Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Malachi Chapter 4 mean?

Malachi 4 is a very brief chapter, composed of only 6 verses. These words complete Malachi’s plea for Israel to be faithful to God, and give an additional warning about God’s impending judgment.

This particular depiction of the end times separates the experience of the wicked and the righteous using two separate metaphors. The furnace, or “oven,” where the wicked will be judged is symbolic of powerful, controlled, purposeful flames (Malachi 4:1). This is not a random accident, or a careless revenge. God’s justice burns very hot and very particularly. On the other hand, those who honor God will experience healing, as if from sunlight, and freedom, like baby animals released from a pen (Malachi 4:2).

Prior chapters of Malachi have focused on various kinds of unfaithfulness, both in attitude and in actions. The priests (Malachi 1:8), husbands (Malachi 2:14), and people (Malachi 2:11) of Israel have fallen away from God. However, not every single person in Israel is unfaithful, as Malachi 3:16 shows. Those who choose to honor God, or at least to respond to His correction, will be spared from the destruction that is coming (Malachi 4:3).

Malachi’s structure is significantly more sophisticated than chapters and verses will show. Each of the three major messages is split into a mirror-image half, with similar themes being explored in back-and-forth order. Likewise, the entire message comes full circle. Malachi opened with a reference to the utter destruction of Edom (Malachi 1:2–5). Those who rejected God were annihilated. Israel, though unfaithful, was spared only because of the faithfulness of God (Malachi 3:6). Here, at the end of Malachi, comes a warning about judgment. This one, however, will not spare any people who reject Him.

One last promise made in this book is the appearance of Elijah, in order to bring some of the people back to repentance (Malachi 4:5–6). This is the last time God’s voice will be heard for the next four centuries. Until the arrival of John the Baptist (Malachi 3:1), Israel will have to wait.

Chapter Context
Malachi’s structure is a series of back-and-forth waves. Fittingly, this short chapter brings the entire book of prophecy full circle. The opening verses described the utter destruction of Edom. Chapter 4 warns of a judgment coming in ”the day” of the Lord, in the end times. This completes the various cycles contained in Malachi. It also marks the conclusion to the Old Testament. There will be no further words from God for four centuries, when John the Baptist announces the arrival of the Messiah.

Verse by Verse

Verse 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.

Fire is often used a symbol of judgment, since flames will separate materials through destruction. Only those substances which can endure the flames survive, the rest are consumed. Malachi 3:2–4 indicates that the “purified” priesthood will survive judgment. This verse makes a point of describing this impending reckoning as an “oven,” or a “furnace.” This is meant to emphasize the purpose of the fire. This is a fire (judgment) intended for a very specific purpose, and under careful control. Such fires are also noted for being extremely hot, much hotter than a random or open fire would be.

This verse specifically mentions both arrogance and wickedness as targets of God’s wrath. In the context of Malachi’s prophecy, this is a pointed warning. Israel’s attitude thus far has been both disobedient and proud. They have insulted God with inferior offerings (Malachi 1:8), sneered at His commands (Malachi 1:13), corrupted His people (Malachi 2:11), broken their vows (Malachi 2:14), and then had the nerve to ask, “where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2:17) as if they could judge Him. Those who insist on ignoring God, and on disobeying Him, will be completely removed from the kingdom of God.

Verse 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.

Prior verses have warned of an upcoming judgment. This wrath will not be random, or an act of revenge. God promises to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked (Malachi 3:18). The judgment is symbolized as an “oven,” or a “furnace,” which are purposeful tools, not haphazard accidents. The primary distinction between those who will be destroyed and those who will be saved is respect for God. Arrogance and disobedience are signs of disrespect. “Fear,” here used in the sense of “reverence,” means treating God with the devotion He deserves.

While judgment for the wicked will be like a furnace, for the righteous it will be like sunshine. Most versions translate this as “healing in its wings,” in reference to the sun. This is accurate, in terms of the literal Hebrew words used. However, the imagery is meant to refer to the “rays” of the sun. The term used is kanaph, which means “wings, edges, feathers, skirt, or borders.”

Also, the joy of those who are saved is compared to baby animals being released to play in a pasture. The image is meant to convey absolute delight and the elation of sudden freedom.

Verse 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.

Taken out of context, this verse might seem to imply that God’s followers are empowered to conquer their enemies. In context, though, this passage says exactly the opposite. Verse 1 imagined the judgment of God as a furnace for the wicked. Verse 2 pictured judgment as sunshine for the righteous. Here, in verse 3, the wicked have already been defeated. The wicked are destroyed before the righteous are involved at all, and they are merely walking through the aftermath of the victory. God’s people are explicitly told not to take revenge, since God is the one who will make all things right (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19).

