Malachi Chapter 4
11/23/24 9:38 AM
Solitary Man
solitaryman.substack.com
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Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven (furnace); and all the proud (zade – arrogant, presumptuous), yea, and all that do wickedly (rish-aw – moral wrongness), shall be stubble (straw): and the day that cometh shall burn them up (consume them in a blaze), saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
After the marathon session that I have subjected my poor readers to, I am sure there is much rejoicing to discover that this final chapter contains only 6 verses! Since I am sure that all my readers devoured each and every word thoughtfully, prayerfully, and meditatively, you will be glad to know that the culmination of this surprising text ends with brevity rather than verbosity.
It is somehow appropriate that the last chapter of the old testament reminds us of the coming Day of the Lord one more time. I shall continue to maintain my stance that even this last portion of Malachi is still speaking to the priests. Most of the book was a denunciation of the wicked priests. At the end of the previous chapter, God does finally notice a remnant in that group that did truly fear the Lord, as evidenced by their continual conversation of Yahweh. He left those few with a wonderful promise.
Now God will complete his word to these priests by reminding them of what they should already know. The day of the Lord is coming. For all those cynical ones who doubted that God would ever visit the wicked (see Mal 2:17, 3:15), know that his judgment is sure. These arrogant and morally wicked people have a day set aside for their retribution. These priests should have gotten the hint, as hasn’t God just spent the bulk of his message revealing the fact that most of these priests fall into these evil categories?
If we have been taught that God is love, and only love, books such as Malachi provide a much needed balance to our understanding of his true nature. This verse brings to mind something that is found in the Torah:
Deu 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
These concepts would have been common knowledge amongst anyone with a familiarity with the Pentateuch (the 1st 5 books of the bible). Only in our modern church is this fundamental idea looked upon as alien and even heretical!
Since there is no indication in the text that the audience has changed, I see no good reason to believe otherwise. Verse 4 will provide another strong confirmation that the entire book has been addressed to the priests, and not to everyone in Judah. We have to remember that the chapters and verse numbers were placed into the text many centuries after they were written. Sometimes in our minds we think that every chapter must indicate some major change of topic, or audience. That is simply not so, one must always go back to context to discover the truth.
Leaving neither root nor branch means that the entire bloodline of the wicked will be wiped out. God is quite big on the concept of haram, or total destruction. He placed many people groups in Canaan under haram in the time of Joshua. Joshua had no moral qualms about wiping out every breathing thing, if God so commanded. Sometimes it was all the males. Other times it was every human being, regardless of age or sex. Sometimes it even included all the animals, sometimes they could keep the animals as spoils of war. As long as they followed God’s instructions exactly, God gave them victory. As soon as they decided to take matters into their own hands, God left them on their own.
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear (yaw-ray) my name shall the Sun (sheh-mesh – can also mean the east, or eastward) of righteousness (tsed-aw-kaw – morally virtuous, justice) arise with healing (mar-pay -cure, deliverance) in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up (to spread, to grow fat) as calves of the stall.
Once again, those that fear the Lord are spoken of. This reference of fear and the name of God ties in perfectly with those in Mal. 3:16. Those remnant, righteous priests who feared God, fellowshipped continually with one another, and meditated regularly upon God’s name, had already been promised that their name would be remembered forever. They would receive a special mark. They were to be hidden away, as God’s special, most valuable treasure. They would be spared from what would befall everyone else. They would be given discernment, so as to be able to tell who was good, and who was evil.
Even after all that, Yahweh promises more. Isn’t that a wonderful aspect of our heavenly Father? His blessings are too many to keep track of.
A casual reading may cause one to think that ‘sun’ is actually ‘son’. We would then jump to the conclusion that here is a clear reference to Jesus! Well, sorry, not so fast. The sun, or glory, or illumination, of righteousness will shine upon you. It will bring healing, or a cure, or a deliverance. In other words, the fear of God causes true holiness to rise up in your life, which lights your way and shows you the way to go. True healing will then follow. Not so much physical, but spiritual. The result is a life that is lived to the full, like a well fed calf that grows up safe in his master’s stall.
All because of the fear (dread, fright, also reverence) of Yehovah!
