British Prime Minister Winston Churchill launched his campaign against Hitler on this day, July 19, 1941, in a historic speech before the House of Commons: “I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization … The whole fury … of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.” Churchill concluded: “If we fail, then the whole world, including the United States … will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister … by the light of perverted science. Let us therefore … so bear ourselves that … men will … say, ‘This was their finest hour.’ ”

Federer, B. (2003). American minute. St. Louis, MO.: Amerisearch, Inc.

We do because of who we are,
not because of who we want to be.
--- RSAofYAP

... from here, there and everywhere

17 Pleasure-lovers will suffer want;
he who loves wine and oil won’t get rich.

18 The wicked serve as a ransom for the righteous,
and likewise the perfidious for the upright.

Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible-OE
: An English version of the Tanakh (OT) and
B'rit Hadashah (NT) (1st ed.). Clarksville, Md.: Jewish
New Testament Publications.

                         
Mastery over the believer

     Ye call Me Master and Lord; and ye say well; for so I am. --- John 13:13.

     Our Lord never insists on having authority; He never says—‘Thou shalt.’ He leaves us perfectly free—so free that we can spit in His face, as men did; so free that we can put Him to death, as men did; and He will never say a word. But when His life has been created in me by His Redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a moral domination—“Thou art worthy …” It is only the unworthy in me that refuses to bow down to the worthy. If when I meet a man who is more holy than myself, I do not recognize his worthiness and obey what comes through him, it is a revelation of the unworthy in me. God educates us by means of people who are little better than we are, not intellectually, but ‘holily,’ until we get under the domination of the Lord Himself, and then the whole attitude of the life is one of obedience to Him.

     If Our Lord insisted upon obedience He would become a taskmaster, and He would cease to have any authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we do see Him we obey Him instantly. He is easily Lord, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The revelation of my growth in grace is the way in which I look upon obedience. We have to rescue the word ‘obedience’ from the mire. Obedience is only possible between equals. It is the relationship between father and son, not between master and servant. “I and My Father are one.” “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.” The Son’s obedience was as Redeemer, because He was Son, not in order to be Son.

Chambers, O. (1993). My Utmost for His Highest

Dropped without joy from the gaunt womb he lies,
Maturing in his place against his parents' ageing :
The slow scene unfolds before his luckless eyes
To the puckered window, where the cold storm's
raging
Curtains the world, and the grey curlew cries.
Uttering a grief too sharp for the breast's
assuaging.

So the days will drift into months and the months
to years,
Moulding his mouth to silence, his hand to the
plough :
And the world will grow to a few lean acres of
grass,
And an orchard of stars in the night's unscaleable
boughs.
But see at the bare field's edge, where he'll surely
pass.
An ash tree wantons with sensuous body and
smooth.
Provocative limbs to play the whore to his youth,
Till hurled with hot haste into manhood he woos
and weds
A wife half wild, half shy of the ancestral bed,
The crumbling house, and the whisperers on the
stairs.

Thomas, R. S. Selected poems, 1946-1968

     What a fascinating proverb! Though it was uttered some seventeen centuries ago, one can easily imagine it being coined in twentieth-century America, most likely as a bit of folk wisdom offered by an enlightened farmer living in the south during the heyday of the Civil Rights movement. “Hey! Forget about skin color,” he would say. “Underneath, people are all the same!”

     One might also conjure up an inspirational story that led to its coining: A member of the Ku Klux Klan, who hates African-Americans, is seriously injured. He requires a blood transfusion to save his life. The only available donor whose blood is a match is a black man. The donor gives, and the Klansman’s life is saved—and changed. The former racist comes to realize that if the blood of a black man can save a white man, then maybe deep down all men are equal.

     However, the proverb isn’t contemporary in origin; it goes back to the third century. It is attributed to Rabbi Yitzḥak, not to a liberal farmer. And in context, it is not about race, it is about sex. Why a goat? Perhaps because the animal is a symbol of fertility and sexuality. Why milk? Perhaps because it is a euphemistic way of referring to semen: Both are white bodily fluids, one of which is responsible for the generation of a child and the other its nurturing. (The Rabbis often make a point of using delicate language rather than explicit words.)

