I’m just an ol’ farm boy so I guess Malachi 4.1-2 really spoke to me this morning during “coffee with the Lord”!
“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. 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.
First of all, these verses teach truth by stark contrast: 1) What God declares will happen to “all the arrogant and evildoers” compared to 2) What he says about those who “fear (or reverence) My (i.e. the Lord’s) name.
Then, there are the images that are used… very graphic and vivid for anyone from a farm background!
1) Anyone who has ever watched a fire lick up dry straw will understand the way God says the wicked will one day be judged… The judgment will be intense and complete!
2) I’ve seen sickly, wilted plants revive almost miraculously in the warmth of the sun! In this passage an assurance is given that God Himself – the Sun of Righteousness – will bring healing and restoration to those who faced the worst “the Enemy” (and those that further his evil agenda) can bring! Praise the Lord!
3) The final image – On that day, those who reverence the Lord will express the joy of their deliverance and freedom like calves that come joyfully out of their stall to leap and frolic in lush green pasture! Now you’d have to have been from the farm to picture that scene… Calves bursting out of an open gate, running and kicking up their heels, twisting, cavorting, and enjoying their freedom! Take my word for it… “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus! One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase!”
Hey, it pays to come from the farm!! Sometimes just makes the Bible “come alive” and be very real!!
Coffee With The Lord 