This week, we have been looking at the final section of a letter in our Bibles called the book of Malachi. Wednesday, we saw Malachi reveal the reality that as a result of God’s activity at the end of God’s story, all humanity will be able to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. There will be a crystal clear distinction between those are just and right when it comes to their relationship with God and those who are guilty of not being right when it comes to a relationship with God. There will be a crystal clear distinction between those who served and followed God and those who did not serve and follow God.
Today, we see Malachi conclude his letter by reminding the Jewish people of God’s promise of the Messiah and His coming in verses 4-6:
"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 commands the Jewish people to remember the Law of Moses. The word remember here conveys the sense of remembering something in a way that results in action. Malachi is commanding the Jewish people to keep watch and make sure that they follow God’s commands as given to Moses. The reason that they are to make sure to keep and follow God’s commands is revealed for us in verses 5-6. In these verses the prophet predicts and proclaims that God would send Elijah the prophet before the arrival of the Messiah and the ushering in of the kingdom of Heaven. Upon his arrival, Malachi explains that he will be used by God to “restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”
But who is this Elijah and what is he really supposed to do? We find the answer to this question in one of the accounts of Jesus life that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the gospel of Matthew. At this point in the gospel of Matthew, Peter, James, and John, who were Jesus three closest disciples, were on a mountaintop and saw a glimpse of the glory of Jesus as God as He had a conversation with Moses and Elijah. In the middle of that conversation, God the Father appears in the middle of a cloud and says to the three disciples “this is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him”. So at this point, it is unmistakably clear to them that Jesus is God-in-a-bod, the Messiah. And they had seen Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. But the disciples had a question. So let’s look at the question and the answer together in Matthew 17:10-13:
And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 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." Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
Here we see Jesus reveal for us the reality that the prophet Malachi’s prediction had been fulfilled and was going to be fulfilled a second time in the future. Jesus is explaining that the last days and the great and glorious day of the Lord had come. John the Baptizer had come to call the Jewish people to repent, to recognize and feel remorse for how they were living life. John had called the Jewish people to change the trajectory of their life, because God was coming soon. The kingdom of God was approaching and would be here soon”.
And the Bible tells us that many Jewish people recognized their need to repent from their sin and their need to be right with God before the Messiah, the promised one of God appeared to usher in the kingdom of God that they were waiting for. You see, the last days and the great and glorious Day of the Lord began with Jesus appearance, which signaled that God was doing something new in the world. What John the baptizer announced, and what Jesus fulfilled was an opportunity for all of humanity to receive forgiveness and experience the relationship with God that they were created for. Just as reconciliation within a family involves a turning toward one another to restore the broken relationship, God was taking the initiative to restore the broken relationship with humanity.
Today, we live in what are often referred to as the last days. The last days began with Jesus initial appearance on earth. And the last days will end when Jesus returns again to defeat selfishness, sin, and death and to usher in the kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense. And right before Jesus 2nd coming, the Bible tells us that there will be two witnesses that announce to the world, just as John the Baptizer did, that the Messiah is coming. And just as it was in the prophet Malachi’s day, there will be those who say that following God’s ways is foolish and futile. And there will be others who will not buy into the lie that following God’s ways is foolish and futile and will instead remain faithful.
So where are you when it comes to a relationship with God? Do you believe that following God’s ways are foolish and futile? Do you tell others that following God’s ways are foolish and futile? Because we take a detour when we tell others that following God’s ways is foolish and futile. We take a detour that dishonors God. We take a detour that deceives ourselves and others. We take a detour that reveals the reality that we are far from God. We take a detour that, apart from a changing of the trajectory of our lives that is moving away from God back toward God, will result in us receiving the right and just response to selfishness and rebellion.
You see, Jesus came the first time to earth in order to provide the opportunity for all of humanity to be rescued from selfishness and rebellion and experience the relationship with God that they were created for by believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and leader. When Jesus comes again, He will come as the conquering King and Judge that will defeat selfishness, sin, and death, and establish God’s royal reign forever.
In the meantime, we all have a decision. And that decision is whether or not we are going to follow Jesus…
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