August 27, 2025 • 25 mins
The hushed echo of eternity resonates through Malachi's final prophecy, the last divine words before centuries of heaven's silence. In this profound meditation on Malachi 4, we stand at the threshold between warning and promise, between judgment and healing, between what was and what awaits.
Walking alongside the ancient prophet, we encounter God's vision of a coming day that will burn like a furnace, consuming the proud and wicked like stubble in the field. Yet for those who revere God's name, this same day brings the sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings, promising joy like calves released from the stall. This powerful tension invites us to examine our own lives—what are we building, and will it endure when tested by fire?
The episode weaves together scriptural reading with contemplative narrative, creating space for the message to sink deep. We explore the critical importance of remembering God's teachings during seasons of divine silence and the promise of Elijah's coming to restore broken relationships between generations. Throughout our journey with Malachi, we discover that this isn't merely ancient prophecy but a living word that challenges us to live with reverence, build what lasts, prepare for the dawn, pursue reconciliation, and remember God's word daily.
Whether you're seeking spiritual renewal, biblical understanding, or simply a moment of peaceful reflection, this episode offers both challenge and comfort as we stand at the edge of prophecy, waiting for the sunrise. Let Malachi's final words echo through your daily life, shaping your priorities and awakening your heart to what truly matters in light of eternity. Subscribe to In the Field Audio Bible for more contemplative journeys through scripture that meet you right where you are.
Music Credit: "Find My Way" by Teeklef
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
In the Field Audio Bible (03:51):
His message burns now, not as a
quiet warning, but as a blazingfire on the edge of a new dawn.
The Lord speaks with a voicethat trembles, both with fierce
justice and tender hope.
A day is coming, he says, a daythat will set the arrogant
(04:15):
ablaze like dry stubble, yetbring healing like the morning
sun to those who revere his name.
It is a promise and a reckoningAmen, amen, refusing to be
(04:43):
ignored, where the silencebetween heaven and earth is
about to fall and where thewords of a minor prophet echo
through the centuries with theweight of eternal glory.
The fire has burned low.
The streets of the village arequiet now, save for the soft
(05:07):
rustle of leaves caught in theevening breeze.
I sit alone at the edge of thesquare where life once bustled,
where merchants argued overweights and scales, where
children's laughter once bouncedoff stone walls.
Bounced off stone walls, wherepriests passed with hurried
steps, their robes brushingagainst the dust as they moved
(05:32):
between temple and home.
But tonight there is no clamor,only the weight of what the
Lord has spoken, heavy upon mychest, pressing against my ribs
like the final ember of a longburning fire.
(05:53):
You've been walking with me,haven't you, friend?
You've heard his voice throughmy trembling words.
You've sat with me as Idelivered the burden, chapter
after chapter, of a love bothfierce and patient.
You've seen the priests falter,the people grow cold, the
(06:16):
offerings made with hollowhearts.
You stood with me in thetension where mercy stretched
its arms wide, even as judgmentloomed on the horizon.
And now we arrive here at thelast word.
I run my fingers across thecracked surface of the old table
(06:39):
beside me, tracing the groovesworn deep by years of restless
hands.
The scrolls are open still, butthe ink is nearly dry.
I can almost hear the echo ofthe Lord's final words settling
into the silence, stirring theair like a coming storm.
(07:03):
The sun is setting low, itsgolden rim dipping beneath the
hills, casting long shadows thatcrawl like silent watchmen
across the rooftops.
The people in the village arefolding their tents, gathering
their baskets, unaware thatsomething eternal hovers just
(07:25):
above them, that somethingeternal hovers just above them A
day foretold, a reckoningwaiting to break through the
veil of ordinary time.
The Lord of hosts speaks andhis words burn.
Surely the day is coming.
It will burn like a furnace.
(07:46):
The image sears itself into mymind.
I see it A fire consuming theproud, the arrogant, those who
have built their lives liketowers of straw, brittle and
hollow, set ablaze in a moment.
I can smell the smoke before itrises, the sharp sting of it
(08:12):
filling my throat.
There will be no escape forthose who trample justice
beneath their feet, who profanehis name with cold indifference.
They will be as stubble in thefield, touched by flame, gone
with the wind.
But the Lord does not end there.
(08:45):
His voice softens like thetender hand of a father brushing
dust from his child's cheek.
But for you who revere my name,ah, for you, the faithful
remnant who have kept theirhearts bowed low, who have not
forgotten the weight of hisglory, for you there is a
promise the sun of righteousnesswill rise, with healing in its
(09:06):
wings.
I close my eyes and I can feelit, the warmth of that morning
sun breaking over the hills, itslight spilling over the
rooftops, chasing away the longnight.
