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The Book of Malachi, Lesson XVIII, Malachi 4:2,3
In our last lesson in the fourth chapter of the book of Malachi we left off by speaking of our Lord where we were told He arises with healing in his wings.
Oh how we need healing for we come into this world a flawed people, a people who reside in bodies that need constant attention and at times need intensive healing of body.
It is amazing to go to our Drug Stores and look upon the racks of prepared prescriptions awaiting purchase by people who need healing.
The scurrying around, the constant busyness of the druggists and their assistants, the phone calls to patients and doctors seem never ending as people seek healing.
I know these things intimately and have even arranged automatic refills and telephone notice when prescriptions are ready.
This body of mine, so healthy for so many years reminds me daily of the need for healing. And so to with many of you!
There is a maxim that reminds us that youth thinks nothing of health, and age thinks of nothing but.
And oh how, as we age, we crave that new body our Saviour promised at his coming in the air.
But more important than the need for healing of body is our need for the healing of our soul for since the garden we all have walked in sickness and disease, the sickness which results in sin against our Creator, our Great God and King.
And Malachi in Chapter 4, Verse 2 provides us a picture of where that healing takes place for it takes place in the wings of the Sun of righteousness.
For Malachi 4:2 reads thusly, But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
The Psalmist speaks of those wings in Psalm 91:4 where we are told:
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Another thought concerning this idea of wings comes from the Hebrew word translated into “wings” in the King James Version of the Bible.
This Hebrew word, kaw nawf’ means an edge or extremity.
It can mean the edge of a wing, or the edge of a garment as a skirt or the edge of bed clothing.
Think back and remember the woman with an issue of blood twelve years who found healing in the hem of the garment of Jesus.
We read of this in Luke 8:43,44, And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
And then in Luke 8:47-48, And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
This woman came to the Sun of Righteousness and found healing by touching the hem of his garment.
Now God uses that word Sun spelled S-U-N as a contrast of those who live in the darkness of sin with those who live in Christ, the Light of the world.
I know from my own life in Christ the ever increasing light of the word of God that fills my life as I grow in Christ.
Being faithful to God’s word and looking to God’s Spirit to instruct me in all things will bring the light to be brighter and brighter in my life and will draw me closer to Christ and move me to be more faithful in service to Christ and His Cause.
The Sun of Righteousness comes with healing in himself, he sends forth a growing people whereby Satan sends forth a sin sick people, a diseased people, a broken people.
The Sun of Righteousness sends forth a people of joy where there had been a people of sadness.
And He puts them in a place bringing right where there was wrong.
A place where: … ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
God says vengeance is mine, I will repay but he also gives this task of treading down the wicked to the Righteous who have been persecuted by the wicked.
The last shall indeed be first.
And from the day of salvation this is so easily seen with eyes of faith for the days grow brighter and brighter though eyes focused on God.
Eyes focused upon that one and only one day when He comes again commanding the graves of his own be emptied and those living to follow.
This is indeed the Sun of Righteousness who is contrasted to Satan the Sun of Darkness.
How often when we read the Gospels we see Christ’s touching hand open the eyes of the blind who live in darkness, opened to the light of the Sun of Righteousness.
Born once into a world of darkness, but born again into the world of light, and only born again by God’s Spirit.
What a promise it is to read John 8:12 where Jesus declared in no uncertain terms: I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
As the blind beggar on the road to Jericho was instantly given sight so to those who place their trust in Christ will also as the beggar, suddenly see, for they will no longer walk in darkness but be filled with light.
Oswald Chambers said this: Darkness is my point of view, my right to myself, light is God’s point of view.
Another way of saying this: You look inward to darkness, but outward to light!
So without Christ one will never know God’s point of view and therefore can only invest their life in darkness.
Charles Wesley wrote: Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light.
If newborns could speak as they left the darkness of their Mother’s womb would not this too be their cry.
Nine months my imprisoned spirit lay in nature’s night, but came one day the dungeon opened and oh how light, the glorious light encompassed me.
God gives us so much in the physical to teach us of the spiritual.
Jesus said authoritatively, Ye must be born again!
God has sent One to rescue all who live in darkness for that is the domain of Satan, a domain of blindness to spiritual truth, a domain of spiritual sickness and death to the millions who choose to walk in darkness.
