“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. (Malachi 4:1-2 NIV)
Malachi closes with God’s response to those claiming it was futile to serve God. That there was nothing to be gained by following his commands. Evildoers prospered and faced no consequences (Mal. 3:14-15). So what advantage was there in depriving ourselves of all this life offered?
God’s response to them is that he remembers those who fear him and honor his name. Their names are written in a scroll of remembrance, the book of life. And on the day he acts, they will be his treasured possession. And it will be clear then that serving God was not futile (Mal. 3:16-18).
The Day of the Lord
The day of the Lord is coming. We do not know when. But we can be sure that it will come. And when the sun rises on that day, it will do two things. For some. it will burn like a furnace, and the arrogant, who have defied God, and evildoers will be consumed like stubble.
But for those who revere the Lord’s name and whose own names are written in the scroll of remembrance, the sun of righteousness will rise and bring healing. And we will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. The struggles of this life will be forgotten in the joy that day will bring.
It may sometimes seem like there is nothing to be gained by serving the Lord, especially when we see the wicked prosper. But God will not forget our faithful service now. And it will be richly rewarded on that day.