I see people running, leapinglike calves, released from the
(09:30):
stall, their legs unsteady withjoy, their hearts beating free.
I see laughter returning to thestreets, the weight of guilt
and shame falling like brokenchains into the dust.
Do you hear it, friend?
(09:50):
Do you feel it?
This is not just a warning, itis a doorway, a final invitation
before the silence falls.
The Lord commands us rememberthe law of my servant Moses, his
(10:18):
statutes, his decrees.
Hold them close, tie them asfrontlets between your eyes,
write them on the doorpost ofyour homes, carry them in the
marrow of your bones.
Do not forget.
And before the curtain closes,before the long silence begins,
(10:40):
he gives one more promise.
See, I will send the prophetElijah.
I lift my gaze to the hills.
I cannot see him yet, but Iknow he will come, one who will
turn hearts, fathers to children, children to fathers, repairing
(11:07):
the broken bridges ofgenerations.
His voice will prepare the way,calling men and women back to
the Lord before the great anddreadful day arrives, and then
silence.
The Lord will not speak againfor many generations.
(11:31):
His voice, once thunderingthrough the prophets, will pause
, will hang in the air like abell's last toll, echoing
(11:51):
through time, waiting to beanswered.
Will you remember?
Will you revere his name?
Will you prepare your heart forthe sunrise or will you wither
in the fire, here, on this quietnight, with the wind stirring
(12:18):
the edge of my cloak and theweight of the ages pressing upon
us?
I set the scroll down.
The ink is dry, the message isgiven.
The choice belongs to those whowill come after.
(12:41):
Stay with me, friend.
Let us walk this final stretchtogether.
Let us linger in the beauty andthe burden of Malachi's last
words A love that refuses to besilent, a judgment that cannot
be delayed, a hope that stillrises Warm as the morning sun.
(13:06):
The story does not end here itwaits.
It waits for the next voice tocry out in the wilderness.
And now the silence begins.
(13:28):
Now let's take a moment toquieten our hearts and listen to
the word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,
conviction and encouragement,whether you're sitting in a
quiet place or out in the world.
Allow scripture to meet youright where you are.
(13:50):
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the book
of Malachi 4.
(14:23):
The Book of Malachi 4.
See, the day is coming, burninglike an oven, when all the
arrogant and all evildoers willbe stubble.
The day that comes shall burnthem up, says the Lord of hosts,
so that it will leave themneither root nor branch.
(14:45):
But for you who revere likecalves from the stall, and you
shall tread down for the sun ofrighteousness shall rise with
healing in its wings.
You shall go out leaping underthe soles of your feet.
(15:05):
On the day when I act, says theLord of hosts, remember the
teaching of my servant Moses,the statutes and ordinances that
I commanded him at Horeb.
For all Israel, lo, I will sendyou the prophet Elijah before
(15:27):
the great and terrible day ofthe Lord comes.
He will turn the hearts ofparents to their children and
the hearts of children to theirparents, so that I will not come
and strike the land with acurse.
(15:58):
The air has grown.
Still now, the last rays ofsunlight slip beneath the hills,
casting long shadows across thequiet village.
I rise from the worn stonewhere I've sat with you brushing
(16:19):
the dust from my cloak, feelingthe weight of the message
settle into my bones.
The scroll is closed, the inkhas dried, but the word, the
word still burns.
The word still burns.
You've walked with me throughthese chapters.
You've heard the Lord's crythrough my trembling voice and
(16:43):
now, as we stand at the edge ofthe final word, I can almost
feel the hush of heaven drawingnear, like the earth itself is
holding its breath, waiting forwhat comes next.
(17:04):
Surely, the day is coming, theday of the Lord.
It is not a distant thought,but a certainty pressed upon the
horizon.
The proud, the wicked, thosewho have hardened their hearts
like sun-baked clay, they willbe like dry stubble in the field
(17:25):
, consumed in an instant.
But for those who fear his name, ah, for those.
The sun will rise, with healing, with warmth that wraps around
tired shoulders, with light thatdrives out the long cold night.
(17:47):
You will go out and frolic likewell-fed calves.
I can still see their faces theweary farmers, the mothers with
dust-streaked cheeks, the oldmen at the gates, those who
heard this message and quietlytucked it away like a seed
(18:09):
waiting to grow.
Some scoffed, some wept, somesimply turned their faces away,
but some, some, listened.
And now I turn to you, my friend.
As we walk slowly through thevillage, our feet stirring the
(18:33):
loose stones beneath us, I askyou what are you building your
life upon?
Will it stand when the firecomes, or will it crumble like
straw?
Whose name do you truly revere?
