Malaquias 4
G. Campbell Morgan · Citado em PreceptAustin
Malaquias 4
Morgan: The prophecy reveals a sensitive God, and a stultified (proved to be of unsound mind, cause to appear absurd) people. Malachi declared the sensitiveness of Jehovah, and charged the people with lack of sensitiveness, hardness, callousness. The people were not conscious of their own shortcoming. They imagined they were perfectly satisfying the Divine heart, and fulfilling the Divine requirement. The book presents the picture of a people having a form, while they are devoid of power; fulfilling all the external requirements of religion, but being utterly without the internal experience; maintaining the sacramental symbols, while destitute of the spiritual grace of which those symbols should be the sign. It should be remembered that this message was delivered not to Judah, and not to Israel, if by Israel we mean the Northern kingdom. The burden of the word of the Lord was to Israel. Malachi spoke not to the ten tribes or to the two; not to the North, or to the South, as in separation from each other, but to the whole nation. When these people had returned from Babylon under Zerubbabel, and when later another contingent had returned in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the returning remnants were made up of members of all the tribes. In the last book of the inspired history of these people, the book of Nehemiah, we saw them without a king, without a priest, and without prophet; and moreover, without any Messianic hope. To people in that condition Malachi delivered his message. As the book of Nehemiah was the last page of inspired history, the book of Malachi is the last page of inspired Hebrew prophecy. Here is a summary of truths about the Day of the Lord in Malachi 3 and Malachi 4: Here is a summary of truths on the Day of the LORD from the New Testament and 4 other Old Testament books... Here are the youtube discussions based on the Precept study of Revelation Part 4, lessons 7 and 8... What the Bible Teaches About the Day of the Lord - Part 1 What the Bible Teaches About the Day of the Lord - Part 2 Malachi 4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "s o that it will leave them neither root nor branch." the day: Mal 4:5, 3:2 Eze 7:10 Joe 2:1,31 Zep 1:14 Zec 14:1 Lk 19:43, 21:20 2Pe 3:7) burning:: Ps 21:9,10 Na 1:5,6 Zep 1:18 Mt 3:12 2Th 1:8) and all the arrogant: Mal 3:15,18 Ex 15:7 Ps 119:119 Isa 2:12-17, 5:24, 40:24, 41:2, 47:14 Ob 1:18 Na 1:10) so that it: Job 18:16 Am 2:9 THE DAY OF THE LORD A DAY OF DIVISION RIGHTEOUS vs WICKED Brian Bill outlines this short chapter as follows… * The day of the Lord (Malachi 4:1a) * The Fate of the Faithless (Malachi 4:1b-2) * The Reward of the Righteous (Malachi 4:3) * The Call to Obedience (Malachi 4:4) * The Promise of Reconciliation (Malachi 4:5-6) The Septuagint is rendered by Brenton "For, behold, a day comes burning as an oven, and it shall consume (phlego - future active indicative) them; and all the aliens, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that is coming shall set them on fire, saith the Lord Almighty, and there shall not be left of them root or branch." It is interesting to note that the verb phlego (not used in NT, 8x in Lxx = Ex 24:17; Dt 32:22; Ps 104:4; Pr 29:1; Jer 20:9; 23:29; Da 7:9; Mal 4:1) Brenton renders as "it shall consume" is used in Ex 24:17 to describe "the Lord… as burning fire on top of the mountain." (Also Brenton's English Translation). For - This term of explanation should always prompt a pause to ponder what the writer is explaining. You will be surprised what your Teacher the Spirit might reveal! This discipline will usually "force" you to re-read the preceding