     There is one other interesting possibility that we should consider: that the author of the proverb is talking about himself. Rabbi Yitzḥak is also known as Yitzḥak Nappaḥa, Yitzḥak “the smith.” We cannot be certain if Yitzḥak had been a smith by trade or if his title was a family nickname, having been passed down from an ancestor. Perhaps it came to him by virtue of a physical attribute; maybe his skin was as dark as a blacksmith’s. One could imagine people making fun of his color and calling him “Nappaḥa.” As a young boy, maybe he had been tormented by the other kids. When he grew up and became a Rabbi, maybe one of the lessons that he wanted to teach was not to ridicule or judge someone by what you see on the outside; what really counts is to be found on the inside.

     ANOTHER D’RASH

     This Midrash gives three different reasons why Joseph refused the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife. The first two are external—fear of punishment by God (“If Adam was thrown out of Eden for his minor sin, imagine what will happen to me for this major sin!”) and fear of his father’s disapproval (“Reuben lost his birthright for his sin!”). In the third explanation, Joseph responds by saying to Potiphar’s wife, in essence, “You’re a married woman. What you want me to do is wrong. And you have a husband. If you want a man, go to him. After all, he’s permitted to you.” The third understanding sees Joseph as finding the strength to avoid sin from within.

     The behaviorist view of human nature, based on the writings of B. F. Skinner, agrees with the first two explanations of the Midrash. People avoid wrong to avoid punishment. Just like the pigeon who is shocked every time it tries to eat a piece of grain and therefore stops trying to eat the grain, a human will avoid wrong if the consequences are painful enough. The internal mechanism is entirely mechanical: Wrong leads to pain, which leads to avoidance of pain, which now equals avoidance of wrongdoing.

     Others would say that this view of human nature leaves out the human thought process, and that conscience is superior to consequence. The Rabbis understood that the best form of good is that which is internalized. They knew that punishment, or at least the warning of it, may never materialize. Think of a youngster who wants to take cookies from the cookie jar. If Mommy is always standing there to say, “No, no, no, those are for after dinner,” then the first time Mommy becomes busy and is not paying attention, the child may actually take some cookies. But when the youngster has learned that taking cookies is itself not desirable, then that child will avoid the act whether or not the mother is there to warn him. We can replace the child and a cookie jar with the teller whose hand could go into the till, or the broker who handles thousands of dollars of clients’ funds. It’s much better for all involved, but especially for that individual, if the value of honesty is not imposed from without but is ingrained from within.

     We should avoid transgression, whether larceny or adultery, in any way possible. However, we are better off if we resist temptation not because there is a stronger power outside ourselves, but rather because we have the strength and power inside ourselves.

Katz, M., & Schwartz, G. Searching for Meaning in Midrash: Lessons for Everyday Living Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society.

     Yet he saved them for his name’s sake. --- Psalm 106:8

     By way of exhortation to believers, O admire his goodness, admire his name. He knows all your sins against him and against his name, yet he shows mercy. Let sin against so good a God be abhorred; let his goodness lead you to repentance more and more. Praise him for his mercy, truth, faithfulness. Credit all mercy you meet with to his name, and do your best to meet reasons for God’s name to be more and more glorified, on his using his name for your help. For though sinners have a ground of hope that he may do for his name’s sake, yet saints have a ground of hope that he will do for his name’s sake. His name is pledged.

     He has a name suiting every need. Do you need wonders to be wrought for you? His name is Wonderful; look to him so to do, for his name’s sake. Do you need counsel and direction? His name is the Counselor. Do you have mighty enemies to debate? His name is the mighty God; ask him to exert his power for his name’s sake. Do you need his fatherly pity? His name is the everlasting Father. Plead his pity, for his name’s sake. Do you need peace external, internal, or eternal? His name is the Prince of Peace; seek, for his name’s sake, that he may create peace. Do you need healing? His name is Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord the healer and physician. Do you need pardon? His name is Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. Do you need defense and protection? His name is Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord your banner. Seek, for his name’s sake, that his banner of love and grace may be spread over you. Do you need provision in extreme want? His name is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide. Do you need his presence? His name is Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord is there; Immanuel, God with us. Do you need audience of prayer? His name is the Hearer of prayer. Do you need strength? His name is the Strength of Israel. Do you need comfort? His name is the Consolation of Israel. Do you need shelter? His name is the City of Refuge. Have you nothing and need all? His name is All in All. He has a name suitable for your supply; he has wisdom to guide you and power to keep you, mercy to pity you, truth to shield you, holiness to sanctify you, righteousness to justify you, grace to adorn you, and glory to crown you. Trust in his name, who saves for his name’s sake.
---Ralph Erskine

Wallis, D. (2001). Take Heart: Daily Devotions with the Church's Great Preachers

PROPER 11, TUESDAY
YEAR 1

Psalms (Morning) Psalm 45
Psalms (Evening) Psalm 47, 48
Old Testament 1 Samuel 25:1–22
New Testament Acts 14:1–18
Gospel Mark 4:21–34

Index of Readings

PSALMS (MORNING)
Psalm 45

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of the Korahites. A Maskil. A love song.
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

2 You are the most handsome of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your glory and majesty.

4 In your majesty ride on victoriously
for the cause of truth and to defend the right;
let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.

