God our Father Wants to Bless, not Curse

"5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6And 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: 5-6)

Malachi ("my messenger" in Hebrew), the last prophet of the Old Testament preached about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we read about the "great and dreadful" day, many of us are inclined to think that God is angry or looking to judge and condemn us.

First of all, God our Father is slow to anger and does not want to condemn anyone:

"And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth," (Exodus 34: 6)


"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." (Nahum 1: 3)

Even from the most severe of prophets, we learn:

"Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" (Ezekiel 18: 23)

Then

"Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33: 11)

God is not interested in cursing us, but rather blessing us.

"I will turn the hearts. . .lest I smite the earth with a curse."

Jesus, God's Son, fulfilled every part of Malachi's, and the Old Testament's, last prophecy:

"16And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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." (Luke 1: 16-17)

We all have received the Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8: 15), a new heart (1 Peter 3: 4) which cries out "Daddy!"

We are also redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13) and we can rest assured that God will never be angry with us again:

"

9For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

10For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54: 9-10)

 

Today, because of Jesus, our heart is turned toward God our Father, as we know that His heart has always been turned to us, and we will never be under a curse.