context. In this case the previous passage is a future promise given to those who feared Yahweh (Mal 3:16)… So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. (Mal 3:18) John MacArthur agrees writing that "The first 3 verses continue the thought of the closing verses of the previous chapter, elaborating on God’s punishment of the wicked and His deliverance of the godly (cf. Mal 3:1–5). This eschatological reference to the Day of the Lord (cf. Is 13:6; Joel 2:11, 31; Zep 1:14) is injected 4 times into the prophet’s final words (Mal 3:17; 4:1, 3, 5). It anticipated the return of the Lord Jesus in judgment (cf. Rev 19:11–21)." (MacArthur Study Bible) So now in Malachi 4:1, the "for" explains when and how this distinction between the righteous and the wicked will transpire. Given this close association of the end of Malachi 3 and the beginning of Malachi 4, W A Criswell's comment is instructive… In most of the manuscripts and editions of the Hebrew Bible, the whole of Malachi 4 is treated as a continuation of Malachi 3. Several editions, however, leave a blank space between the two, so as to warrant a chapter division in the English versions. (Ed Note: Remember that the chapter divisions are not inspired, but are man-made, and sometimes create an "artificial" division between subject matter that is clearly closely related. Such would appear to be the case in the Chapter insertion here in Malachi.) Brian Bill - In the Hebrew Scriptures, there is no chapter four in the book of Malachi. This division was added later. The last six verses are a continuation of chapter three that we studied together last week. Behold (hinneh) the day is coming - It is only fitting that the interjection behold is inserted at this crucial juncture in Malachi, as it serves to call the reader's attention to the awesome events the prophet will describe and to which every reader should pay special attention! Behold (02009) (hinneh) is an interjection meaning behold, look, now; if. "It is used often and expresses strong feelings, surprise, hope, expectation, certainty, thus giving vividness depending on its surrounding context." (Baker) Hinneh generally directs our mind to the text, imploring the reader to give it special attention. In short, the Spirit is trying to arrest our attention! And so hinneh is used as an exclamation of vivid immediacy (e.g., read Ge 6:13)! Hinneh is a marker used to enliven a narrative, to express a change a scene, to emphasize an idea, to call attention to a detail or an important fact or action that follows (Isa 65:17, Ge 17:20, 41:17). The first use of hinneh in Ge 1:29 and second in Ge 1:31 - "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." Hinneh is oftn used in the idiom "Here I am" in Ge 22:1, 7,11 Ge 27:1,18, Ge 31:11, Ge 46:2 Ex 3:4 1Sa 3:4, 3:16, 12:3, 2Sa 1:7, Isa 52:6, Isa 58:9. Hinneh is used most often to point out people but also to point out things (Ge 31:41, 17:4). God uses hinneh to grab man's attention before He brings destruction (Ge 6:13, 17). God uses hinneh when He establishes covenants (Ge 9:9, 15:12, 17 [when Jehovah cut the Abrahamic covenant], Ge 17:4, cp Ge 28:13, 15), when He provided a sacrificial substitute for Isaac (foreshadowing His giving us His only Son!) (Ge 22:13). Hinneh marks the "chance (The Providence of God)" arrival of Boaz at the field where Ruth was gleaning (Ru 2:4-read about this "chance romance" - Indeed, "Behold!"). Hinneh is used to announce the Lord’s sending of a child as a sign and a prophecy of Immanuel-Emmanuel, the Messiah (Isa. 7:14-note). In fact W E Vine says that it is notable that when behold (hinneh) is used in Isaiah, it always introduces something relating to future circumstances.
