20230709 Mal 4:4-6 Remember and Behold
Human beings have a vision that covers 160 to 210 degrees. We can see everything that is in front of us and a bit more. Chameleons can do more than change color. Without moving their heads, they can see 360°. Goats can see 340°. Dragonflies like chameleons can see 360°. God calls his people to be like chameleons and dragonflies. We are to remember what God has done, what he promised, and what he commanded. We also look forward. We know God will fulfill his promises of salvation and judgment. Christian hope is trusting that God will fulfill his promises. Knowing that God fulfills all his promises changes our lives. In the midst of injustice and hardships, because we know the future, we have peace, joy, and love for our enemies.
The verses Mal 4:4-6 conclude Malachi. They are remarkable for at least three reasons. First, out of nowhere, Moses and Elijah appear. Second, these verses conclude our English OT. The Hebrew Bible contains three parts. They are the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Malachi 4:4-6 concludes the second section of the Hebrew Bible, the Prophets. Third, these verses conclude the Prophets in the same way the law of Moses concludes. It seems that Malachi was aware of the ending of the Law and wanted to repeat it to close the Prophets. In this way, this message has a resounding echo through the Old Testament. It is a call to remember the law of Moses and wait for the coming prophet.
In Deut 18:15, Moses promised that one day a prophet like him would come. The books of the law end in Deut 34:9-10, “9… The people of Israel … did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, ….” The books of Moses end on this note. The people obeyed the Law of Moses. The prophet that Moses had promised had still not yet arrived. They had something to turn back to and looked ahead to. Now, Malachi ends with, “Remember the law of my servant Moses.” And “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet….” This is the message from Moses to the last prophet Malachi. It is also a message for us. We remember and behold the future.
The books of Moses are much more than a list of rules. They contain the account of the beginning of all things. God created the world and humanity. Sin entered the world and God revealed his plan of restoration. Torah recounts stories of people who trust, obey, and enjoy God's blessing. There are also stories of disbelief, disobedience, and missing out on God’s blessing. The main lesson is that God’s people are unable to trust and obey. It points to a future savior, prophet, and king. He will crush the head of the devil (Gen 3:15). He will be a king from the tribe of Judah who rules over all nations (Gen 49:9-10). He will be a star from Jacob who would destroy Israel’s enemies (Num 24:17). He will be a prophet like Moses who will instruct the people (Deut 18:15). We can consider the Torah to be a Christian book. It teaches us about faith in God to enjoy a relationship with God. It offers the hope of a coming Savior. Christians believe the law of Moses is God’s word, but we often struggle with what to do with the commandments.
Some say, we only need to do what the NT repeats. This approach dismisses the OT. It makes the NT the real standard. Another approach divides the law into moral, civil, and ceremonial laws. The ceremonial law pointed to Christ and the Church is not a nation like Israel. So, only the moral law remains. The challenge is figuring out where each law fits. A third approach begins with Jesus' statement that he did not come to abolish but fulfill the law (Matt 5:17). With this statement, we assume we should keep the law until we hear anything different! Jesus' fulfillment of the law does not mean we do not keep it. Jesus fulfilled the commandment “Do not murder.” Yet, nothing about his coming abolishes this commandment. The church is not a nation so we cannot enforce the punishments of the OT law. The civil law does not always disappear. In 1 Cor 5, instead of applying the death penalty for incest, Paul enforces excommunication.[i] The NT authors change some civil laws for the church context. Other times, the NT makes it clear that keeping some OT law would undermine the gospel. Jesus abolished the food laws. He said it was not what came into our mouth but what came out of our heart that made us unclean (Mark 7:19). Christ died once and for all so we do not offer sacrifices (Heb 10:1-14).