You know, as we learn more and more of this lost truth of the real fear of God, we are finding out that this is not something that we should be terrified of, or that it’s a doctrine that we should be scared of embracing. Yes, the true fear of God involves terror and dread. But terror and dread of not only the potential punishments that he may mete out for wilful sin, but a terror and dread of sinning in the first place. If sin is really that awful, in that it deserves such terrible punishments, then let us eagerly seek a deeper and deeper revelation of the awfulness of sin. That in turn will cause true revulsion towards all kinds of sin in our own lives. The natural progression will be increased obedience, resulting in increased personal holiness. We will then end up with such an abundance of joy and peace, that we will not be able to contain it.
Doesn’t sound like such a bad deal, does it?
Let the light of tsad-deek, or righteousness, or moral rightness, always guide our decision making. Healing will occur in your soul. You will be cured of wrong thinking, wrong doctrine, and wrong attitudes towards God and his ways. The result is that you will grow up. You will not stay as a babe in Christ. You will mature. There will be a certain ‘fatness’ in your soul. Not a greasy, undisciplined fatness, but a fulness of spirit, a fulness of life.
Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down (aw-sas – to squeeze out juice) the wicked (raw-shaw – morally wrong, ungodly, a bad person); for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
These bad priests were whining about the wicked. How they seemingly had carte blanche to do as they wished. But if they would repent and imitate that small remnant of their brethren, who embraced the fear of the Lord, then they would have power over these bad people. Whether or not this means men, or the devil, or both, I suppose will depend on what the Lord quickens in your heart in the day that he quickens it.
We must remember that God says that there is a day that he shall do this. Too many times the more charismatically inclined of us love to grab some wild victory scripture, and presumptuously ‘declare’ it for ourselves. So we have countless Jericho marches, or Jehoshaphat praise-a-thons! And almost always nothing happens. Why? Never mind that you are usually so far out of context that we can’t find you even with a road map, but it’s also because it is not the day the Lord chooses to deliver. You chose the day, so you are on your own.
The primary meaning would still be related to verse 1, the day of the Lord. When Jesus comes back with his bride, they will fight together, and tread down the wicked that have risen up to oppose his kingship. Once again, Malachi shows off his great education in using another word, aw-sas, that is only found in this verse in the entire old testament. In that day, any ‘juice’, or power, the devil thinks he has will be fully and finally squeezed out of him! What a great and glorious day that will be!
Mal 4:4 Remember (zaw-kar – mark, make mention of) ye the law (torah) of Moses my servant (eh-bed – bondman), which I commanded unto him (taw-vav – appointed, gave charge, made my messenger) in Horeb (desolate) for all Israel, with the statutes (khoke – appointed times, ordinances) and judgments (mish-pat – verdicts, decrees).
Priests were especially to always keep the Torah front and center in their hearts and minds. This reminder of the law clinches the argument in my mind that even this last portion of Malachi is still for the priests, or spiritual leaders.
Neh 8:1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
Neh 8:7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
Neh 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
The passage above speaks of Ezra the scribe reading the Torah out loud, and the priests and Levites interpreting the scripture for the common folk (the names of all those men in 8:7 were priests). The Torah was the sons of Levi’s instruction manual, and they were in charge of teaching God’s word to the people. Here God reminds these sons of Levi to always keep the word front and center. Even as God revealed it to Moses, the original Levite given charge of safekeeping of the word of God, so now the responsibility has fallen unto your shoulders. They are to keep and teach all about the appointed times, which contain so many types and shadows of the Messiah to come. And they are to teach the judgments of God. These are the ways he acts towards us. When God punishes us, he is revealing his verdict on our conduct. He then makes a pronouncement, or a decree. Thus and thus is the punishment that this people will face. God’s mishpat (his judgments) that we find in the old testament is a written record of his decisions regarding his just retribution for our sin. If we would just meditate and fully embrace the knowledge and the wisdom of these righteous decrees, we would tap into the mind of God like never before, and gain tremendous insight into what we should expect in our own lives and nations.
It is striking that the law of Moses is one of the very last things that God wishes to talk about, before the 400+ year silence between the testaments.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah (God of Jehovah) the prophet (naw-bee – inspired man) before (paw-neem – the face) the coming of the great (mighty) and dreadful (yaw-ray – frightful, terrible) day of the LORD:
This verse immediately brings to mind the words of the angel, prophesying to John the Baptist’s father:
Luk_1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
This word beautifully ties together verse 5 with the following verse, as we shall see shortly.