Malaquias 4
Morgan - We can even go to the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, written about 400 years before Christ was born, and find this theme. In Malachi 4—the last chapter of the Old Testament—the ancient prophet avows that the Messiah’s coming will be like the sun rising in the morning, with healing in its rays. It takes eight minutes and fifteen seconds for a particle of light to travel through space from the sun to the earth. That means that if at this moment the sun would suddenly burn out like a light bulb when the filament blows, we would have just about eight minutes of life left on this earth. Then suddenly the world would be plunged into darkness. I suppose our power stations would work for a few minutes, and I suppose we could see the distant twinkling stars. But for the most part, this planet would be plunged into pitch blackness and we would all be groping around like blind men. And then, of course, the deadly blasts of cold air would blanket the planet, and temperatures would plunge into a deep freeze. The weather systems would all collapse, and without the sun’s gravitational pull, our planet would wobble out of its circuit and float away into the blackness of the void. That’s what a person’s life is like without Jesus Christ! The Son of God is to the human soul what the sun above is to planet Earth. He provides warmth and light, and our lives are to revolve around Him in a ceaseless orbit of faith and obedience. Without Him, we grope in the darkness, looking for hope, but all is dark and cold, and our lives grow wobbly and gradually lose altitude until they’re lost in the blackness of eternity. The Psalmist said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life—of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1). (Inside the Tabernacle - Christ: Our Sufficiency) Malachi 4:2; Psalm 84:11 Today in the Word The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. - Numbers 6:24-25 When was the last time you watched a sunrise? Perhaps you’ve slept in too often, and can’t remember. If you’ve been up, perhaps you’ve been busy or stuck in traffic, and not taken the time to enjoy this daily drama of nature. Perhaps because sunrise is so frequent, you’ve been taking it for granted. Yet no two sunrises are exactly the same–our Creator makes a new masterpiece each and every morning! Today’s verses use the sun as a metaphor for God. Notice there is no confusion between the sun and God, as in the case of the pagan nations which surrounded Israel. The sun is a created object, and only the Creator is worthy of worship. In that case, what attributes of God do the Jewish writers want to highlight by comparing Him to the sun? One answer is His righteousness and glory (Mal. 4:2). For those who revere the Lord, a new day is coming. Like the sun rising, God will appear on the horizon of our wicked world, dispelling the darkness and bringing the fire of judgment to evildoers and granting healing and redemption to His worshipers (v. 1). In exactly this way, the first coming of Christ was like a sunrise: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isa. 9:2; cf. Luke 1:76--79). When the day of the Lord is full, there will in fact be no more need for the sun–“the Lord will be [our] everlasting light” (Isa. 60:19-20). A second meaning of this sun metaphor spotlights God’s blessing or favor (Ps. 84:11). That’s why the standard priestly blessing included the phrase, “the Lord make His face shine upon you” (Num. 6:25). As with the first meaning, this happy result is only for those who are living righteously, “those whose walk is blameless.” TODAY ALONG THE WAY - Schedule a time soon to get up early and watch the sun rise. Pick a good vantage point. Allow plenty of time. You might even invite a friend to join you. Malachi 4:3 "You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the LORD of hosts.: Ge 3:15 Jos 10:24,25 2Sa 22:43 Job 40:12 Ps 91:13 Isa 25:10 26:6 63:3-6 Da 7:18,27 Mic 5:8 7:10 Zec 10:5 Ro 16:20 Rev 11:15 14:20) You - Referring to the righteous remnant, those who fear the Name of the LORD. Will tread down the wicked - This literally happened in Joshua's day (Josh 10:24-25)! This prophetic promise will happen again in Israel in the future! At the time of Malachi's writing (and even in our day), it might look like evil doers are triumphing over good and God, but like Paul Harvey used to say "And now for the rest of the story" - It's "His Story (History)" and the final act is the book of the Revelation (apokalupsis = the revealing) of Jesus Christ! John records that when Jesus returns triumphant, He will tread "the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty." (Rev 19:15-note) Ashes under the soles of your feet on the day - Zechariah alludes to that day… Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. (Zech 14:12, read also Isaiah 63:1-6 which also describes these end time events) Isaiah speaks of the events on the day the LORD is preparing… Who is this who comes from Edom (Jesus the returning King of kings!), With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? (Could this be anyone other than the returning Messiah?) “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? 3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger, And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. 