Malachi 4:1-6: a reflection

1“For behold, the day comes, burning like a furnace, when all the proud and all who work wickedness will be stubble. The day that comes will burn them up,” says the LORD of Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out and leap like calves of the stall. 3You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make,” says the LORD of Armies. 4“Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances. 5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 6He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Malachi promises that for those who fear God's name, a day is coming when the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. To you who fear my name, God says, the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its wings; and you will go out and leap like calves of the stall. To those who fear God, a bright hope is promised: the sun of righteousness, rising like the dawn after a long night, bringing healing in its rays. Christians have long seen in this a promise of Christ, the sun of righteousness, who rises upon those who fear God, bringing healing, warmth, and light after the darkness. For those who fear God's name, the promise is of healing and light, joy like calves released from the stall. This shows the promise of the sun of righteousness rising with healing for those who fear God. To those who fear God, the sun of righteousness rises with healing. Christ, the sun of righteousness, brings healing and light. For those who fear God, healing and joy are promised. Look for the rising of the sun of righteousness with healing.

Notice the promise given to those who fear God's name. To them, God says, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. The image is of a sunrise: after a long, dark night, the sun rises, bringing light, warmth, and healing in its rays. And the response of those on whom it rises is joy: they go out and leap like calves released from the stall, free and glad. Christians have long seen in this the promise of Christ himself, the sun of righteousness, who rises upon those who fear God, bringing the light, warmth, and healing of salvation after the long night. This is a promise of hope for those who fear God. However long and dark the night, the sun of righteousness will rise, bringing healing in its rays; Christ himself rises upon those who fear God, with healing and light and joy. For those who fear God, the future is not endless darkness but the rising of the sun of righteousness, the coming of Christ with healing. This gives us reason to fear God's name and to hope: to look, even in the dark, for the rising of the sun of righteousness, the coming of Christ with healing and light and joy. We do well to fear God's name and to hope in the rising of the sun of righteousness, who brings healing to those who fear him. For those who fear God, the sun of righteousness rises with healing. Look, even in the dark, for the rising of Christ, the sun of righteousness. Christ brings healing and light to those who fear God's name. Hope in the coming of the sun of righteousness with healing in its wings.

That is worth taking to heart, for to those who fear God's name the sun of righteousness rises with healing in its wings, and we do well to fear him and hope in that rising, as Malachi promised. However long the night, the sun of righteousness, Christ himself, rises upon those who fear God with healing and light and joy. Hope in his rising. Even in the dark, fear God's name and look for the rising of the sun of righteousness, Christ coming with healing, light, and joy for those who fear him. Fear God's name and hope in the rising of the sun of righteousness, Christ himself, who brings healing, light, and joy to those who fear him, as Malachi promised that for those who fear God's name a day is coming when the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its wings and they will go out and leap like calves of the stall; for to those who fear God a bright hope is promised, the sun of righteousness rising like the dawn after a long night and bringing healing in its rays, and Christians have long seen in this a promise of Christ, the sun of righteousness, who rises upon those who fear God bringing healing, warmth, and light after the darkness, so that for those who fear God's name the promise is of healing and light and joy like calves released from the stall, which is a promise of hope, since however long and dark the night the sun of righteousness will rise bringing healing in its rays, Christ himself rising upon those who fear God, so that for them the future is not endless darkness but the rising of the sun of righteousness, giving us reason to fear God's name and to look even in the dark for the rising of Christ with healing and light and joy, so that we do well to fear God's name and hope in that rising.

Lord, Malachi promises that for those who fear your name, a day is coming when the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. To you who fear my name, you say, the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its wings; and you will go out and leap like calves of the stall. To those who fear you, a bright hope is promised: the sun of righteousness, rising like the dawn after a long night, bringing healing in its rays. Christians have long seen in this a promise of Christ, the sun of righteousness, who rises upon those who fear you, bringing healing, warmth, and light after the darkness. For those who fear your name, the promise is of healing and light, joy like calves released from the stall. Show me the promise given to those who fear your name. To them, you say, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. The image is of a sunrise: after a long, dark night, the sun rises, bringing light, warmth, and healing in its rays. And the response of those on whom it rises is joy: they go out and leap like calves released from the stall, free and glad. Christians have long seen in this the promise of Christ himself, the sun of righteousness, who rises upon those who fear you, bringing the light, warmth, and healing of salvation after the long night. This is a promise of hope. However long and dark the night, the sun of righteousness will rise, bringing healing in its rays; Christ himself rises upon those who fear you. For those who fear you, the future is not endless darkness but the rising of the sun of righteousness. Take that to my heart, for to those who fear your name the sun of righteousness rises with healing. Help me fear your name and hope, Lord, looking even in the dark for the rising of the sun of righteousness, Christ coming with healing, light, and joy for those who fear you.