The Lord of Revival (Malachi 4:1-6)

Introduction

The last book of the Old Testament was written around 450 years before Christ to a people numb to God’s promises. Israel lost hope in God’s grace, rejected following His law, and grew to hate the God they said they followed. I believe the church in America has a lot in common with Israel during Malachi’s day. Like Israel, we need reformation and revival. The entire book is made of 6 disputes between God and Israel where Israel’s opinions of things have been weighed against God’s. Each time God’s opinion of things wins against Israel’s. We see that the secret to reformation is simply trusting God’s opinion of things over our own.

The Passage

“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, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. “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. “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:1–6

Explanation of the Passage

             The book ends with a promise. In verses 1 through 3, God promise to curse the wicked and bless His people on the day of the Lord. Malachi says that on the Day of the Lord, God will destroy the wicked like He’s uprooting and burning trees (Mal 4:1). In the New Testament, John the Baptist uses similar language to describe his ministry (Matt 3:8-10). On the same Day God punishes evil, He will also bless and heal those who fear Him (Mal 4:2). No doubt, the sun of righteousness that heals is the Son of God and light of the world (John 1:4-6; 8:12). When God heals His people, they will be victorious over their enemies (Mal 4:3).

            In verses 4 through 6, the people should remember Moses, look for Elijah, and love their families. God reminds Israel of His law, the 10 commandments, which He gave to Moses at Mt. Sinai (also called Horeb). While they look to the past at God’s law, they are also to look ahead for God’s prophet Elijah. We know that 400 years later, this promise was fulfilled with the birth of John the Baptist (Matt 11:10-14; 17:10-13). John came in the likeness of Elijah to call the people back to the Lord. But just so everyone understands that the Day of the Lord is at hand, God sends both Moses and Elijah to Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Matt 17:4; Mark 9:4). Gabriel, when telling Zechariah of his son, told him that the preaching of John would bring families together (Luke 1:17) in fulfillment of Mal 4:6). If the families aren’t brough together, then the land will be cursed.  

The Day of the Lord

            In the Old Testament prophets, we see the phrase “the Day of the Lord” come up a lot. Now, this phrase tripped me up a bunch because I had a difficult time telling if it referred to an event that happened 2,000 years ago or an event at the end of history. A simpler way to understand this phrase is that it refers to anytime God comes to bless His people and punish the wicked. In Amon 5:27, the Day of the Lord was about the destruction of Northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria while Isaiah 13:6, 9 said that the day of the Lord was when God destroyed Babylon. God promises to bring an end to wicked nations. He also promises to save His people when he judges the nations (Zephaniah 3:8-10). In the Old Testament, the Day of the Lord was something you would want if you were a believer. You see similar thinking in today’s passage. In verse 1, there’s a day that will punish the evil doer (John’s preaching), but in verse 2, it will also bless the believer. That day is the same day, the day of the Lord, in verse 5.

            This means that the day of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead was a Day of the Lord event. God punished sin and vindicated the righteous. And Jesus promises on the last day, He will separate the righteous and the wicked at the judgment (Matthew 25:31-46). Where this gets cool is that in the New Testament, the Lord’s Day (Sunday), is literally the Day of the Lord. In Greek, the words look the same. So, when the church obeys the 4th commandment and gathers on the Lord’s Day, we are doing something more than just socializing for an hour. We are meeting with the Lord who blesses or curses (e.g., 1 Cor 10:16, 11:18-34). We do this regularly because there will be one day when it happens for the last time.  

Reformation and Revival and Families

            Growing up, my family went to both the summer and winter revival meetings. I’ve heard a good number of revival sermons. I don’t remember hearing any on restoring the family. But  when God promised one of the greatest revivals in history, the evidence of the revival wasn’t in prayers prayed, cards signed, or hands raised, but in the number of families sticking together. One effect of the protestant reformation was a focus on families. The Reformers encouraged weekly church attendance, learning music, daily family worship, and rites of passage for the children.

            We need reformation in our land. This means we will need to prioritize the family again. But in order for that to happen, we must first repent of our idolatry. God gave the family as a gift, but we treat it as a curse. We blame our kids and grandkids for turning their backs on God and us. But where did they learn that from? When you threw your kid in day care so you could get a paycheck you didn’t need. When you prioritized school grades and college degrees over a real God-centered education. When you barked at them after a hard day’s work because work was more important than them. God made promises about believer’s children. But we are like Israel. We think God failed us because we did everything right. No. Let God be true and every man a liar. If our families are broken, let’s first look at ourselves. Then after we repent, we can live in God’s grace instead of avoiding it. Who knows? Maybe God will send us a revival then.

Conclusion

            The Old Testament ends with the promise of a curse on the land if the people do not repent. This promise remained unanswered for 400 years. 400 years of waiting, wondering, questioning, and doubting. No doubt the threat of curse loomed over the people. The last book of the New Testament is Revelation and toward the end, there is also a curse written for those who reject this book (Rev 22:10-15). However, the last word ends with a promise of grace (Rev 22:21). God’s judgments are sure and secure, but mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). But remember, both God’s mercy and judgement come from the same good hand.