ODJ: the day
September 26, 2014
READ: Malachi 4:1-2
The day of judgement is coming (v.1).
Recently our family took a trip to visit my parents in a distant state. Our two boys love their “Grams” and “Pa”, so they were excited to see their grandparents. They were also excited to miss a week of school, to travel by aircraft and, because we had tickets for all of the guys in the family, to attend a local university football game. As you can imagine, my boys counted the days leading up to the trip, something that was both excruciating and immensely exciting for them.
Throughout the Scriptures, prophets and apostles tell God’s people to watch and wait for the day when He will act (Isaiah 30:18; Lamentations 3:25; Habakkuk 2:3; Galatians 5:5). The prophet Malachi spoke of that day as one of both hope and wrath. When God acts, it’s good news for those in need of rescue and for those who have chosen the side of justice. God’s movement into our world is a terrible promise, however, for those who have chosen the path of rebellion, injustice and violence.
The prophet Malachi levels grievous words of warning to the abusers: “The day of judgement is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches and all” (Malachi 4:1). But those who cling to God have reason for immense hope: “For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture” (v.2).
The day of God’s action is good news because it means that every moment from here to there is under God’s watchful care. One day (God’s day), all who hope in God will know His unending joy.
—Winn Collier
365-day plan› Luke 23:32-49
Read the remainder of Malachi 4 (vv.3-6). How does this theme of God’s day continue? What will happen when God acts?
How do you find hope in the promise that a day is coming when God will decisively act on behalf of the oppressed and His people? Knowing that God has promised to right all wrongs, is there anything you need to change today?