is just, it is perfect, it is holy, and therefore we bow in His presence. We submit, to His will and we obey strengthened and regularly led by the Spirit and the grace of God (Romans 8:14). These are those He is speaking about who fear or reverence His name. And then we read…
“…the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”
To those who fear His name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. In other words to these individuals God’s righteousness resting upon them will be revealed to others, it is going to shine brightly on them and radiate out of them to others as the stars in the universe reflect the light of the sun, doing all things without grumbling or disputing; and by this proving themselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom they appear as lights in the world as they hold out the Word of Life to others (Philippians 2:14-16).
This righteousness imputed to them by God is the very same righteousness (the perfect, sinless and righteous nature) that the Messiah our Lord Jesus has that God has given them through their faith in His Son (Romans 3:21-24) (Philippians 3:7-9).
Spiritual light and healing will be the result of those who walk by faith accompanied by a desire to please Him and seek to bask in the light of the Son of Righteousness Himself, the Messiah our Lord Jesus! Righteousness is related to the commandments of God which we have in the Bible.
The commandments themselves do not make us righteous, they teach us what righteousness really is, and that when we violate them they teach us what is unrighteous. So spiritual healing then comes when we agree with the purposes of God, the righteousness of God and by this righteousness resting upon us and on the inside of us through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are going to be healed for the purpose of obedience, to reflect the righteousness of God in and though our life to others.
Those who experience the sun of righteousness with healing in its (His) wings we are told we “will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” They are going to go out to multiply or be those who are increasing representing many.
In its plain meaning it is like a calf that is multiplying in a prized or good location, a stall where animals are kept safe, well fed and do not have to be concerned about anything because they are in a good safe location where there is abundant provision. See (John 10:7-15) (Psalm 23), as it is written; “The LORD is the strength of His people, a stronghold of salvation for His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them forever” (Psalm 28:8-9). As it is also written; “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10). And then we read further…
(Vs.3) “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.”
Here we are told that those who revere the Name of the LORD will tread or trample underfoot the wicked. They will be like ashes under their feet which speaks of a defeat, being trampled down and also implying being humiliated, being shamed because of their wickedness, their rebelliousness and because they did not give God the priority and the glory He deserves. All of these things are going to bring down their defeat leading to an everlasting shame.
God says “in that day which I am preparing,” says “the LORD of Hosts.” Once again it is rendered as “Said the LORD of hosts” in the past tense revealing a promise as if it has already taken place. Every aspect of it is going to take place and nothing on earth, in the heavens, or under the earth will be able to stop it from happening! And then the LORD continues…
(Vs.4) “Remember the law of Moses (The Torah) My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb (On Mt Sinai) for all Israel.”
Now the word “remember” is tied to a covenant, namely the Law of Moses the servant of God. Clearly this word in given in the context of the last days bringing forth God’s wrath, His judgment to set things in order, to provide victory for His people and the establishment of His Messianic Millennial Kingdom. We will see this in verses 5 & 6.
This victory for His people will bring about unity within the family, a unity of togetherness, and agreement where both generations will see things from the same perspective, all of this is good! God says in light of the last days “Remember the law of Moses My servant!” It was on Mt Sinai where God gave the Torah to Moses, the same place where God previously spoke to him out of the burning bush. The bush burned but was not consumed. God in the midst of judgment can preserve whom He wants.
As Isaiah the prophet writes; “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed. For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain” (Isaiah 26:20-21). Here we have a description of the rapture and resurrection of the faithful Body of Messiah and the remnant of Israel shielded from the wrath of God. See also (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9).
As it is also written; “For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. You made men ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance” (Psalm 66:10-12).
As New Covenant believers in the Messiah our Lord Jesus we are not going to be consumed by the wrath of God but be raptured and resurrected to meet the LORD Jesus, to be gathered around Him at His Second Coming and then accompanying Him back to earth to fight alongside of Him along with Israel against the wicked and rebellious nations.
When His wrath is poured out we are not going to be on earth but present with the Messiah our Lord Jesus in the air when He comes (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) See also (Revelation 19:11-16).
As Jude also writes; “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:14-15). In other words at His Second Coming He is going to bring with Him the wrath of God and we will be coming with Him for the outpouring of that wrath.
On Mt Horeb (Mt Sinai) it was there that Moses worshipped God. Initially he did not want to go back to Egypt, however, God changed his attitude. He mentioned to Moses; “you and the people” because Moses loved the people and shared their burden. When he was in Egypt before he fled from Pharaoh, Moses killed an Egyptian who was mistreating fellow Israelite.