This verse also provides a powerful response to two of Israel’s arrogant, short-sighted questions. In Malachi 2:17, the people more or less blame God for not being more forceful against evil, asking, “Where is the God of justice?” In Malachi 3:14, the people ask what point there is in obeying God. Both are answered, in graphic terms, by Malachi 4:3. The righteous will be spared, and the wicked will be obliterated into ashes. Given that most of Israel, at this point in history, has been unfaithful, this should be taken as a dire warning. Better to walk on ashes than to be ashes walked on.

Verse 4. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

While this verse appeals to Israel to “remember” the covenant with God, it implies more than just memory. Much of Malachi’s message has been about Israel’s lack of obedience. God is not merely calling on His people to “recall” His laws, He is pleading for them to obey them. As prior verses have shown, the stakes are enormous. One day, God will bring His final judgment. Those who are faithful will be saved, healed, and set free. Those who ignore God and treat Him with disrespect will be completely destroyed.

This passage also reminds Israel that the commands given to Moses were for “all Israel.” This book of prophecy has touched on the priesthood, husbands, and the general nation. God’s interest is in each individual person, not just a majority of the crowd. Likewise, this reference to Moses would have brought to mind all of the miracles God did in bringing Israel out of Egypt. A major theme of Malachi is Israel returning to a purer, more sincere form of worship.

Context Summary
Malachi 4:4–6 is not only the conclusion of this book, but also the end of God’s prophetic voice on earth for the next four centuries. Between the days of Malachi and John the Baptist, God will not send further messengers to Israel. Here, God issues a final call to Israel to follow His will, promises the return of Elijah, and offers one final warning of the judgment to come.

Verse 5. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

Malachi chapter 4 describes an impending judgment from God. This will occur on “the day” of ultimate reckoning. Malachi 3:1 has already promised a messenger who will prepare for the arrival of Messiah. That same verse has often been linked to the predicted return of Elijah from this verse. While Moses is representative of the Law, Elijah is representative of the prophets. John the Baptist would fulfill the “messenger” prophecy of Malachi 3:1 (Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23). Yet, he specifically denied that he was the prophesied “Elijah” of this verse in Malachi (John 1:21). The Gospels only refer to John the Baptist’s ministry as “in the power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), and only for those receptive to the message (Matthew 11:14). Jesus noted that Elijah was still to come (Matthew 17:11), a statement made after John the Baptist’s death.

It’s plausible to interpret this as a reference to John the Baptist, and his denial as nothing more than excessive humility. Or, that Malachi has in mind a separate, later reappearance of Elijah, as in Revelation 11:1–13. This moment in the end times might involve Elijah himself or someone, like John the Baptist, who comes “in his power.” Both Christian and Jewish scholars frequently debate the specifics of this passage. Ultimately, we won’t know exactly which is correct until all things have been revealed.

Verse 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.”

Revelation 11:1–13 describes an event, during the end times, when two witnesses will preach against Antichrist, and this will cause many people to repent. Malachi 4:5 predicted the eventual return of Elijah, which Christians typically interpret as a separate instance from the messenger predicted in Malachi 3:1. Jesus, speaking after the death of John the Baptist, said that Elijah was yet to come (Matthew 17:11). So, many people believe that these two witnesses will be Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1–3). However, they might not be specifically connected to this particular prophecy, and John the Baptist might well have been the complete fulfillment of this prediction.

The ending phrase of this verse is either translated as “curse,” or “destruction.” This is an incredibly potent Hebrew word: he’rem. This is the term used in Joshua 6:17–18 to describe God’s decree for the complete and utter annihilation of Jericho. Cities or people under he’rem, or “the ban,” or “the curse,” were those assigned to total destruction, with nothing to be spared, captured, or kept. The same term, with the same meaning, is used in 1 Samuel chapter 15 in reference to the Amalekites.

Both in Hebrew and in English, “he’rem / curse / destruction” is the final word in this verse. And so, the very last word of the Old Testament is a warning about utter and total obliteration. The same destruction God reserved for a very few rare instances in history is now looming over Israel’s head. The dire consequences of ignoring God, paired with a promise of His mercy, is God’s sign off for the entire Hebrew Scriptures.

That the words of verses 4, 5, and 6 are the last prophetic message given to Israel makes them especially poignant. God would not send a prophet again until John the Baptist, some four centuries later. This message is also a foreshadowing of the structure of the New Testament. The last message of the Old Testament ends with a warning about an impending day of judgment. Likewise, Revelation, the last message of the New Testament, is about the end times and God’s time of ultimate reckoning.

Book Summary
Malachi is the last message of prophecy given to Israel prior to 400 years of silence. Israel has rebuilt the temple, following the invasions of Babylon, but they are still under foreign oppression. Israel’s spiritual condition, however, is dire. Hosea depicted Israel as prone to failure, but repentant. Later, Ezekiel exposed Israel’s blatant disobedience. By the time of Malachi, Israel has passed into numbness and apathy. Unlike other Old Testament prophets, Malachi takes the form of a dialogue, where Israel responds to accusations as if unaware that they’ve occurred. The next prophetic voice from God would not come until the ministry of John the Baptist.

End of Malachi Chapter 4, and the Book of Malachi

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