When I would care for a wonderful black Labrador Retriever, one of my favourite tasks was releasing her from the chain that kept her attached to the outbuilding. I would cry, “Freedom!” and I was sure she understood my meaning as she bounded about, running with wild abandon and frolicking in the grass. Her delight felt palpable.
The prophet Malachi speaks of the sheer joy that those who love and revere the Lord will experience on the “day [that] is coming” (Malachi 4:1). These words shine with encouragement in an Old Testament book that also reverberates with judgement, such as when Malachi says, “the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble” (v. 1). The Israelites had let their worship of the only true God wane, and no longer were they observing the prescribed customs in the Temple that they had rebuilt after its destruction. They had given their hearts over to idols and other gods.
Being trapped in our sinful behaviour can feel like a prison, but when we repent and confess our wrongdoing, we too can experience the joy of release like an animal bursting out of its stall. We feel a sense of freedom and promise, knowing that no longer are we bound by deceit or lies. We can bounce with jubilation as we praise the God who has cancelled our sentence. We are free!
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
When have you experienced a sense of freedom after you’ve received God’s forgiveness? How do you like to express wonder and joy over your salvation?
Saviour and Redeemer, thank You for loving me enough to set me free from the sins that entangle me. Help me to turn from them and to become more like You.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Malachi, the concluding book of the Old Testament, has some distinctive characteristics. The name "Malachi" may not be the author's name at all but rather a title. The Hebrew word mal-key can be translated "my messenger," a reference to the office of the prophet, not the actual name. This book is primarily a call to repentance for the wayward people of Israel, but with a word of hope as well. The prophet assures them that Messiah will come, even introducing the fact that the Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner (John the Baptiser; Mal. 3:1).
Bill Crowder
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