4 “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come (Vengeance for all who fail to repent, redemption for all who repent!). 5 “And I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me; And My wrath upheld Me. 6 “And I trod down the peoples in My anger, And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.” (Isaiah 63:1-6) This picture of treading down the wicked also reminds me of the Protevangelium, Latin for the "first preaching of the Gospel," "the Bible in embryo, the sum of all history and prophecy in a germ." And I will put enmity (hostility, hatred) between you (Satan) and the woman (Ultimately fulfilled in Mary - Gal 4:4-5, Isa 7:14, Mic 5:3, Mt 1:23 Lk 1:31,35, 2:7), and between your seed (all who are in Adam - Ro 5:12-note) and her seed (Messiah); He (Messiah) shall bruise you (Satan) on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel (Picture of the Crucifixion)." (Ge 3:15) W A Criswell explains - It is a prediction of continual hostility between good and evil, between man and the satanic forces that oppose his moral well-being, and between the people of God and the unregenerate world system in which they live. This is more than a prediction, however. Such conflict is said to be divinely caused. It is God's will that until the final redemption, the Christian and the world should not be at peace. The "woman" is emphasized because she was beguiled by the Serpent; it is she who is "the mother of all living" (Ge 3:20), and it is by the woman that the Savior would come (Gal. 4:4). The "seed" of the Serpent must include all the followers of the Evil One (cf. John 8:44). There is a unique allusion in "her Seed," the first announcement of the virgin birth, for biologically in conception the seed or sperm is delivered by the man; but in the miraculous conception of the Messiah, the seed was the woman's, the result of her being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 4:4). Jesus Christ, then, as the "Seed" of the woman, will ultimately defeat Satan and his "seed." The phrases "bruise your head" and "bruise His heel" reveal suffering for both sides, but the final wounds to the Serpent are ultimately devastating, while the victory most certainly comes for the descendants of Eve. The Savior was "bruised for our [man's] iniquities" (Isa. 53:5), but His sufferings and death are now history. A bruised "heel" may be nursed until healed, but the crushing of the "head" means certain death. In the atonement and promised return of Christ, Satan's head is crushed (cf. Ge 9:13; Rev. 20:2, 3-note). They will tread down the wicked because God (Who is greater and in them - 1Jn 4:4) has defeated the wicked ruler, Satan… And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Ro 16:20-note) John explains how the righteous remnant (and all the righteous of all ages) will be enabled to tread down the wicked… For whatever is born of God overcomes (nikao) the world (kosmos); and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes (pisteuo in the present tense) that Jesus is the Son of God? (1Jn 5:4-5) Related Discussion - Three Mortal Enemies of our Soul - the world, the flesh and the devil For they will be ashes - Why? Because they will be set… ablaze… leaving neither root or branch (Mal 4:1). Ashes are all that will remain. And it is easy to tread upon ashes! The day I am preparing - This is a fearful, awesome thought! God is preparing this horrific day, and in a sense we each are preparing for this day (Day of the Lord), either safe in Christ (cf Col 3:3-note, Jn 10:27-30) or dead (and doomed) in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-note, cf Ro 5:12-note)! Dear reader, are you safe or will you be sorry? If you fear God now, you do not need to fear His judgment on the terrible day that is coming! Malachi 4:4 "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.: the law: Ex 20:3-21 Dt 4:5,6 Ps 147:19,20 Isa 8:20, 42:21 Mt 5:17-20, 19:16-22, 22:36-40 Mk 12:28-34 Lk 10:25-28, 16:29-31 Jn 5:39-47 Ro 3:31, 13:1-10 Gal 5:13,14,24,25 Jas 2:9-13 Ex 21:1-23:33 Lev 1:1-7:38 Ps 147:19 Remember (zakar) - Zakar means not only to be reminded of something but also to act accordingly. This is a command to the righteous remnant to bring to mind the Law of Moses. While it is not stated, the implication is to be a hearer of the Word and a doer of the Word. The doing of the Law in no way saved them but their ability to order their lives according to God's statutes and ordinances was evidence that they were genuine believers. It is notable that the charge for Israel to remember the law is repeated 13 times in the second giving of the Law, just prior to Israel's entry into the promised land - Deut 5:15; 7:18; 8:2, 18; 9:7, 27; 15:15; 16:3, 12; 24:9, 18, 22; 25:17; 32:7 Eugene Merrill - To remember is to do. There is no abstract reflection here but a command to bear in mind and to put into effect. This is the very exhortation Moses himself made, especially in the great pareneses of Deuteronomy. “Remember YHWH your God,” he said, “that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers” (Dt. 8:18). (Malachi Commentary recommended) Moses My servant - This is a description toward which every saint should eagerly strive (enabled by the Spirit)! It is surely no coincidence that in this closing section Moses and Elijah are mentioned and these