Being born into the realm of light provided by the Sun of Righteousness brings renewal and healing.
But not so with Satan who only lies and is the father of lies.
He so easily caters to the nature of those who walk in darkness who want to think that sin brings satisfaction and freedom while falsely thinking that righteousness only brings control and restraint.
God gives us the ability to think about this with regard to ourselves walking in physical darkness and how hard it is to function, how hard it is to feel our way to any destination.
We always desire light to function in this world.
And this imperative of our physical world ought to make it clear that God has so made it imperative to function in His world and thereby He sent the Light from above, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ.
Remember how wonderful it is to feel the warmth and glow of the sunshine after living though several gloomy days.
God gives us this truth in the physical to illustrate what His light from above will bring to the spirit.
Indeed that light brings healing and restoration and release from the vice grip of Satan’s darkness. It turns hopelessness into hope for in darkness there is no vision but in the light we are given to see the road clearly that lies in eternal life.
So God promises healing in His wings and as we go further into verse two we read: and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
This reading in the New American Standard Version of the Bible describes it this way: and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
Picture this: A calf cooped up.
A calf limited by the walls and fences of his stall.
Perhaps the stall is even dark and gloomy.
But now the door is opened, the calf looks stunned, the calf bolts for the door, the calf literally jumps for joy.
For he is freed from the bondage of the stall.
He jumps in the new found light skipping about and if you look closely you’ll see a slight smile on his face.
What is this but a believer who may be a new born or an old believer who continually meditates on his or her relationship with the Light.
Daily we can have great joy knowing that we have been freed from the chains of sin and free from the judgment of God for we have found healing under the wings of God’s only remedy for sin, His son, Jesus the Christ of God.
We approach the Christmas season where we will again hear the words of the angel in Luke 2, who announced the birth of Christ by saying to the frightened shepherds,
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Can there be any greater healing, can there be any greater joy than to know that God has sent a Savior to open the gate of the stall releasing us from the bindings, the penalty and power of sin.
But that is not all for we are also given the right and privilege to live in God’s house forever.
Where there was darkness the Sun of Righteousness brings light, where there was disease He brings healing, where there was despair he brings hope, and where there was sadness He brings joy.
And lastly where there was wrong He brings right.
That which we see, that which we think will never be righted, God promises will be righted.
For God’s promise in Malachi 4:3 is sure: And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
It is easy to see we live in a world of injustice.
God permits injustice but God promises to bring about justice.
Just in this election cycle it appears that many seem to be getting away with wickedness but when the Sun of Righteousness rises in that coming day God promises that all wrongs will be righted, all injustices will be met with justice.
All will be open to the eyes of whom they have to do.
Sinners not under the blood will face the God of Justice and the gavel will pound down accompanied by the resounding word, Guilty!
God’s perfect justice will prevail for those who choose to be blind to the light so freely offered by a gracious and loving God.
And the picture is given that the righteous, like a calf jumping for joy will tread down the ashes of the wicked.
Imagine that, happy and joyful that justice is done, wrongs have been made right, sin and wickedness have been met with justice.
Personal vengeance is not given to us for God has said vengeance is his.
But God will bring the righteous to join him in His vengeance, something in our sinful state we may abhor but in our new bodies, with our Christ like mind it will be a joy to accompany God in exercising His perfect justice.
Remember the souls of those who will be slain during the tribulation.
We read of this in Revelation 6:9-11, And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be
Now these souls knew that God’s vengeance is right and just and ought to be exercised.
God brought this world into existence but sin corrupted His world.
And God will not acquit the wicked.
He has given His all to redeem them from sin but those who refuse His Grace only leave for themselves God’s justice and that will happen as sure as the heavens shine for there is on God’s calendar a day of judgment when all things will be made right.
Look to Revelation 18 where we are told that wicked Babylon has fallen and judgment is to come, What is heaven to do, what are the holy apostles and prophets to do.
They are to do what Revelation 18:20 says they do, Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
When God judges there is rejoicing in heaven for all things are made right, justice upon the wicked and the unjust who brought suffering to the righteous prevails. And in this, great comfort comes to those who so suffered the injustices of this world. |