Moses had awareness, an inner sense that somehow he had to do something to deliver his people but sought to do things in the only way he knew, as he did not have God’s revelation at that time. While Moses’ intention was to do something for his fellow Israelites suffering, it was not until he had encountered the LORD in the burning bush that he had the revelation from God as to how to deliver his fellow Israelites from bondage in Egypt. God showed Moses that it would be through His power and not through Anything Moses could do of himself.
When Moses was meeting with God in the presence of the burning bush God was saying to him “Moses you and your people are going to have the same experience you are having now!” Moses was interested in having a worship experience like he had never had before and having others share that with him.
This could only come through redemption that came by the blood of the lamb. God commanded the Israelites to apply the blood of a lamb to the sides and the top of their doorposts to protect them from the destruction of the first born, and that would guarantee their deliverance out of Egypt, and out from under the grip of Pharaoh. On Mt Sinai God would give His people His statutes and Ordinances. Statutes are God’s laws. Ordinances are putting His laws or statutes into practice.
This speaks of a change, a spiritual maturity, about us agreeing with God and responding to Him through that agreement in carrying out His will and purposes that is establishing God’s righteous order and that His kingdom work which we will be doing not only in this age but also in the Millennial Messianic Kingdom in the age to come as we rule and co-reign with the Messiah (Revelation 5:9).
As God’s blood redeemed people, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God the Messiah our Lord Jesus out of the Egypt of this world, and out of the clutch of Satan the god (the pharaoh) of this world, we are called now in this age to be a righteous influence in this present world. This is what the LORD is calling us to do and so He is saying that we are going to be called upon by God for this purpose. As the apostle John writes; “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7).
As it is also written in the prophet Isaiah; “In the last days the mountain (kingdom) of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains (kingdoms); it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law (the Torah) will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2-3). Now we see Elijah mentioned in the context of the Day of the LORD to come at the end of this present age.
(Vs.5) “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.”
Now notice again the world “Behold.” It is the same word as we see in verse 1 God uses to capture ones attention. God has something else significant to say that He wants to share with us today through this passage of scripture. It is in the context of the last days just prior to the Second Coming of the Messiah our Lord Jesus. It concerns that great and terrible day of the LORD when the very foundations of the earth and all who live in it will be shaken to the core. When this happens every level of society will be shaken, every institution of man will crumble; every enterprise of man will cease to function.
Isaiah the prophet writes; “Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. And the people will be like the priest (the religious world), the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress (the domestic world), the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor (the business world). The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant (despised the gospel of the kingdom). Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left (Isaiah 24:1-6)…
Isaiah continues…“The earth is broken asunder, the earth is split through, and the earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard and it totters like a shack, for its transgression is heavy upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again” (Isaiah 24:19-20). This will be the conspicuous features of that Great and terrible Day of the LORD.
Now we are told that before that great and terrible day God will send Elijah the prophet. Before the first coming of the Messiah our Lord Jesus God sent John the Baptist upon whom rested the same power of the Spirit that rested on the prophet Elijah.
We read what the Lord Jesus said when his disciples asked him a question about Elijah; “And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist” (Matthew 17:10-13).
Just as John the Baptist appeared endowed with the Spirit and power of God that rested upon Elijah before the first coming of the Messiah our Lord Jesus, so another Elijah will appear in Israel endowed with the same Spirit and power of God that rested on Elijah and on John the Baptist. This time the Elijah to come will have a much greater role in Israel as his predecessor in John the Baptist. He then will appear before that great and terrible day of the LORD.
For those who are not in the New Covenant through saving faith in the Messiah our Lord Jesus and in His atoning, redeeming, cleansing, sanctifying blood and protected from the coming wrath of God, who have not experienced redemption, it’s going to be awful for them, being the worst day of their entire life and their greatest nightmare! It will not end but continue into eternity ending in Hades (Hell) and ultimately into the Lake of Fire, that burning furnace where the soul will be tormented forever and ever (Revelation 14:9-11; 21:8).
For those who are in the New Covenant they will be protected from the wrath of God because by faith they are sheltering under the blood of the Messiah, just as the Israelites sheltered under the blood of the lamb in the time of Moses. That pure untainted blood of the Messiah our Lord Jesus has been splattered as it were on the doorposts of the heart of every born again child of God in the New Covenant. They have been justified by faith in the Messiah and in His sacrificial blood that was shed to atone for sin, and they will not suffer this great and terrible day of the LORD (Exodus 12:13, 23) (Romans 5:9). This is very good news for those who are the children of God! Finally let’s move on to verse six…
(Vs.6) “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
Before that great and terrible Day of the LORD comes He will do a work of reconciliation through this last Elijah who some believe will be Elijah who was caught up to heaven and did not see death, however, whoever he will be the spirit and power that rested upon Elijah will be resting upon him. He will do a work of reconciliation between two generations that are not reconciled namely the fathers with their children and the children with their fathers.
