Malachi 4:1  See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.  ² But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.  ³ And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.  ⁴ Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.  ⁵ Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.  ⁶ He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse. 

Most people will read these prophetic words from Malachi’s 4^th chapter and see the future promise of the Great Day of the Lord’s coming.  I too see that promise spelled out in these few short verses.  This last chapter of Malachi gives us closer to the oracle presented by the prophet, to the nation of Israel.  It spells out God’s love for his people, as well as their  hardened hearts for the Lord.

I also see another way in which God speaks to us through these words.  These are the last words of our Old Testament, before the New Testament begins with Matthew’s Gospel.  The ending therefore of our Old Testament is the prophetic word that Elijah will come before the Day of the Lord.  We have to read through three chapters of Matthew’s Gospel to get to the account of John the Baptist, who is the New Testament version of the prophet Elijah. However, Mark’s Gospel gives us John the Baptist right at the beginning.  Luke also gives us a glimpse of John, again using him as the messenger preparing the way of the Lord.

As the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi gives us a chance to prepare for the coming of the Lord, as it is presented in the New Testament.  I am not sure why it is in the order it is, other than saying that I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.  Therefore perhaps God is smiling at us when we make these little connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament.  To me, it shows just how much God has done for us.  Look, he has laid out the scriptures in a way in which they flow, telling the story of the mighty and wondrous things he has done for his people.  Yes, they are not always clear, and yes, we have to study them.  But it seems to me that time and time again God has gone out of his way to help us out.  It puts his love for his children in such a high place of priority.  If only everyone could experience the joy and love of God the Father.  What would the world really be like if that were the case?

In our prayers this week:  Wendi, Ann, Diane, Lisa, Robert, and Catherine

God’s Peace,