Is it the Lord's, or have othernames, like success, comfort or
(18:55):
pride, taken his place?
Are you prepared for the risingsun or are you asleep in the
shadows?
This final word is not just forancient Israel, it is for us,
it is for you.
There will always be areckoning in our hearts Small
(19:17):
fires that test our motives, ourloyalties, our worship.
Each day, you and I stand at thethreshold of decision.
Will we remember the Lord?
Will we walk in His ways, notout of duty but out of love.
Remember the law of my servantMoses.
(19:44):
Remember, not just in your mindbut in your living, in the way
you speak to your neighbor, inthe way you forgive, in the way
you choose integrity when no oneis watching.
And then the promise I willsend the prophet Elijah before
(20:06):
that great and dreadful day ofthe Lord comes.
He will turn the hearts of thefathers to their children and
the hearts of the children totheir fathers, hearts of the
fathers to their children andthe hearts of the children to
their fathers.
The Lord longs to restore whathas been broken Fathers to sons,
(20:29):
mothers to daughters.
Generations fractured bysilence, by anger, by neglect.
He desires to mend them.
I ask you, is there someone inyour life who needs your heart
to turn, someone who needs youto take the first step toward
reconciliation before the day ofthe Lord arrives?
(20:51):
Friend, we are all waiting forthe sunrise.
Some will meet it with joy.
Some with trembling, but today,today, there is still time to
remember, to revere, to return.
(21:11):
As we leave this story together,I feel the quiet settle like a
blanket across the village.
The Lord's voice has spokenSoon.
The silence will stretch forgenerations, but his words will
remain etched in the hearts ofthose who have ears to hear.
Do not mistake his silence forabsence, do not mistake his
(21:37):
patience for indifference.
The sun is still rising, thefire is still refining, the
invitation is still open.
Will you remember?
Will you return?
(21:58):
Will you prepare your heartfor the dawn?
Walk well, my friend.
Walk with reverence, walk withhope, and may the sun of
righteousness rise upon you withhealing in its wings, until the
next voice cries out in thewilderness.
(22:19):
I leave you here on the edge ofthe silence.
Let us live with reverence.
Keep the Lord's name at thecenter of your life.
Honor him in your work, yourrelationships, your quiet
thoughts.
Let us build what lasts.
(22:41):
Examine what you're building.
Are you investing in thingsthat will endure the fire, like
faith, love, justice, or thingsthat will burn away?
Let us prepare for the dawn.
Don't drift in complacency.
The day of the Lord is not faroff.
(23:05):
Live ready.
Let us pursue reconciliation.
Where hearts have grown coldbetween you and others, seek
healing.
Let your heart turn and let usremember his word daily.
The scriptures are not ancientrelics.
(23:27):
They are living guides.
Keep them before your eyes.
May the final words of thisminor prophet Echo in your daily
life, shaping, stirring,awakening.
Until next time, walk in thelight.
(23:47):
Thank you for joining me todayas we journeyed through the book
of Malachi 4.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your
day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation and every step
(24:10):
of obedience.
If this time in God's word hasencouraged you, take a moment to
share it with someone who mightneed it.
And be sure to join me nexttime as we continue walking
through the scriptures, learning, growing and staying faithful
in the field of life.
Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet, trust in
(24:35):
God's call, and rest in Hisunchanging love.
This is In the Field AudioBible, where we Listen to the
Bible One Chapter at a Time.
His message burns now, not as a
quiet warning, but as a blazingfire on the edge of a new dawn.
The Lord speaks with a voicethat trembles, both with fierce
justice and tender hope.
A day is coming, he says, a daythat will set the arrogant
(04:15):
ablaze like dry stubble, yetbring healing like the morning
sun to those who revere his name.
It is a promise and a reckoningAmen, amen, refusing to be
(04:43):
ignored, where the silencebetween heaven and earth is
about to fall and where thewords of a minor prophet echo
through the centuries with theweight of eternal glory.
The fire has burned low.
The streets of the village arequiet now, save for the soft
(05:07):
rustle of leaves caught in theevening breeze.
I sit alone at the edge of thesquare where life once bustled,
where merchants argued overweights and scales, where
children's laughter once bouncedoff stone walls.
Bounced off stone walls, wherepriests passed with hurried
steps, their robes brushingagainst the dust as they moved
(05:32):
between temple and home.
But tonight there is no clamor,only the weight of what the
Lord has spoken, heavy upon mychest, pressing against my ribs
like the final ember of a longburning fire.
(05:53):
You've been walking with me,haven't you, friend?
You've heard his voice throughmy trembling words.
You've sat with me as Idelivered the burden, chapter
after chapter, of a love bothfierce and patient.