In Israel Pentecost will be repeated! Unity of the Holy Spirit will once again be established in the hearts and minds of those upon whom the Spirit falls, as He did on the day of Pentecost. Those empowered by the Spirit through the preaching of the Elijah who has come will be of one heart and soul as they were after the first Pentecost (Joel 2:28-32) (Acts 2:17-21, 38-47, 31-35).
A remnant of Israel is going to be reconciled with the Messiah our Lord Jesus and with each other. These God will bring into the fire, not one of judgement, but as ones that are refined as silver and tested like gold that will empower them to call on His name and He will answer them saying they are My people and they will say, the LORD is our God! (Zechariah 13:8-9). See also (Zechariah 12:10-13:1).
So this Elijah is coming back before the final outpouring of God’s wrath comes in the last days. Elijah has an important ministry which is mentioned in our text. It is to restore the hearts of the fathers to their children. The fathers are going to think about their children based upon their desire for what is good for them. The fathers are going to think sacrificially in regards to their children. The hearts of the children are going to be concerning their fathers.
What then is Elijah going to do in this ministry before that great and terrible day of the LORD comes in all of its fullness? Elijah will bring about a reconciliation of the family and all that is put by God within the family for their unity, and it is the context of God’s judgment which will bring about His order. Not only in Israel but within the Gentile nations, however, it will be a remnant in Israel and the Gentile nations.
What we need to be praying for and desiring for is that God’s order will be established praying that “God’s will be done on earth as it is being done in heaven,” and this includes praying for the peace of Jerusalem because until the prince of Peace sits on David’s throne in Jerusalem with the government of this world resting upon His shoulders, there will be no real and lasting peace for Israel or for the Gentile nations (Isaiah 9:6-7).
We also need to be praying that there will be order in the families as the family unit is the reflection of the unity in the Body of Messiah, with Him, and with each other. God will restore families in Israel and in the wider gentile nations. However, Israel is the main focus of this prophecy. When Israel has been fully restored spiritually and nationally the Gentile nations will fall into line with the will and purposes of God. This will come to its fullest fruition in the Millennial Messianic Kingdom in the age to come (Isaiah 2:1-5) (Micah 4:1-5).
This order in the family will be a unity based upon the truth of scripture, that same unity, that same way of looking at things with the same perspective spiritually, that same objective, that same purpose that both the fathers and the children are reconciled, and it is speaking about two generations that they would see things in the same way and be brought into an agreement with God. There will be no generation gap.
Only when we are in agreement with God and His Word is there going to be an agreement between others, between one another. This is what Elijah is going to bring about. We see a connection between verse four where it says “Remember the Law of Moses, the statutes and ordinances which He commanded.” God’s Word often speaks about Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the Prophets which is God’s revelation of Himself, His character His requirements, and of His Son about whom the law and the Prophets testify!
Only the revelation by the Spirit is going to bring about unity and it only happens when we are committed to and submissive to obeying God’s Word in its entirety. When this happens then we can expect that there is going to be not just reconciliation with God and man through the gospel of the kingdom, but also between one generation and another. This “Echud” being “a divine unity or trinity or “Elohim” as we see in the Godhead, only He can bring about, is the same perspective, the same way of thinking, so that there is an agreement with Him, and that when we agree with Him that’s when things begin to change, they change for the better!
Through agreeing with God we can expect blessing. Look again at what Elijah is going to do. He will “turn” being a word of restoration, to turn the hearts of the Fathers to their children and the hearts of their children to their fathers.
This reconciliation through the Word of God, through agreeing with God is going to shield them from His wrath so that He will not come and smite the land (both the land of Israel and the earth are implied in the Hebrew text) with a curse, a total devastation, a total destruction of everything.
So God is saying to humanity, “only when you agree with Me, only when you respond to My revelation is there going to be reconciliation with Me, and not just with Me, but generations are going to come together through this unity that comes by My redemption and revelation, and only through this can one escape My wrath, not be consumed, not experience My striking, but rather experience Me moving to provide blessing and the fulfilment of Prophecy.” Malachi was sent by God with a powerful prophetic message of reconciliation, a kingdom reconciliation which brings about the eternal blessing of God!
