Malachi: Healing for the Law Keepers

Introduction

As we come to the last Sermon in the Golden Thread series open to Malachi chapter 4.

It seems appropriate to end here on the last page of the Old Testament.

As we have been in the Old Testament since Aug 4, 2021. Just three months short of three years.

In that time we have have seen that Christ is not a small thread that you have to search through all the other things to find.

On the contrary the historical redemptive theme, the christocentric reality, is clear, the text is about him.

Every iota, every dot of the Law, (Matthew 5:18, ESV) is about him

Every Prophets words are about him

Every historical even that is record is in him, through him, and for him (Colossians 1:16, ESV)

Beloved, do not trust any interpretation of scripture that is not centered on Christ.

When i first started this series I only had a little inkling of how profound the statement is that every text of scripture leads us to Christ.

How central

How necessary

But I should have known, the scriptures say, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:9–11, ESV)

The whole point of all of creation is the glorification of God through the exultation of Christ. ‘

The Election of of a particular people to salvation in eternity was to that end

The fall was distended to that end

The Protoevegelion the protogospel was given to that end

The saving of Noah was to that end

The God’s befriending of Abraham was to that end

The slavery and exodus of Isreal from Egypt was to that end

The giving of the Law was to that end

The judges, the kings, the exile, the return, the word of every prophet, and every single macro or micro event that has every happen from the time God said let there be light until now, was to the end that God would be glorified in the exultation of Christ.

So, if you are able, please stand for the reading of God’s Word

Malachi 4 ESV

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy, Infallible, and all sufficient Word.

Let’s Pray

Transition

want you to see the sandwich here, verse 1 and the last part of verse 6

Condemnation for the “all evildoers” on top and for the none penitent on the bottem with redemption for the God fearer in the middle. In short we understand this formula to be saying that all who are tender hatred toward the Son of God find in him a redeemer and healer while all others the evil doer and the hard hearted, stone hearted, find condemnation. Moreover, know the the first verse has a now and not yet fulfillment, while the “utter destruction” desolation in verse 6 was carried out in 70 AD do to the nation of Israel hardening their hearts to the Son of God and we see in that time the amazing grace that while the Law and prophets are fulled in the destruction of the land God saved his people. Lets look to verse 1.

Body

Neither Root Nor Branch

Malachi 4:1 ESV

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

Calvin “The greater part think that the Prophet speaks of the last coming of Christ, which seems not to me probable. It is indeed true that these and similar expressions, which everywhere occur in Scripture, have not their full accomplishment in this world; but God so suspends his judgments, as yet never to withhold from giving evidences of them […]” [1]

I think Calvin has the right of this, its very much a now and not yet.

The best plans of the wicked, any success they think that have is an illusion

They have no standing in the congregation of the righteous.

Notice the parallel here with

Psalm 1 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

But like Calvin said, the ultimate fulfillment is hell.

There is a fear of talking about hell.

Right now they have no root or branch in the congregation

root nor branch

Root and Fruit.

“No sin could have been more atrocious than to have rejected the offered favour, in which their happiness and that of the whole world consisted.”[2]

Remember sinners after the cross not one break the law of God but they reject God revealed Grace.

Paul said in Acts 17, in time of ignorance God over looked but now he commands everyone every where to repent.

We will return to his thought in verse 6.

Transition

But what of those that do repent. Verse 2-3

Sun of Righteousness

Malachi 4:2–3 ESV

2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

those the Fear,

those with hearts turned towards God

Those that repent.

Sproul comments, “sun of righteousness. An expression unique to Malachi (cf. Ps. 84:12). The Davidic king will reign in righteousness (Is. 32:1) and will be called “a righteous Branch” (Jer. 23:5, 6). The rising sun reveals the truth about the Lord and His people, vindicating those who are faithful and condemning those who remain rebellious.” [3]

“And you shall tread down the wicked”

“When God promises redemption to his Church, he usually mentions what is of an opposite character, even the destruction and ruin of his enemies, and he does this on purpose lest envy should annoy or harass the faithful, while seeing V 5, p 623 the ungodly prosperous and happy.” [4]

Not be delirious when you see the wicked has success my dear beloved.

Remember they unless they repent are destined for hell fire, the continues white hot wrath of God poured out forever,

While you, will as John Bunyan said it “When he shall come with sound of trumpet in the clouds, as upon the wings of the wind, you shall come with him; and when he shall sit upon the throne of judgment, you shall sit by him; yea, and when he shall pass sentence upon all the workers of iniquity, let them be angels or men, you also shall have a voice in that judgment, because they were his and your enemies.”[5]

Its important that this promise of victory comes before the words in verse 4 “remember the Law”

Transition

Its important that it comes before the Law because the promised of a heart is based on on the works of the Law but on a fearing, tender heart.

Verse 4-6

The Law Keeper is The Tender Hearted One

Malachi 4:4–6 ESV

4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Remember, to remind you of your need for a savior, not remember and keep.

Deuteronomy 17:18–20 ESV

18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

The Law of the Lord was there to premote the fear of the Lord,

Those that look on the law to remember not that by keeping it they may obtain righteousness of their own but so they are reminded of the need of the one to kept it.

Elijah is John the Baptist as we know, what did he preach? Repent! Repent! Repent!

This is the turning that is spoken of here, everyone that heard him and repented.

“lest I come and strike”

In other words, if the hearts of the people are not soft and demonstrated in familial tenderness the Lord will destroy the land.

“decree of utter destruction”

“The Hebrew term rendered decree of utter destruction refers to things devoted (or set apart) to the Lord (or by the Lord) for destruction” (ESV Study Note)

God carried out this decree in 70 AD.

A lot of people read lamentations, and think that was a great destruction but it was not an utter destruction.

What the Romans did to Jerusalem in 70 AD makes the Chaldeans look like philanthropists.

Here a just a few examples,

Prisoners

When the Chaldeans they took prisoners, they took many people in excel.

When the Romans came they left none alive

The Temple

When the Chaldeans ransacked the temple a lot of it was left standing.

When the Romans got done there was not one stone left on an other as Jesus had said.

The land

When the Chaldeans destroyed Judah, they left the land in peace for the most part even the poor of the last were left to tend the crops

When the Romans came they in slaved everyone in the land and burned every village. They left no one there.

These are just a few example of the utter destruction the Lord brough and those that harded their hearts to Christ.

But God promise to the fearing ones, the tender hearted ones, did not fail, those that we know now and Christians heeded Christ warning and when they saw see “Jerusalem surrounded by armies” (Lk 21:20, ESV) They fled to the hills and they were speared the destruction.

On the contrary, those Christians and the many many more since then have change the world.

They have as the text says “You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked”

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Re 12:11, ESV)

Conclusion

Lets conclude this series in a prayer and a benediction

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

References

[1] John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, vol. 5 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 614.

[2] Ibid, 614.

[3] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1655.

[4] John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, vol. 5 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 622–623.

[5] John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), 168.

Bibliography

Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995.

Calvin, John, and John Owen. Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.