Lifting the Curse – Malachi 4

The prophet Malachi closed out the Old Testament with both a promise and a warning from God.  Afterwards, there would be no further scriptural word from heaven until the coming of Christ four centuries later.

Malachi concluded his prophecy from God:

⁵ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
⁶ And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”  Malachi 4:5-6 (NKJV)

The Good News is that the spirit of Elijah did come in John the Baptist, a herald who prepared the people for the arrival of Jesus Christ.  And in Jesus came abundant blessings, not curses – in fact, He became a curse for us so that the gates of hell could not prevail against us.  As the apostle Paul wrote in the book of Galatians:

¹³ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.  Galatians 3:13-14 (NKJV)

Jesus is still extending blessings to all who would reach out to Him in faith today.  He is not only our source of forgiveness and eternal life, but He has promised to always be with us and to hear our prayers.  Though He may choose to answer them at different times in different ways – God is sovereign – however He does it, He will do out of great love for us. His answer to our prayer is often “yes”, sometimes “no”, or at times “not now”.  He will often come back later to answer those as a “yes” long after we remember that we prayed them.  That is why it is good to write prayers down in a journal to be able to go back and see where, when, and how the Lord has answered them.  It can be a real eye-opening and faith-building experience.

Every so often, as a demonstration of His great goodness and love for us, God answer will our prayer in a remarkable and sensational way, one that we will remember for the rest of our life.

But what about Elijah, the great prophet who called down fire on Mount Carmel in the great spiritual battle between the Lord and the prophets of Baal?  What exactly does it mean when Malachi speaks of God sending Elijah before the Day of the Lord?

This is specifically addressed in the gospel of Luke, where John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, is addressed by the angel Gabriel, who had previously appeared to the prophet Daniel five hundred years earlier to proclaim the coming of the Messiah and provide a time frame, the seventy-weeks prophecy.

Zacharias was serving in the Holy of Holy’s in the temple as his friends and family were praying and worshiping just outside.  It was a great and rare honor for a priest to serve in this capacity, as it was the holy site of the Presence of God.  Suddenly, the angel Gabriel appeared beside him, and the priest became frightened.

¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John…¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.  Luke 1:13,16-19 (NKJV)

The glad tidings that Gabriel brought to Zacharias herald just as loudly for you and I today.  There is no good thing that the Lord will hold back from us.  He even offered His life in exchange for ours on Cavalry.  May we all walk in the light of His blessing and presence today.

Reflection

What curse do you need lifted from your life today?

Father God, Jesus has authority over all temptation, sin, demon, or disease.  We ask Him to lift the curses off us and from around us today.  May we be free to live in health and peace in Your joyful presence, with all the provision we need.  We ask this in the wonderful and powerful name of Jesus, Amen.