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‘You can be sure the day of the Lord is coming. My anger will burn like a furnace. All those who are proud will be like straw. So will all those who do what is evil. The day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘Not even a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But here is what will happen for you who have respect for me. The sun that brings life will rise. Its rays will bring healing to my people. You will go out and leap for joy like calves that have just been fed. 3 Then you will trample on sinful people. They will be like ashes under your feet. That will happen on the day I judge,’ says the Lord. 3:16–4:3 The prophet Malachi shared God's message about the day of the Lord. It was a message of judgement against sinful people. These are people who allow the power of sin to control them. They choose to do evil things and refuse to stop sinning. God's anger was compared to a burning furnace. It would burn up these proud and sinful people. That was how God described the action he was going to take. He would take action to completely stop evil and everyone who did evil things. This was a message of hope for those who respected God. These people would be full of joy when God brought judgement against evil. This is because it would allow them to be healed by God. They needed to be healed from all the harm that sin and evil cause. Then they could fully enjoy life with God. God is the Judge. Only he knows who respects and honours him with all their heart. Those who respect and honour God were called his special treasure. This showed how much joy God has when people love him.
4 ‘Remember the law my servant Moses gave you. Remember the rules and laws I gave him at Mount Horeb. They were for the whole nation of Israel.
5 ‘I will send the prophet Elijah to you. He will come before the day of the Lord arrives. It will be a great and terrifying day. 6 Elijah will bring peace between parents and their children. He will also bring peace between children and their parents. If that does not happen, I will come. And I will completely destroy the land.’
4:4–6 God longed for his people to believe in him and obey him. He longed for human beings to live in peace with him. That is why God reminded his people about the teachings of Moses. This was a way to talk about all the stories and laws of God's people. These stories and laws were part of Scripture. Scripture is God's word and is studied by God's people. These stories and laws were recorded in the Old Testament. The Law of Moses showed God's people how to love, respect and honour God. It showed them how to treat others well. It showed them how to live in peace. This included peace with God, with their families and as a nation. God promised to send the prophet Elijah before the day of the Lord came. This was a way of talking about all the messages that God had spoken through prophets. He had spoken the messages to his people over hundreds of years. These messages were also part of the Scripture studied by God's people. The writings of the prophets taught God's people the same things that the Law of Moses taught. Talking about the prophet Elijah was also a way to talk about a certain messenger. God had talked about this messenger in Malachi 3:1. This messenger would prepare the way for God. The messenger would do this before God came to judge his people. Many years later these messages from Malachi helped Jesus’ followers. The messages helped them understand Jesus' life and work. Jesus explained Malachi's prophecy about Elijah. He explained that it was a prophecy about John the Baptist. This helped Jesus' followers understand something about Jesus. He is the Lord that the messenger prepared people for. Jesus is the Lord that they had been longing for.