Jesus also made reference to John:
Mat 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mat 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Mat 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Mat 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Here is a perfect example of how scripture may have multiple fulfillments. Before each appearance of the Lord, he sends his forerunner. Malachi 3:1 and 4:5 have an initial fulfillment in John. The 2 messengers, spoken of in Revelation, will be the 2nd and final fulfillment (Rev 11:1-14).
Another vital truth that often goes unnoticed is how ‘weirdly’ certain prophecies are sometimes considered fulfilled by God. Okay, we can readily accept that John fulfilled Malachi 3:1. But how in any way, shape, or form, can he be considered to have fulfilled 4:5? All of us serious students of the bible, of which we claim inerrancy in the text, have staked our eternal destinies on this fact. That is, that the word of God cannot lie. Every single word is placed there by design. The bible does not contain the word of God, it is the word of God (there is not man’s word and God’s word in the bible, it is all the word of God). We don’t get to pick and choose what we should believe, and what we shouldn’t. It is a whole package deal.
Jesus further obscured the issue by saying that if you are willing to receive (accept) it, John is actually the fulfillment of the return of Elijah in Mal 4:5. He makes it sort of optional. Sounds like his teaching on marriage and celibacy:
Mat 19:12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Sounds like there are some revelations that only certain believers are able to receive.
I think all of us can understand that concept. In our own lives, God had to take us through our own maturing process before he could reveal certain things to us. I know that I have perceived several truths in the last few years that I would’ve never accepted in the first decade(s) of my faith walk.
This is why I am never concerned with who reads these writings, or who doesn’t. Who subscribes, or who cancels their subscription. God knows who is supposed to read these things that he has shown me, and those who are not. I regularly pray that God only brings those people who are supposed to be here, and that he hides these writings from those who would not understand. I continually ask Jesus to keep my audience small, because if suddenly everyone started reading these things, that is what would alarm me the most! Megachurch preachers have big audiences, but that’s because they are always preaching what itching ears want to hear. I somehow think those same itchy ears wouldn’t find too much comfort in these writings, don’t you?
We began this chapter with the day of the Lord in verse 1, we continued with that theme in verse 3, and we are culminating this passage with that same theme in verse 5. If there is one thing we should grasp, it is that this day is not a very nice day. Take a look at some of these scriptures:
Joe 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Amo 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
Amo 5:19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
Amo 5:20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Zep 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Zep 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
Zep 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
Zep 1:17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
Zep 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
I think that is enough of a sample. Note the passage in Amos. Yehovah pronounces woe on certain ones who desire the day of the Lord. Though Jesus said that John the Baptist was a fulfillment of Mal 4:5, the true fulfillment is yet to come. It will come right before this most awful, scary, terrifying of days that mankind will ever face. Just because we are saved, does not mean that we should be all excited for this day. Sure, it heralds the return of Christ, but it also means that billions will die and be thrown into hell! Does that not bother you? Are you going to be jumping for joy at seeing Jesus, while he slaughters his enemies to such an extent, that the blood will reach his horse’s bridle (Rev 14:20)?
Let us touch on one other point. Some would say that this passage gives us a hint of the 2 witnesses in Revelation, as being Moses and Elijah. There is a strong case to be made, as their antics do closely mirror the types of ministry and miracles that these 2 exhibited during their original ministries.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Who was famous for turning water into blood, and unleashing plagues? And who was famous for shutting heaven and causing drought?
And, a second witness is found on the Mount of Transfiguration:
Mat_17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
So along with the witness here in Malachi chapter 4, that gives us 3 witnesses!
On the other hand, another theory wants the 2 witnesses to be Enoch and Elijah, since they were the only 2 people in the entire bible who did not experience death, in order to completely fulfill Heb 9:27:
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Of course, God is known to make an exception or two of what is generally an absolute principle, so I am not particularly convinced that the above verse would somehow be broken if Enoch and Elijah did not return and physically die. The spirits of men generally do not return to earth once dead, yet the mount of transfiguration was an exception. So was Samuel when God allowed the witch of Endor to bring him back up.
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn (shoob) the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite (naw-kaw – strike, slaughter) the earth with a curse (har-am or khey-rem – appointed to destruction).
