A Restored Hope
Advent Week 4: This is the promise of a coming Savior and restored hope for the nations.
“‘But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and frolic like calves from the stall. And you will crush the wicked underfoot, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am preparing,’ says the Lord of armies.” (Malachi 4:2-3)
Can you even imagine what it must have been like for the people of God before Jesus?
Imagine the frustration, the temptation to give up, knowing you’re straying from God’s design and plans—then, this prophet speaks up with some harsh words from God. Being confronted with your failures is never fun, but when the Holy Spirit confronts us today, we know restoration to God is imminent. Of course, we must act in response by repentance, but we know immediately that our sins are forgiven. Back then, they didn’t have the person or sacrifice of Jesus to hold their hope together.
God, in His infinite grace and kindness, used Malachi to give the people a window to see the hope of His plan for healing and restoration.
Because Jesus’ arrival, Emmanuel, is the greatest hope we can hold onto.
What is that hope?
In Malachi, we see the Lord offer three elements to the hope of the coming Savior:
healing under the refuge of God’s wings (Psalm 91:4)
freedom & joy (frolicking like calves from the stall)
victory over our enemy (see Genesis 3:15 for more on this victory explained here in Malachi)
All of these are the benefits of a relationship with God, but we must not overlook the most poignant benefit: God with us. Malachi prophesied about the coming of Jesus and what that would mean for the world, but Jesus alone is the most transformative part.
Turning Hearts
“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.” (Malachi 4:5)
You may wonder where Elijah fits into this promise. You’re not crazy—Elijah didn’t come back to prepare the way for Jesus, John did. He explicitly states that he is NOT Elijah. So… was this a typo? A contradiction? Did God forget what He promised?
While Elijah was not physically on the scene to prepare the way for the Lord’s promised arrival, His spirit and power was with John the Baptist (see Luke 1:17). Later on in Jesus’ ministry, He claimed that this specific prophecy was fulfilled in John (see Matthew 17:10-13 and Mark 9:11-13).
God’s heart has always been for restoration, wholeness, and relationship. His promise was for hearts to turn toward each other. Relationship and unity is what heals our lands and hearts, and God created us all to be in relationship with each other and in harmony with His heart.
Hundreds of years after this prophecy was proclaimed, there finally came the restored hope as promised. Zechariah was met in the temple by an angel of the Lord who told him the promise of a son, John, who would prepare the way and people’s hearts for Jesus.
Often we recognize our need for a Savior, but hope is what prepares our heart Ito receive Jesus as our Savior. My prayer for you this Christmas is that the December days leading up to today have prepared your heart for more of Jesus and less of the weight of the world.
A Final Christmas Blessing
The promise fulfilled in the birth of Jesus is much more than we often remember. From the very beginning, after our first misstep in the garden, God had a plan in mind for restoration for all humanity.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Gen 3:15)
I love this painting as it depicts the very things God promised in Malachi 4, healing for Eve, knowing redemption was possible for her too; freedom and joy in both women to see true fruit come from their faithfulness; and victory as Mary’s heel crushes the enemy’s head.
May this Christmas fill your heart and soul with redemptive hope that healing, freedom, joy, and victory are all yours in the name of Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas, friends!