BOOK OF MALACHI - CHAPTER 4
Judgment and Covenant Renewal
4 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”
COMMENTARY
The final chapter of Malachi warns that those who indulge in wickedness and refuse to repent will receive the ultimate penalty. They will be burned up such that nothing will remain of them, a foreshadowing of the final judgment where the wicked are tossed into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15).
Those who obey the Lord, however, are promised to be healed and greatly blessed (Malachi 4:2).
The chapter closes with one final prediction, that someone with the power of Elijah the prophet will appear to turn people's hearts toward repentance (Malachi 4:5-6). This prophecy was primarily fulfilled in John the Baptist's ministry (Luke 1:17, Matthew 11:7-10).
Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, provides profound insights into the relationships between God, the Israelite people, and the priesthood.
Malachi 4:2 - Prophecy of the Messiah
Malachi 4:2 - Reminder of Moses’ law
Malachi 4:5 - Last book of Old Testament
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