Advent 20: Another Elijah
Malachi 4:5-6
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
Malachi 4:5-6
The Ultimate Cliffhanger
When I was growing up, there were several TV shows our family watched together. You younger readers might not understand this, but there were only a couple TV networks back in the day, and it seemed like everybody watched them. There was no recording (unless you somehow figured out how to program your VCR) and no bingeing. You knew when your show came on, and you were home for it. The best shows kept a continuous story going from week to week and built up to the end of the season. For weeks, they would advertise the “season finale,” and you couldn’t miss it. Inevitably, at the end of the last show of the season, there would be a huge turn of events, and you’d be left in suspense, not knowing how it would turn out. They had you. You’d have to wait until the next season before finally getting the answer.
So why are we talking about this? In a sense, this is what God did to his people with the Old Testament. When the Old Testament ends, you have this amazing promise of God’s restored kingdom. Our passage for today contains the last two sentences of the Old Testament, but let’s look at the verses that come right before this so we understand the context.
The Great Day of the Lord
It’s important to remember that Malachi is writing to a group of Jews who recently returned to their homeland. You see, God’s people had turned away from him, so he sent foreign rulers to take them into captivity. But now they are returning. Look at the amazing message of hope that Malachi gives to them.
“’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. 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. 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.’”
Malachi 4:1-3
This is a proclamation of victory for God and his people. Those who do evil will be judged, and those who love the Lord will rejoice. It’s a really beautiful picture. I can only imagine the joy and hope God’s people would have received from this. It is truly “great and awesome.”
But when was it supposed to happen?
That’s what’s crazy. They don’t know. God doesn’t tell them when this will happen. Instead, he gives them a sign so they will know when it does happen. That’s where today’s text comes in. He tells them Elijah the prophet will come, and he will turn the hearts of God’s people back to him.
This is confusing for several reasons. First, Elijah has been gone for over 400 years; second, these are the last recorded words of the Old Testament. After this, God stops speaking to his people for 400 years. All they know is they need to be on the lookout for someone like Elijah.
Elijah: Take 2
If you aren’t super familiar with the Old Testament, the one thing you need to know about the prophets is that they were most definitely outliers. These were the guys who didn’t care at all about social norms and cared only about being obedient to God. Sometimes you see them walking around half-naked, sometimes they lay on their side for over a year, and sometimes they build little dirt models of cities. One of these kids is doing his own thing.
Who do you think this verse is describing:
“He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.“
2 Kings 1:8
You’re probably thinking of John the Baptist… nope, this is Elijah (from 2 Kings 1:8). When John comes on the scene, he looks exactly like this because, in reality, John is the last of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus even tells us this in Matthew 11.
Reflection
All of the Old Testament, from the first book to the last book, is about Jesus. From the beginning, we saw that God promised a great serpent killer who would come to save us. In the last chapter, we see that God is still keeping his promise, and he is sending one last prophet. Looking back on this through the lens of the Gospel, it is so clear. John the Baptist lived like Elijah, preached like Elijah, and even dressed like Elijah. When he came on the scene 2,000 years ago, it was to prepare the way for Jesus.
As we continue to prepare ourselves for celebrating the birth of Jesus, we need to remember the message of John the Baptist. John was focused on turning the hearts of his hearers back to God the Father. They needed to repent.
Let’s talk about it:
- God sent John the Baptist to tell his people to repent. What about us? Are we prepared? Have we repented? Are our hearts turned to the Father?
- We have spent a lot of time looking at how all of the Old Testament is about Jesus. What are some things you have learned from this? What does that mean about how we can trust him?
Free Advent Bible Study
Let’s stand back and marvel at God’s grace and sovereignty, and focus on God this Christmas. May we join with the angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14).
Join this 25-day Advent journey, The Things Concerning Himself, as we worship Christ and celebrate his coming.
Zach Mabry is the worship pastor and one of the main teachers at Snowbird. He also directs our year-round Snowbird Institute program. He has a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as an adjunct professor for Liberty University. Zach is a teaching pastor at Red Oak Church, a local church in the Andrews area.