6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth.

The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king;
behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.

16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

PSALMS (EVENING)
Psalm 47, 48

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

5 God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.

8 God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted.

A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.
1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3 Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defense.
4 Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
6 trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labor,
7 as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes forever. Selah

9 We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
13 consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will be our guide forever.

OLD TESTAMENT
1 Samuel 25:1–22

25 Now Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah.

Then David got up and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2 There was a man in Maon, whose property was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was clever and beautiful, but the man was surly and mean; he was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 Thus you shall salute him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing, all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your sight; for we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”

9 When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David; and then they waited. 10 But Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and the meat that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12 So David’s young men turned away, and came back and told him all this. 13 David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every one of them strapped on his sword; David also strapped on his sword; and about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he shouted insults at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we never missed anything when we were in the fields, as long as we were with them; 16 they were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do; for evil has been decided against our master and against all his house; he is so ill-natured that no one can speak to him.”

18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, two skins of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys 19 and said to her young men, “Go on ahead of me; I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 As she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely it was in vain that I protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; but he has returned me evil for good. 22 God do so to David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

NEW TESTAMENT
Acts 14:1–18

14 The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them. 4 But the residents of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 5 And when an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 the apostles learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; 7 and there they continued proclaiming the good news.

8 In Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man sprang up and began to walk. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifice. 14 When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to follow their own ways; 17 yet he has not left himself without a witness in doing good—giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

GOSPEL
Mark 4:21–34

21 He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. 23 Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. 25 For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”

26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

The Episcopal Church. Book of Common Prayer Lectionary

     This is the sixth and last of Malachi’s accusations: “’You have said harsh things against Me,’ says the Lord” (3:13, NIV). As he closes his book, he points out four different groups of people and what they said and did.

     The complainers (Mal. 3:13–15). These people were guilty of saying “harsh things” against the Lord. For one thing, they felt that serving the Lord was drudgery; it was “futile” to be His servants. The priests may have been the leaders in this complaining, but the common people were just as guilty. “We’re not getting anything out of it!” was their grievance. “Things just keep getting worse.”

     I hear this complaint from some believers about their churches. “We’re not getting anything out of it!” But a church is like a bank or a home: you don’t get anything out of it unless you put something into it. We serve God because it’s the right thing to do, not because we’re rewarded for our service. (We shall be rewarded, but that’s not our main motive.)

     But they had a second complaint: the pagan peoples around them who didn’t know the Lord were in better shape than the people of Judah! The wicked were prospering while the godly were suffering. Of course, it would have been difficult for the Jews to prove that they were “godly,” because they were guilty of disobeying the Lord. God would have blessed them if they had yielded themselves to Him, but they preferred to have their own way and then complain about what didn’t happen.

     It’s a serious thing to serve the Lord, and we’re commanded to “serve the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2). It’s a sad thing when a servant of God is a drudge, merely doing a job because that’s what he or she has to do or for what they get out of it. Philippians 2:1–12 is God’s portrait of Christ, God’s ideal Servant, and His example is the one that we should follow.

               Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that wasa in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Shining as Lights in the World

12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

NRSV Standard Bible (black) (Php 2:1–13).

     The believers (Mal. 3:16–18). There was a group of true believers in this remnant, and they remained faithful to the Lord. They feared the Lord, which means they held Him in awe and worshiped Him as the Lord Almighty. They met together, not to complain but to encourage and edify each other. They spoke about the Lord and they weren’t afraid for Him to hear what they were saying!

     Their assembly probably wasn’t a large one, and they may have thought that very little was happening because they met and worshiped, but God was paying attention and keeping a record of their words. Their neighbors may have laughed at them, but God was pleased with them. They weren’t wasting their time because they were investing in eternity.

     God claimed them as His own, and God promised to spare them in the future judgment when everybody would see that there is a difference between the righteous and the wicked and that this difference is important.

