Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Malachi
Book: Malachi
Chapter: 4
Overview:
The judgements
On the wicked, and the happiness of the
righteous.
(1-3) Regard to be had to the
Law;
John the Baptist
promised as the
Forerunner of
Messiah.
(4-6)
1-3 Here is a reference to the first and to the second coming
of
Christ:
God has fixed the
Day of both. Those who do wickedly,
who do not fear
God's
Anger, shall feel it. It is certainly to
be applied to the
Day of
Judgment, when
Christ shall be revealed
in flaming
Fire; to execute
Judgment On the proud, and all that
do wickedly. In both,
Christ is a rejoicing
Light to those who
serve him faithfully.
By the
Sun of
Righteousness we understand
Jesus Christ. Through him believers are justified and
sanctified, and
So are brought to see
Light. His influences
render the sinner holy, joyful, and fruitful. It is applicable
to the graces and comforts of the Holy
Spirit, brought into the
souls of men.
Christ gave the
Spirit to those who are his, to
shine in their hearts, and to be a
Comforter to them, a
Sun and
a
Shield. That
Day which to the wicked will burn as an
Oven,
will to the righteous be bright as the morning; it is what they
wait for, more than those that wait for the morning.
Christ came
as the
Sun, to bring, not only
Light to a dark world, but health
to a distempered world. Souls shall increase in knowledge and
spiritual strength. Their growth is as that of calves of the
stall, not as the flower of the
Field, which is slender and
weak, and soon withers. The saints' triumphs are all owing to
God's victories; it is not they that do this, but
God who does
it for them. Behold another
Day is coming, far more dreadful to
all that work wickedness than any which is gone before. How
great then the happiness of the believer, when he goes from the
Darkness and misery of this world, to rejoice in the
Lord for
evermore!
4-6 Here is a solemn conclusion, not only of this
Prophecy, but
of the Old
Testament.
Conscience bids us remember the
Law.
Though we have not prophets, yet, as long as we have Bibles, we
may keep up our
Communion with
God. Let others boast in their
proud reasoning, and
Call it enlightening, but let us keep near
to that sacred
Word, through which this
Sun of
Righteousness
shines upon the souls of his people. They must keep up a
believing expectation of the
Gospel of
Christ, and must look for
the beginning of it.
John the Baptist preached
Repentance and
reformation, as
Elijah had done. The turning of souls to
God and
their duty, is the best preparation of them for the great and
dreadful
Day of the
Lord.
John shall preach a doctrine that
shall reach men's hearts, and work a change in them. Thus he
shall prepare the way for the kingdom of
Heaven. The Jewish
nation,
By wickedness, laid themselves open to the
Curse.
God
was ready to bring ruin upon them; but he will once more try
whether they will repent and return; therefore he sent
John the
Baptist to preach
Repentance to them. Let the believer wait with
patience for his release, and cheerfully expect the great
Day,
when
Christ shall come the second time to complete our
Salvation. But those must expect to be smitten with a
Sword,
with a
Curse, who turn not to Him that smites them with a rod.
None can expect to escape the
Curse of
God's broken
Law, nor to
enjoy the happiness of his
Chosen and redeemed people, unless
their hearts are turned from
Sin and the world, to
Christ and
Holiness. The
Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.
Amen.