Well, here we are. The last verse. To those who have made it thus far, take a bow and pat yourself on the back! God will surely reward such diligence!
The context of the verse seems to be speaking of Elijah. I am certain that the two witnesses ministry will result in many conversions. Perhaps they will be the ones most used to bring the Jews back into the fold, as Paul so clearly promises:
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
We have just finished reading about much ungodliness that existed amongst the priests of the Lord in Malachi’s day. Perhaps this last promise will help to undo that, in the days just before the return of the king.
The text promises family reconciliation. Let us pray that this spirit of Elijah that the Lord sends does indeed reunite many families back into the family of God.
I would like to present a deeper fulfillment that I believe is spoken of here. If we see the nation of Israel as the father, and the church as the son, then this opens up a whole new set of possibilities. In the end time, the children (the church) will rediscover the doctrines and teachings of the father (Israel, as represented by the law of Moses). The fear of the Lord, and the ways of God, which is judgment, are two of the most vital and precious truths that are being restored to the body of Christ. How about the moral law found in the Torah – eternal, unchangeable, and never subject to the whims of modern culture.
Conversely, the father (Israel) shall also be saved, by embracing the doctrines of the son (the church). Even though the hatred of the Jew is seemingly reaching an all time high, in our darkest moment, I believe God will bring to pass one of the greatest miracles of all time. He will finally unite the Jew and Gentile into one body. Isn’t it awesome how God has reserved the promise of perhaps his greatest miracle, and his most fervent desire, in the very last verse of the Old Testament?
So how will this miraculous union be accomplished? By God sending Elijah. Jesus told us John the Baptist was Elijah, for those with ears to hear. The most reasonable way to look at that is that the ministry of John reflected the spirit and power of Elijah, as spoken by the angel in Luke 1:17, if not his miracles. And what was the hallmark of John’s ministry? The baptism of repentance. You can only pass through the waters from bondage to freedom via genuine repentance. This was the true power of Elijah. The fire from heaven gets our attention, but it’s the repentance that resulted from the fire that denoted the true miracle. John had such an anointing on him, that he did not need a physical sign to bring repentance into many hearts. His preaching was powerful enough. Not only the common folk of Israel, but Roman soldiers were also transformed by John. Even the Pharisees came and tried to participate, though the spirit within John quickly weeded out those who were not sincere.
This is why it is not enough just to say that I now know that God loves me unconditionally, therefore I know that I am now safe in his loving arms. If that revelation leads you to real repentance, then well and good. If you stop there, and do not go on to truly giving your life to Jesus as his bondslave, then you have a problem. The devil doesn’t mind you having some sort of emotional experience, that makes you feel better about yourself. He will even lead you to one of his churches, where like minded people are encouraged to love and accept themselves and each other, just the way they are. Jesus never wants to leave us just the way we are. If we never find ourselves under discipline, take heed, lest you fall into this category:
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
If we truly belong to Jesus, then he whom Jesus loves will be chastened (v12:6). Chastening means Jesus does not want you to stay the same. He wants growth. What is the goal? Holiness (12:10).
The last phrase in this last verse is one last warning from our loving Father! If my interpretation is true, then God says if the Jew and the church do not reconcile, then God may put our lands under the ban! Remember haram is what God pronounced on the Canaanites, and commanded Joshua to exterminate them completely. Let the power of repentance, as modelled by Elijah and then John the Baptist, have full freedom in our lives and in our nations, else we too risk being set aside as haram, or devoted to destruction.
Let us not tempt God. If you are hearing some supposed man of God bash the Jews, run. Do not be like them.
I hope you have enjoyed this study as much as I have. Believe me, though this one was a lot of work, I believe I have benefited more than my readers. For any of you pastors and leaders out there, if you have fallen victim to questionable teaching concerning money, I pray that these lessons will help you find scriptural balance, and set you free from any trace of greed. We are to be blameless, and give the enemy no opportunity for accusation.
Let us take the indictments that Malachi brings to heart, and let the Holy Spirit lead us and guide us in all our future affairs, whether financial or otherwise. Let our words and our deeds be found well pleasing to the Lord. Let us pursue the fear of the Lord as never before, so that we too may find our names written in a special book like these priests, and that we will also be a part of God’s special, secret, securely hidden treasure.
Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/
Photos courtesy Depositphotos
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