Mal 4 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mal 4:1-3: 4:1-3 This message shifts away from the disputation format, directly warning the people that repentance is the only proper response to the Lord’s message because God’s judgment is inescapable.

Summary for Mal 4:1-3: 4:1-3 ^a This message shifts away from the disputation format, directly warning the people that repentance is the only proper response to the Lord’s message because God’s judgment is inescapable.
4:2 ^b The source for the title Sun of Righteousness might have been the winged sun disk that is ubiquitous in ancient Near Eastern iconography. Here it might be a title for the Messiah or a figurative description of a new era of righteousness in which God will overturn the curse of sin. Israel’s spiritual restoration, or healing, would be based on God’s cleansing the people and forgiving their sins (see Jer 33:6-8 ^c; cp. Jer 8:14-15 ^d). It would result from a collective confession of sin and their turning back to God (Mal 3:7 ^e; cp. Jer 14:19-20 ^f).

• in his wings: Outstretched wings are a symbol of God’s protection and rescue (see Exod 19:4 ^g; Deut 32:10-11 ^h; Ps 17:8 ⁱ; 18:10 ^j).
Summary for Mal 4:4-6: 4:4-6 ^k The book concludes with an epilogue containing appeals to Moses and Elijah, two ideal models of faith in the Lord and of the ideals of the Law and Prophets (see Matt 17:1-4 ^l). The two are upheld as examples for Malachi’s audience to follow. In ancient Hebrew tradition, the two appeals may have served as postscripts for the scroll that contained the twelve Minor (shorter) Prophets. If so, the first postscript (Mal 4:4 ^m) connects the scroll to the Law of Moses. The second (4:5-6 ⁿ) ties the scroll of the Minor Prophets to the Major (longer) Prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. 4:4 ^o The first postscript reminds Judah to obey the Law of Moses. Israel’s identity was rooted in the Exodus and defined by the Sinai covenant mediated by Moses (see Deut 34:10-12 ^p).
Summary for Mal 4:5-6: 4:5-6 ^q The second postscript warns that divine judgment of the wicked is indeed approaching, and promises divine deliverance and restoration of the righteous.

• Elijah is a supreme example of a prophet of God who preached repentance with messages that were authenticated by signs and wonders (see Luke 1:17 ^r; Jas 5:17-18 ^s). Elijah was a forerunner of the day of the Lord (see Mal 3:1 ^t). The New Testament identifies John the Baptist as the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus the Messiah (see Matt 11:11-15 ^u; Luke 1:17 ^v).
4:6 ^w His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children: Two key themes prominent in Malachi and the Old Testament prophets in general are the turning of hearts and the ministry of reconciliation. Turn is the Old Testament term for repentance and indicates a complete change of loyalties. Turning toward God results in reconciliation between generations (see 2 Cor 5:18-20 ^x).

• strike the land with a curse: The word curse implies total destruction (see Deut 7:26 ^y; 1 Sam 15:18 ^z; Zech 14:11 ^aa). The people of Israel who did not respond to God’s prophet would face utter oblivion, as had been the fate of their Canaanite predecessors (e.g., Josh 6:17 ^ab).