Following this approach, the fourth commandment about Sabbath still stands with a twist. Christians celebrate the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred on Sundays. It is the 1st day of the week or the 8th day of the week. The 8th day is the first day of New Creation. The Christian sabbath is on Sunday. We find our rest in Christ. We exercise our freedom Christ by taking 24 hours off from normal work. We set a day aside to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ. This is not legalism. It is accepting God's gift of rest and practicing for heaven. God’s people throughout the ages were always saved by faith. We trust in God by obeying his law. We remember God’s law. He gave it to us through Moses, the prophets, the Psalms, wisdom literature, Jesus, and the NT. We remember the Law. We live by faith according to the Law for the Glory of God.
Animosity between parents and children characterizes a wicked nation. In Ezek 5:10 and elsewhere, parents eating their children is the height of depravity.Future Elijah’s ministry leads many to peace. The coming of Elijah is like prophecies about the return of David (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-25; 37:24). We understand this prophecy as the coming of one who will be like Elijah. Elijah challenged religious compromise and complacency (1 Kings 18). Elijah called the people to faithfulness.
In the NT, in the same way Mal 3:1 foresaw John the Baptist, so does Mal 4:6. Before John the Baptist was born, an angel of the Lord predicted that he would minister “in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).[iv]
Mal 4:6 foresees repentance and judgment. If the people do not listen to Elijah, there will be judgment. This theme of judgment has occurred in Mal 3:5 and 4:1. Throughout the Bible judgment is the result of a life separate from God. God made us. He wants us to trust him and live with him. We saw in Mal 4:1 that God's judgment is total and final. The prophet’s ministry exists to call the people back to God. He ends with the announcement of judgment. Judgment awaits those who do not turn to God.
Mal 4:6 describes repentance. It is the hearts of fathers turning to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Relationships between parents and children gauge the state of society. If you mistreat your closest family, how will you treat those you are not related to? Yet, it does not take long before we realize that even in the church the depth of family tension is great. Adult children have had cruel parents growing up. Parents of adult children experience the pull of the world, the flesh, and the devil on their children. Godly parents witness their children develop absurd hostility toward them. We believe the gospel reconciles families. We also remember that the world is still broken.
John the Baptist’s ministry called people to repentance. So, we are a people who repent and manifest love, joy, and peace. We are peacekeepers and peacemakers. Whether we are the parent or the child in a hard relationship, we pray for our family. We repent often. We strive to be the kind of people who would be at peace with all people if it depended on us (Rom 12:18). Hard family relationships lead to the most heartache. We long to be a community where it is safe to share, lament, and mourn.
With the Lord's Supper, we remember one who is greater than Moses. Moses delivered the people out of the bondage of slavery. Jesus ransomed us out of the bondage of sin. Jesus lived a perfect life. He died and was raised from the grave. We remember at the Lord’s Supper that his body was broken and blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Christians are not stuck in the past. We feed on what Christ has done by faith in the gospel. We feed by reading scripture, listening to sermons. We have gospel conversations. We enjoy intimacy with God through prayer. We feed on the gospel by partaking in the Lord’s Supper. We live our Christian life in the present by also looking to our future hope. Our hope is in Christ’s return. With the Lord's Supper, we proclaim Christ’s death until he comes. He will make everything right. So right now in the midst of suffering we can say with Paul: 2 Cor 4:8-18 2Cor 4:8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. …14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. … 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
[i] Joe M. Sprinkle, “How Should the Old Testament Civil Laws Apply Today,” Lib. Univ. Law Rev. 2.909 (2008): 922.
[ii] The structure of the sentence is almost identical. “Behold I send my messenger” (Mal 3:1), “Behold I will send Elijah (Mal 4:5).
[iii] E. Ray Clendenen, “Malachi,” in Haggai, Malachi, NAC 21A (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2004), 462.
[iv] John F. Walvoord et al., The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1:1588.
The verses Mal 4:4-6 conclude Malachi. They are remarkable for at least three reasons. First, out of nowhere, Moses and Elijah appear. Second, these verses conclude our English OT. The Hebrew Bible contains three parts. They are the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Malachi 4:4-6 concludes the second section of the Hebrew Bible, the Prophets. Third, these verses conclude the Prophets in the same way the law of Moses concludes. It seems that Malachi was aware of the ending of the Law and wanted to repeat it to close the Prophets. In this way, this message has a resounding echo through the Old Testament. It is a call to remember the law of Moses and wait for the coming prophet.
