Book of Malachi: Chapter 4
The final chapter of the final book of the Old Testament is a short one, but with vivid imagery of God’s faithfulness. It begins with God reminding Judah that one day–not now–He will conquer and consume “every evildoer.” He paints a beautiful picture of a sunrise, its rays healing those on whom they fall, giving such renewed energy to the people that they “frolic” with the youthful exuberance of a calf who is fully satisfied.
It is fitting that Malachi ends with the prophecy that God “will send the prophet Elijah to you” who will prepare the people before the Lord’s coming (v. 4-6). In the next book in the Bible, Matthew, we find Jesus echoes this prophecy: “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John [the Baptist]. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come” (Matt 11:13-15).
It’s important to note that there is a 430-year gap between the end of the Old Testament historical record and the gospels.
For the next several hundred years, Israel remains just a minor territory in a succession of empires. When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian armies in 333 B.C., he enforced his practice of Hellenization on the Jews by making everyone adopt Greek language and culture. Upon Alexander’s death ten years later, the empire split between two of his generals. The Ptolemies (in Egypt) tolerated the Jewish religion and practices, but the Seleucids (originally in Syria and Mesopotamia) took control in 198 B.C. Under this regime, Antiochus IV Epiphanes reinvigorated Hellenization in an attempt to eradicate the Jewish religion. After he erected a statue of Zeus and sacrificed a pig in the Jerusalem temple, the people rallied around the Maccebeus family who led a 24-year revolt that liberated Judah from 142-63 B.C.
Unfortunately, the spiritual lassitude that characterized much of Israel’s history returned when the last of the Maccabee leaders died. The Jewish Hellenizers gained favor and status at the expense of those who stayed true to God, squeezing out the traditional practices. Shortly thereafter, the Roman general Pompey besieged Jerusalem, slaughtering the priests and ushering in an era of Roman rule that further subjugated the Jews. This oppression, along with a spiritual focus on a personal relationship with God (that blossomed during the Babylonian diaspora when they couldn’t access the temple), set the stage for Jesus’ ministry.
Key Verse:
“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.” ~ Malachi 4:2
Question to ponder:
- If you’re struggling with waiting on God, what does the day look like when you’ll “frolic like well-fed calves?”