are the same two men who are with Jesus in the Transfiguration. (Mt 17:1-8). It seems fair to say that Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented the prophets. The statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb - Referring to the giving of the "Ten Commandments" (and other laws) at Mt Sinai. Horeb has a connection not only to Moses but also to Elijah, who “traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God” (1Ki 19:8; cf. Ex 3:1). Disciple's Study Bible - The prophetic books end with a reminder to the faithful to continue doing the Law, preserved as revelation in writing from its manifestation and deliverance at Horeb (Sinai) by God's messenger Moses. Law had become authoritative Scripture, the criteria for judging the faithfulness of God's people. Malachi 4:5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.: I am going - Mal 3:1 Isa 40:3 Mt 11:13,14, Mt 17:10-13, 27:47-49 Mk 9:11-13 Lk 1:17, 7:26-28, 9:30 Jn 1:21,25 great: Mal 4:1 Joe 2:31 Ac 2:19,20 Rev 6:17 ELIJAH THE PROPHET Behold (02009)(hinneh) - Hinneh calls attention to the text and directs reader to give special attention -- it is used as an exclamation of vivid immediacy. God wanted to make sure they heard the pronouncement concerning Elijah the Prophet. Walter Kaiser - There is a clear relationship between this verse and Malachi 3:1. They both contain: (1) the word “Behold,” (2) the participle “I am sending,” (3) the mission of calling the people to “turn,” and (4) references to the day of the Lord. John Phillips' has an interesting succinct summation of Malachi 4:5-6… When Jesus came the first time, God did indeed send a forerunner: John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah to call the nation back to God. The nation responded by murdering John and crucifying Christ. But Jesus is coming again and before He returns, the real Elijah will come, armed with miraculous power to smite the earth with plague and judgment (Revelation 11:3-12-note). I am going to send you Elijah the prophet - Is this the same person to whom Malachi refers in Mal 3:1? While some same no, the majority of ancient and modern Protestant interpreters maintain that the two figures are identical. The second question is who is this "Elijah?" Is this John the Baptist who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah? Will the prophet Elijah actually return before the Day of the Lord? While most see John the Baptist as the "type" of Elijah and thus see no need for a literal Elijah (albeit see Elijah's literal appearance at the Transfiguration), there remains the possibility that Elijah might be one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3ff (See Who Are the Two Witnesses?). There is however no clear consensus regarding this possibility, and so one cannot be dogmatic regarding Elijah's literal reappearance. Gotquestions discussion - What should we learn from the life of Elijah? This prophecy could have be fulfilled at least in part in Elijah's appearance with Moses at the Transfiguration. Some would argue that this was only a vision, and would say that Elijah did not literally return. Vision or not, there is no doubt it was truly Elijah! And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. (Mk 9:4, Mt 17:3) Elijah the prophet - John the Baptist was a type of Elijah at Christ’s first advent - Luke 1:17-commentary “And it is (John the Baptist) who will go as a forerunner before Him (Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Comment: John the Baptist like the OT prophets such as Elijah were concerned about calling the erring nation of Israel back to God, to genuine repentance. John the Baptist readily admitted that he was the one who prepared the way for the Lord (Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1), but adamantly denied that he was actually Elijah (Jn 1:21-23). Mt 11:10 “This (John the Baptist) is the one about whom it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’ 11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 “And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come. Comment: Jesus is not saying Elijah had been reincarnated as John the Baptist, which as we noted above, John himself denied (Jn 1:21). Ryrie: Jesus is saying that if the Jews had received Him, they would also have understood that John fulfilled the OT prediction of the coming of Elijah before the Day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5). MacArthur agrees with Ryrie: If they had believed, John would have been the fulfillment of the Elijah prophecies. (Study Bible) Mt 17:10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? (Referring to Mal 4:5)” 11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
Malaquias 4
Morgan noted that from Malachi's time until Christ's, rabbis did not end their reading of Malachi with verse 6. Skipping from verse 4 to 6, they then reverted to verse 5, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD." And in the Greek Old Testament, verse 4 is put at the end. Thus the Jews regarded God's final words as spoken in love, not in anger. God's final prophetic words to believers in the New Testament are also filled with hope: "He who testifies to these things says, `Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Rev. 22:20-21). The Christian's future is as bright as the promises of God.