In Deut 18:15, Moses promised that one day a prophet like him would come. The books of the law end in Deut 34:9-10, “9… The people of Israel … did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, ….” The books of Moses end on this note. The people obeyed the Law of Moses. The prophet that Moses had promised had still not yet arrived. They had something to turn back to and looked ahead to. Now, Malachi ends with, “Remember the law of my servant Moses.” And “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet….” This is the message from Moses to the last prophet Malachi. It is also a message for us. We remember and behold the future.
1 Malachi 4:4 Remember the Law of Moses
In Joshua, as the people were entering the Promised Land, they were to be strong and courageous (Josh 1:6). They needed strength and courage to meditate on the law and keep it. Israel failed and God sent them into exile. In Malachi’s day, the people are back in the land. They are disappointed and disobedient. This prophecy addressed a variety of topics. Each time, the prophet calls them back to the law of Moses. The books of Moses go by the Law, the Torah, or the Pentateuch. They are the foundation of the OT. The main job of the prophets was to call the people back to the Covenant. They did this by referring them back to the instruction of Moses.The books of Moses are much more than a list of rules. They contain the account of the beginning of all things. God created the world and humanity. Sin entered the world and God revealed his plan of restoration. Torah recounts stories of people who trust, obey, and enjoy God's blessing. There are also stories of disbelief, disobedience, and missing out on God’s blessing. The main lesson is that God’s people are unable to trust and obey. It points to a future savior, prophet, and king. He will crush the head of the devil (Gen 3:15). He will be a king from the tribe of Judah who rules over all nations (Gen 49:9-10). He will be a star from Jacob who would destroy Israel’s enemies (Num 24:17). He will be a prophet like Moses who will instruct the people (Deut 18:15). We can consider the Torah to be a Christian book. It teaches us about faith in God to enjoy a relationship with God. It offers the hope of a coming Savior. Christians believe the law of Moses is God’s word, but we often struggle with what to do with the commandments.
Some say, we only need to do what the NT repeats. This approach dismisses the OT. It makes the NT the real standard. Another approach divides the law into moral, civil, and ceremonial laws. The ceremonial law pointed to Christ and the Church is not a nation like Israel. So, only the moral law remains. The challenge is figuring out where each law fits. A third approach begins with Jesus' statement that he did not come to abolish but fulfill the law (Matt 5:17). With this statement, we assume we should keep the law until we hear anything different! Jesus' fulfillment of the law does not mean we do not keep it. Jesus fulfilled the commandment “Do not murder.” Yet, nothing about his coming abolishes this commandment. The church is not a nation so we cannot enforce the punishments of the OT law. The civil law does not always disappear. In 1 Cor 5, instead of applying the death penalty for incest, Paul enforces excommunication.[i] The NT authors change some civil laws for the church context. Other times, the NT makes it clear that keeping some OT law would undermine the gospel. Jesus abolished the food laws. He said it was not what came into our mouth but what came out of our heart that made us unclean (Mark 7:19). Christ died once and for all so we do not offer sacrifices (Heb 10:1-14).
Following this approach, the fourth commandment about Sabbath still stands with a twist. Christians celebrate the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred on Sundays. It is the 1st day of the week or the 8th day of the week. The 8th day is the first day of New Creation. The Christian sabbath is on Sunday. We find our rest in Christ. We exercise our freedom Christ by taking 24 hours off from normal work. We set a day aside to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ. This is not legalism. It is accepting God's gift of rest and practicing for heaven. God’s people throughout the ages were always saved by faith. We trust in God by obeying his law. We remember God’s law. He gave it to us through Moses, the prophets, the Psalms, wisdom literature, Jesus, and the NT. We remember the Law. We live by faith according to the Law for the Glory of God.
