Slices
Prepare
‘But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:5). Take a few moments to remind yourself of all that God has done in Jesus.
Bible passage
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 that 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.’
Explore
For centuries Israel had looked forward to a day when God would do something new – the Day of the Lord. God would come, vindicate them and destroy their enemies – Sunday’s reading shows how they felt. Around 300 years earlier Amos had warned that it might not be quite like that (Amos 5:18–20). Now Malachi has to do the same. God may love his people always and for ever, but he cannot overlook continued rebellion. Evil has to be dealt with if justice is to be established. So verse 1 contains a stark warning.
By contrast the rest of this reading brings hope of healing ultimately found in Jesus, ‘the sun of righteousness’, who brings healing to a broken world. In preparation Elijah will restore unity and obedience – a promise that the New Testament sees fulfilled in John the Baptist (see Matthew 11:1–14). Jesus has opened the way for ultimate healing, but, as our readings in Revelation earlier in the year reminded us, we still await his return when evil will be destroyed and the world restored. We live with pain and frustration but also with sure and certain hope.
Respond
As we prepare to enter a new year, praise God that he is working towards the restoration of all things. Even so come, Lord Jesus.
Deeper Bible study
‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.’1
Throughout Scripture we are presented with just two ways to live: the way of the wicked (the broad road that leads to destruction) and the way of the righteous (the narrow way that leads to life). Malachi is no different and, as the prophecy closes, the Lord speaks of the same two destinies – judgement or blessing. ‘“All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire”, says the Lord Almighty’ (v 1). It is a devastating verdict, which marks the end of the wicked.
As Malachi looks ahead to the distant horizon, he sees something else. ‘But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays’ (v 2). The prophecy turns full circle, returning to the moving affirmation we saw at the beginning of the book: ‘I have loved you’.2 The final word of the prophecy is ‘destruction’, but that is not the ultimate end of the story. There follows a pause of 400 years before another messenger declares, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’3 These two realities – blessing or judgement, life or death – remain before us. This short prophecy affirms that, for all who turn to him, the Lord assures us of his steadfast love and the eternal security of belonging to him.4
‘The warning that ends the Old Testament is not absent from the end of the New’, says Joyce Baldwin, ‘but the difference is that there, grace has the last word.’5 As we stand on the threshold of a New Year, let’s hold this final word in our hearts: ‘Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.’6
Entering 2020, we pray: ‘May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.’7
1 2 Thess 3:18 2 Mal 1:2 3 John 1:29 4 Mal 3:16,17 5 J Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Tyndale OT Commentaries, IVP, 1972, p253 6 Rev 22:20,21 7 See 2 Cor 13:14
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Malachi 3,4; Revelation 22
Pray for Scripture Union
Thank God for everyone who has supported the work of Scripture Union financially over this last year. Pray that God will encourage them through this practical involvement in mission.
