Malachi 4

CHAPTER 4

The Day of the Lord (4:1–6)

1–3 Surely the day is coming (verse 1). That “day” is the day of the LORD ¹⁷ (verse 5). The Lord is clearly referring here to the end of history, the final judgment; that day will burn like a furnace. The final judgment will be by fire (see Matthew 3:11–12; 2 Peter 3:10), just as the judgment in Noah’s time was by water.

But that day of fiery judgment will also be a day of blessing and vindication for those who revere the Lord’s name (the Lord Himself). For those who love and serve the Lord, that day will be like the rising of the sun (verse 2); the glory of God will shine down upon them with righteousness and healing—SALVATION(seeIsaiah60:1920; Revelation 21:23–25).

4 But as the Jews—and we ourselves—wait for that day, the Lord says to us: ”Remember the law.” Do not be like those in Malachi’s day who neglected the important matters of the law (see Matthew 23:23). True, we Christians are no longer required to observe the sacrificial and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, but we are required to obey God’s moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments and the law of love.¹⁸ If we truly seek to obey God’s law-and truly repent when we stumble and fall-then we will be counted among those who revere the Lord and we will receive His righteousness and healing (verse 2).

5–6 Before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes, the Lord promises to send His people a messenger who will urge them to repent (see Malachi 3:1 and comment). The Jews will not be protected on that day simply because they are Jews (Romans 2:28–29). Churchgoers will not be protected on that day simply because they go to church (Matthew 7:21–23). No, in order to be saved on that day, people need to turn their hearts to the Lord and to each other (verse 6). And that is why the Lord will send the prophet Elijah to prepare the way for the Lord, to prepare the people for His coming (verse 5).

Why Elijah? We know from the New Testament that the Elijah” of Malachi was, in fact, John the Baptist (Matthew 11:13–14; 17:10–13; Mark 9:11–13). The Lord used the name “Elijah” here because Elijah, together with Moses, best represented the entire line of Old Testament prophets; Elijah and Moses’ presence at the transfiguration of Jesus is evidence of this (Mark 9:2–4). Furthermore, it was in the spirit and power of Elijah that John the Baptist made ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17). Among the Old Testament prophets, it was Elijah who most resembled John the Baptist.¹⁹

Notice again that Malachi speaks here of one final “day of the Lord”; he did not distinguish between Christ’s first coming and His second coming (see Malachi 3:5 and comment). In fact, there have been many “days” of the Lord; we have been reading about them throughout the Old Testament. Whenever God decisively intervenes in human history it is a “day of the Lord.” The day Jesus was born and the day He rose from the dead are the two greatest “days of the Lord” that have occurred so far; we call them Christmas and Easter. But all these “days” described in the Old and New Testaments have been leading up to one great and dreadful day that is yet to come (verse 5). And on that day the Messiah Jesus, who first came to us as Shepherd and Savior, will come as King and Judge. May we be ready for that day.

¹God does not “hate” people in a personal way as humans do. In verses 2–3, the word “love” expresses God’s choice, and the word “hate” expresses God’s rejection.

² The people of Judah had reason to doubt Malachi’s words. When Malachi wrote them, Judah was still struggling to become a nation after seventy years of exile. By contrast, Edom (the nation founded by Jacob’s brother Esau) had remained intact and had even benefited from Judah’s trials. But over the next couple of centuries, the Edomites were gradually forced from their land and Edom ceased to exist as a nation.

³ For a discussion of the importance of offering the very best to God, see Exodus 12:3–7; Leviticus 1:1–2 and comments.

⁴ Christians do well to ask:Would God want to shut the . . . doors of our church? (verse 10). Are our “sacrifices”—our worship, our service, our lives—acceptable to Him? Or do we offer Him only form and ritual, and nothing from our hearts?

⁵ Every Christian is a priest called to offer spiritual sacrifices to God (1 Peter 2:5). These “sacrifices” include our gifts (Philippians 4:18), our good works (Hebrews 13:16) and, above all, our bodies (Romans 12:1). With these sacrifices God is well pleased.

⁶ The offal is the inedible portion of a sacrificed animal, including the intestines and their contents. This offal was to be carried outside the camp (or city) and buried (Exodus 29:14).

⁷ In verses 4-5, the word covenant signifies a solemn agreement or promise. For further discussion, see Word List:Covenant.

⁸ In verse 5, the Lord says that He made a covenant of life and peace with Levi—that is, with the Levitical priesthood. This refers to the covenant of a lasting priesthood God made with the Levite Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, and with his descendants (Numbers 25:10–13).

⁹ It is impossible to be in fellowship with God and, at the same time, to be out of fellowship with one’s brother. When we sin against a brother, we sin against God (see 1 John 1:6–7; 2:9–11; 4:7–8,11–12).

¹⁰ People who divorce their spouses without biblically sanctioned cause are sinning not only against their spouse but also against God. Marriage is a covenant. Just as God has been faithful to keep His covenant with His people—in spite of their imperfections and rebellion—so He expects us to keep our covenant with our spouse. A covenant implies loyalty and commitment, no matter what. God says: ”I hate divorce” (verse 16). For further discussion, see General Article:Christian Marriage, in The Applied New Testament Commentary.

¹¹ Both Matthew and Mark quote Malachi 3:1. Note, however, that Mark quotes Malachi 3:1 together with Isaiah 40:3, but only mentions Isaiah as a source (see Mark 1:2–3).

¹² In verses 3–4, Malachi says that God will purify the Levites and that they will bring Him offerings as in days gone by. This does not mean that the Old Testament sacrificial system will continue after Christ comes (see Hebrews 10:1–18); rather, the purification that Malachi describes here symbolizes the purified church, where believers bring their offerings of worship, service and resources to the Lord. When offerings are brought with a pure heart, then they will be acceptable to the Lord.

¹³ For what it means to repent, see Word List:Repentance.

¹⁴ A tithe is a tenth of one’s income (see Leviticus 27:30–33). In addition to the tithe, a believer should bring voluntary or freewill offerings to the Lord. We are called to excel in this grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7).

¹⁵ There must be many churches that are “under a curse” today; the budgets of most churches are far less than ten percent of their members’ incomes.

¹⁶ For what it means to “fear the Lord,” see footnote to comment on Genesis 20:8–13; Deuteronomy 6:1–3 and comment.

¹⁷ For a discussion concerning the day of the LORD, see Joel 1:15; 2:28–32 and comments.

¹⁸ For further discussion of the law and its relation to Christians, see Exodus 20:1–2; Leviticus 11:1,44–45; 15:1 and comments; Word List: Law; General Article: The Purpose of the Mosaic Law.

¹⁹ For further discussion concerning Old Testament characters who prefigure or typify New Testament characters, see General Article:Types and Predictive Events.