Malachi 4: The Sun of Righteousness
God promises a burning day for the proud, healing sunrise for those who fear him, and Elijah to come before the great day of the Lord.
Malachi 4 (WEB)
1 “For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes will burn them up,” says Yahweh of Armies, “that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the stall.
3 You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make,” says Yahweh of Armies.
4 “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
6 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 (KJV)
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Malachi 4 (ASV)
1 For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts.
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Summary
The Old Testament's final words look toward the coming day of the Lord. For the proud and the wicked that day will burn like a furnace, leaving them neither root nor branch, stubble consumed in the fire. But to those who fear God's name, the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its wings, and they will go out leaping like calves released from the stall, treading down the wicked in the day God acts. God calls his people to remember the law of Moses, the statutes and ordinances given at Horeb for all Israel. Then comes the great closing promise: God will send Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest God come and strike the earth with a curse. With that, the voice of Old Testament prophecy falls silent for four centuries—until a child is born in the hill country of Judea who will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, and the Lord himself, the sun of righteousness, dawns on a waiting world.
Main Characters
- Yahweh of Armies (the LORD) — The God who brings the burning day on the proud, raises the sun of righteousness with healing for those who fear him, and promises to send Elijah.
- Those who fear God's name — The faithful for whom the day brings healing and joy, rising like the sun and going out to leap like freed calves of the stall.
- The proud and the wicked — Those who work wickedness, for whom the coming day burns as a furnace, leaving them as stubble with neither root nor branch.
- Elijah the prophet — The promised messenger God will send before the great day to turn the hearts of fathers and children, fulfilled in John the Baptist.
Key Verse
Malachi 4:2 (WEB)
But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the stall.
Lessons Learned
- The coming day of the Lord divides—burning judgment for the proud, healing joy for those who fear him.
- For God's people, that day brings healing and freedom, like calves released to leap in the open.
- Remembering and keeping God's revealed word prepares us for the day that is coming.
- God promises to send a forerunner to turn hearts back, fulfilled in John the Baptist who prepared the way for Christ.
- The day of the Lord is coming for all. “Behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace” (Malachi 4:1, WEB). No one escapes that day; the only question is whether we meet it in fear or in faith.
- Christ is the sun of righteousness. “The sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:2, WEB). For those who fear God's name, the coming Lord brings light, healing, and joy.
- God's word is to be remembered. “Remember the law of Moses my servant” (Malachi 4:4, WEB). As the prophetic voice falls silent, God anchors his people in the Scriptures already given.
- God sends a forerunner to turn hearts. “I will send you Elijah the prophet… He will turn the hearts” (Malachi 4:5-6, WEB). The promise is fulfilled in John the Baptist, preparing the way for the Lord.
- How does the coming day of the Lord differ for the proud and for those who fear God's name (4:1-2)?
- What does the image of the “sun of righteousness” with “healing in its wings” suggest about the coming Lord?
- Why does God call his people to “remember the law of Moses” at this point (4:4)?
- Who is the “Elijah” God promises to send, and how does the New Testament show this promise fulfilled?
- As you stand on the bridge between the Testaments, how is the promise of the sun of righteousness inviting you to live in hopeful expectation of Christ?
- For the proud and wicked the day burns like a furnace, leaving neither root nor branch (4:1); for those who fear God it brings the rising sun of righteousness with healing and joyful freedom (4:2). The same day means destruction for the unrepentant and salvation for the faithful—an outcome decided by the heart's response to God.
- Sunrise speaks of light dawning after darkness, and “healing in its wings” of warmth and restoration. The image points to Christ, whose coming brings light to those in darkness and healing to the broken—joy that makes the redeemed leap like calves let out of the stall (4:2).
- With the prophetic voice about to fall silent for centuries, God grounds his people in the Scriptures they already have (4:4). They are to live by remembering and keeping his revealed word until the promised day. It is a call to faithfulness in the in-between time.
- God promises to send Elijah before the great day (4:5-6). The New Testament identifies this with John the Baptist, who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” to turn hearts and prepare the way for Jesus. The Old Testament's last word reaches forward to the Gospel's first pages.
- This is a personal-application question with no single answer. Invite members to consider how the promise of Christ, the sun of righteousness, shapes their hope amid darkness and waiting. Close by marveling that the silence after Malachi was broken by John's cry and the dawn of Jesus, and rest in the healing he brings to all who fear God's name.