Originally, I had planned to cover Ezekiel and Jeremiah, but there is so very much material there, this series might never end. So I’m skipping to the end of the prophets.
Zechariah and Malachi both prophesied after Ezra and Nehemiah led some of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem and rebuilt the walls and the temple. And yet they were still looking for a return from exile under the Messiah.
Zechariah
(Zec 9:9-11 ESV) 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
This is, of course, a famous Messianic prophecy. But the point of this point is not to prove God’s knowledge of the future but to consider God’s vision for the future. The Messiah will be humble — hardly the typical Middle Eastern king! He’s a very different kind of king.
This king will end war and bring peace to the nations — not just to Israel. And he will rule not only Canaan but “from sea to sea” and “to the ends of the earth.” Thus, the idea of God’s Kingdom is no longer merely about restoring the fortunes of Israel and the land of Israel, but includes the entire world and all nations — which, of course, hearkens back to God’s promise to bless all nations through Abraham.
(Zec 9:11 ESV) 11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
“Blood of my covenant” refers back to the fascinating story of Exodus 24, where God’s covenant with the Israelites was sealed with blood and God ate a meal withe leaders of Israel. It, of course, also looks forward to the death of Jesus and the Lord’s Supper.
The “waterless pit” is surely Sheol, the grave (compare Isa 14:15). This certainly sounds like a promise of resurrection for God’s people!
Malachi
(Mal 3:1-6 ESV) “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
The “messenger” is, of course, John the Baptist. “The Lord whom you seek” is the Messiah.
Now, Jesus’ ministry will be one of refining. Some will be “consumed,” a reference to God as a “consuming fire” — which appears often in the Torah and prophets. The true Israel will not be consumed, but those outside the true Israel will be.
Among the sins that results in being consumed by fire are “those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner.” This is social justice. God will burn up those who lack concern for the weak and vulnerable of society.
(Mal 4:1-3 ESV) “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. 2 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. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.”
God’s wrath will result in “burning like an oven” and sinners “will be stubble” — which is burned up: “ablaze.” They will be totally burned up, leaving “neither root nor branch.” They will be “ashes.”
But those who fear God will receive “healing” — “the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” I take “healing” to be a metaphor for forgiveness.
Malachi and Zechariah make many of the same promises that Isaiah (and others) make regarding the return from exile, but the Jews had returned from exile. But not really. Not only had God not kept his promises to provide forgiveness, salvation, shalom, and justice, the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out and the Messiah had not come. Moreover, God’s Glory had not come to fill Nehemiah’s temple, as had happened for the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple. In fact, most Jews had not returned but lived in Babylon or other nations. The exile wasn’t really over — and the Jews knew it.
And so, for 450 years, they prayed for God to send his Messiah. Think about it. 450 years ago was about 1560. That’s a long time to cling to your faith and these promises! It’s astonishing to read in the Gospels how the people were expecting the Kingdom and the Messiah after so very many years.
Just because it’s a good story
Now this isn’t really about the point of the series, but it’s still a cool story. Ray Vander Laan notes that “wings” in Malachi 4:2 is the same word used in Numbers 15:38 for “corners.”
(Num 15:38 ESV) “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.”
Thus, in Hebrew, Malachi 4:2 could be read as “healing its corners,” that is, at the hem of the garment where tassels are hung. Now, recall this verse —
(Luk 8:44 ESV) 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.
She believed Jesus to be the Messiah. She’d heard Malachi 4:2 taught, and some rabbis claimed the corners of the Messiah’s robe would heal because of that passage. She believed him to be the Messiah, and so she touched the hem of his garment, hoping to find healing, and she did. But her healing didn’t come from the mystic powers of the garment but her willingness to reach out to Jesus based on faith.
The story in Luke 8 isn’t a lesson about the magical powers of Jesus’ robes, but about the power of faith in Jesus as Messiah.