     One of the sins of the priests was that they failed to make the distinction between the way of holiness and the way of sin. To them, one sacrifice was just as good as another, yet they were supposed to teach the people “the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” (Ezek. 44:23).

     Many of God’s faithful servants become discouraged because the times are difficult, the crowds are small, and their work seems to be unappreciated. People who aren’t really walking with the Lord seem to be getting more attention than are the faithful servants. But the day will come when God will reveal “His jewels” (“treasured possession,” NIV; see Ex. 19:5; Deut. 7:6), and then the faithful will receive their reward. Every discouraged servant of God needs to read and ponder. 1 Corinthians 4:1–5.

4 Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. 4 I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.

NRSV Standard Bible (black) (1 Co 4:1–5).

     The evildoers (Mal. 4:1–3). Once again, Malachi returns to the theme of the coming Day of the Lord when God will punish all evildoers. Sinners will be burned up the way fire eats up the stubble; they will become like ashes under the feet of the saints! But the true believers will see the dawning of a new day as the “Sun of righteousness” rises (Luke 1:78–79). Then Jesus will reign as King of Kings and His people will frolic like calves let out of their stalls!

     The preachers (Mal. 4:4–6). Malachi has been faithful as God’s messenger, and he closes his book by reminding the people of two other faithful prophets, Moses and Elijah. The Law of Moses was still God’s rule of life for the Jews, and if they obeyed, God would bless them. Of course, believers today aren’t under the Law (Rom. 6:15; Gal. 5:1–4), but they still practice the righteousness of the Law through the power of the indwelling Spirit of God (Rom. 8:1–4).

     The promise in Malachi 4:5 was often discussed and debated by the Jewish rabbis who asked, “Who is the Elijah whom the Lord will send?” The Jewish leaders interrogated John the Baptist about it (John 1:19–21) and Peter, James, and John asked Jesus about it (Matt. 17:10).

     The prophet Elijah is mentioned at least thirty times in the New Testament, and ten of those references relate him to John the Baptist. But John the Baptist said plainly that he was no Elijah (John 1:21, 25). He did come in the “spirit and power” of Elijah and turn the hearts of fathers and children (Luke 1:16–17). Like Elijah, John was a courageous man, a man of prayer empowered by the Spirit, a man who lived alone in the wilderness, and a servant who turned many people back to the Lord, but he was not Elijah returned to earth.

     However, for those who believed on Christ during His earthly ministry, John the Baptist performed the work of Elijah in their lives: he prepared them to meet the Lord. “And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come” (Matt. 11:14, NIV). “Elijah is come already,” said Jesus, “and they know him not.” The disciples understood Jesus to mean John the Baptist who came in the spirit and power of Elijah (17:10–13).

     But Malachi 4:5 promises that Elijah himself will come, and that his coming is related to the “Day of the Lord” that will burn the wicked like stubble (v. 1). That’s why Jesus said, “Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things” (Matt. 17:11). Many students believe that Elijah is one of the two witnesses whose ministries are described in Revelation 11:3–12. (They believe the other is Moses.) It’s worth noting that both Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:3), which explains why the three apostles asked about Elijah.

     Inasmuch as “the great and terrible Day of the Lord” did not occur in New Testament times, we have to believe that John the Baptist was not the promised Elijah, even though he ministered like Elijah. Therefore, this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. It may well be that Elijah will return to earth as one of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3–12), for the signs that these two men will perform remind us of the miracles of Elijah. After the ministry of the witnesses, the Lord will pour out His wrath upon the earth (v. 18; 16:1ff) and the Day of the Lord will burst upon the world in its fury.

     It seems odd that the Old Testament Scriptures should end with the word “curse.” When we get near the end of the New Testament, we read, “And there shall be no more curse” (Rev. 22:3). All of creation is eagerly awaiting the return of the Savior, expecting Him to deliver creation from the bondage of sin (Rom. 8:18–23). We too should be expecting Him and, while we’re waiting, witness of Him to others. For when the Sun of righteousness arises, it will mean either burning or blessing (Mal. 4:1–2): blessing to those who have trusted Him, burning to those who have rejected Him.

     Nobody can afford to argue with God the way the Israelites did when they heard Malachi, because God will always have the last word.

     For you, will that last word be salvation or judgment?

W. W. Wiersbe, (1996) Be Amazed (Minor Prophets): Restoring an Attitude of Wonder and Worship (The BE Series Commentary)