2 Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, the coming of the Prophet for repentance or Judgment
We remember, and we also look forward. Malachi 4:5-6 shifts focus from the past to the future. How people respond to the law of Moses will affect their future. The two alternative outcomes are repentance and judgment. We read that the Lord will send Elijah. Mal 3:1 already announced the coming of a messenger who prepares the way.[ii] Now, Elijah will “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” This appears to be a kind of revival.[iii]Animosity between parents and children characterizes a wicked nation. In Ezek 5:10 and elsewhere, parents eating their children is the height of depravity.Future Elijah’s ministry leads many to peace. The coming of Elijah is like prophecies about the return of David (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-25; 37:24). We understand this prophecy as the coming of one who will be like Elijah. Elijah challenged religious compromise and complacency (1 Kings 18). Elijah called the people to faithfulness.
In the NT, in the same way Mal 3:1 foresaw John the Baptist, so does Mal 4:6. Before John the Baptist was born, an angel of the Lord predicted that he would minister “in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).[iv]
Mal 4:6 foresees repentance and judgment. If the people do not listen to Elijah, there will be judgment. This theme of judgment has occurred in Mal 3:5 and 4:1. Throughout the Bible judgment is the result of a life separate from God. God made us. He wants us to trust him and live with him. We saw in Mal 4:1 that God's judgment is total and final. The prophet’s ministry exists to call the people back to God. He ends with the announcement of judgment. Judgment awaits those who do not turn to God.
Mal 4:6 describes repentance. It is the hearts of fathers turning to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Relationships between parents and children gauge the state of society. If you mistreat your closest family, how will you treat those you are not related to? Yet, it does not take long before we realize that even in the church the depth of family tension is great. Adult children have had cruel parents growing up. Parents of adult children experience the pull of the world, the flesh, and the devil on their children. Godly parents witness their children develop absurd hostility toward them. We believe the gospel reconciles families. We also remember that the world is still broken.
John the Baptist’s ministry called people to repentance. So, we are a people who repent and manifest love, joy, and peace. We are peacekeepers and peacemakers. Whether we are the parent or the child in a hard relationship, we pray for our family. We repent often. We strive to be the kind of people who would be at peace with all people if it depended on us (Rom 12:18). Hard family relationships lead to the most heartache. We long to be a community where it is safe to share, lament, and mourn.
Conclusion
I have called this series, a call to devotion for the disappointed. When we are disappointed, when things do not go our way, some of us manifest anger, others shame. Anger and shame push people away. They leads us to hide from God. At times our disappointment is legitimate. Malachi ends with a call to remember the law of Moses and behold the coming prophet. The call to remember and behold stands for us.With the Lord's Supper, we remember one who is greater than Moses. Moses delivered the people out of the bondage of slavery. Jesus ransomed us out of the bondage of sin. Jesus lived a perfect life. He died and was raised from the grave. We remember at the Lord’s Supper that his body was broken and blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Christians are not stuck in the past. We feed on what Christ has done by faith in the gospel. We feed by reading scripture, listening to sermons. We have gospel conversations. We enjoy intimacy with God through prayer. We feed on the gospel by partaking in the Lord’s Supper. We live our Christian life in the present by also looking to our future hope. Our hope is in Christ’s return. With the Lord's Supper, we proclaim Christ’s death until he comes. He will make everything right. So right now in the midst of suffering we can say with Paul: 2 Cor 4:8-18 2Cor 4:8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. …14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. … 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
[i] Joe M. Sprinkle, “How Should the Old Testament Civil Laws Apply Today,” Lib. Univ. Law Rev. 2.909 (2008): 922.
[ii] The structure of the sentence is almost identical. “Behold I send my messenger” (Mal 3:1), “Behold I will send Elijah (Mal 4:5).
[iii] E. Ray Clendenen, “Malachi,” in Haggai, Malachi, NAC 21A (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2004), 462.
[iv] John F. Walvoord et al., The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1:1588.
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