Malachi 4
“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 andstrike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Questions To Consider:
1. Which genre (history, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, epistle, etc.) is the book of Malachi? What is the overall tone or theme of this chapter?
2. Some prophecies have a “near” meaning (something that will happen in the near future to the people the prophet is currently talking to), some have a “far” meaning (something that will happen far in the future in another context), and some have both. Which would you say is the case for this passage? In either or both cases, who is the audience for this prophecy? What is the near and/or far meaning?
3. How does God contrast the wicked with those who fear the Lord in verses 1-3? Why does God say to “Remember the law of my servant Moses…”? (4) How does verse 4 fit with verses 1-3?
4. What are some possible connections between verses 5-6 and Luke 1:13, 16-17, Matthew 11:13-14, and Revelation 11:3?
5. What are some general truths we can learn from this passage as we look ahead to Christ’s second coming?
Michelle Lesley 