As Malachi the prophet began
to come to the end of his book, he shared the contrasting words of
“the LORD of hosts” concerning the wicked and those who
feared His name. The wicked were to be burned, and those who feared
the Lord were to “go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”
In chapter four and verse three of Malachi's prophecy, the Lord
continued describing the benefits of being one who fears the Lord
where we read:
And you shall tread
down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
in the day that I shall do this, says the LORD of hosts.
The
verse begins, “And you shall tread down the wicked;” As
an additional attribute to giving awe and respect to the Lord, those
who do so “shall tread down”
which means “to press, crush, or press by treading” like
grapes in a wine-press, “the wicked” or “the guilty ones
or criminals”. No longer were these who “feared the Lord”
to be oppressed by their wicked enemies, but they would have power
over them like never before.
The
verse continues, “for they shall be ashes under the soles of
your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the
LORD of hosts.” To further clarify the extent to which those
who “feared the Lord” would overcome the wicked “the
LORD of hosts” said, “for” which in this case means
“because or since” “they shall be as ashes” which is
like “dust or earth” and implies “worthlessness” “under
the soles of your feet” or “beneath you”. After the
burning of the wicked, their ashes will be under the feet of those
who fear the Lord, and their oppression will be reversed “in the
day that I shall do this” which refers to “the LORD of
hosts” taking action.
As we
think about these words, they are quite the promise to those who fear
the Lord. There is hope that the oppression of the wicked will soon
be gone, and when the Lord returns there shall be a great treading
down and only their ashes will remain. In other words, the Lord Jesus
wins. Though there may be some time before the fulfillment of this
prophecy as it was for the nation of Israel, the final outcome is
that the wicked will be gone, the righteous remain, and Jesus Christ
is Lord of all. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus we pray.
Next
time the Lord will tell of the ,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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