You've seen the priests falter,the people grow cold, the
(06:16):
offerings made with hollowhearts.
You stood with me in thetension where mercy stretched
its arms wide, even as judgmentloomed on the horizon.
And now we arrive here at thelast word.
I run my fingers across thecracked surface of the old table
(06:39):
beside me, tracing the groovesworn deep by years of restless
hands.
The scrolls are open still, butthe ink is nearly dry.
I can almost hear the echo ofthe Lord's final words settling
into the silence, stirring theair like a coming storm.
(07:03):
The sun is setting low, itsgolden rim dipping beneath the
hills, casting long shadows thatcrawl like silent watchmen
across the rooftops.
The people in the village arefolding their tents, gathering
their baskets, unaware thatsomething eternal hovers just
(07:25):
above them, that somethingeternal hovers just above them A
day foretold, a reckoningwaiting to break through the
veil of ordinary time.
The Lord of hosts speaks andhis words burn.
Surely the day is coming.
It will burn like a furnace.
(07:46):
The image sears itself into mymind.
I see it A fire consuming theproud, the arrogant, those who
have built their lives liketowers of straw, brittle and
hollow, set ablaze in a moment.
I can smell the smoke before itrises, the sharp sting of it
(08:12):
filling my throat.
There will be no escape forthose who trample justice
beneath their feet, who profanehis name with cold indifference.
They will be as stubble in thefield, touched by flame, gone
with the wind.
But the Lord does not end there.
(08:45):
His voice softens like thetender hand of a father brushing
dust from his child's cheek.
But for you who revere my name,ah, for you, the faithful
remnant who have kept theirhearts bowed low, who have not
forgotten the weight of hisglory, for you there is a
promise the sun of righteousnesswill rise, with healing in its
(09:06):
wings.
I close my eyes and I can feelit, the warmth of that morning
sun breaking over the hills, itslight spilling over the
rooftops, chasing away the longnight.
I see people running, leapinglike calves, released from the
(09:30):
stall, their legs unsteady withjoy, their hearts beating free.
I see laughter returning to thestreets, the weight of guilt
and shame falling like brokenchains into the dust.
Do you hear it, friend?
(09:50):
Do you feel it?
This is not just a warning, itis a doorway, a final invitation
before the silence falls.
The Lord commands us rememberthe law of my servant Moses, his
(10:18):
statutes, his decrees.
Hold them close, tie them asfrontlets between your eyes,
write them on the doorpost ofyour homes, carry them in the
marrow of your bones.
Do not forget.
And before the curtain closes,before the long silence begins,
(10:40):
he gives one more promise.
See, I will send the prophetElijah.
I lift my gaze to the hills.
I cannot see him yet, but Iknow he will come, one who will
turn hearts, fathers to children, children to fathers, repairing
(11:07):
the broken bridges ofgenerations.
His voice will prepare the way,calling men and women back to
the Lord before the great anddreadful day arrives, and then
silence.
The Lord will not speak againfor many generations.
(11:31):
His voice, once thunderingthrough the prophets, will pause
, will hang in the air like abell's last toll, echoing
(11:51):
through time, waiting to beanswered.
Will you remember?
Will you revere his name?
Will you prepare your heart forthe sunrise or will you wither
in the fire, here, on this quietnight, with the wind stirring
(12:18):
the edge of my cloak and theweight of the ages pressing upon
us?
I set the scroll down.
The ink is dry, the message isgiven.
The choice belongs to those whowill come after.
(12:41):
Stay with me, friend.
Let us walk this final stretchtogether.
Let us linger in the beauty andthe burden of Malachi's last
words A love that refuses to besilent, a judgment that cannot
be delayed, a hope that stillrises Warm as the morning sun.
(13:06):
The story does not end here itwaits.
It waits for the next voice tocry out in the wilderness.
And now the silence begins.
(13:28):
Now let's take a moment toquieten our hearts and listen to
the word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,
conviction and encouragement,whether you're sitting in a
quiet place or out in the world.
Allow scripture to meet youright where you are.
(13:50):
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the book
of Malachi 4.
(14:23):
The Book of Malachi 4.
See, the day is coming, burninglike an oven, when all the
arrogant and all evildoers willbe stubble.
The day that comes shall burnthem up, says the Lord of hosts,
so that it will leave themneither root nor branch.
(14:45):
But for you who revere likecalves from the stall, and you
shall tread down for the sun ofrighteousness shall rise with
healing in its wings.
You shall go out leaping underthe soles of your feet.
(15:05):
On the day when I act, says theLord of hosts, remember the
teaching of my servant Moses,the statutes and ordinances that
I commanded him at Horeb.
For all Israel, lo, I will sendyou the prophet Elijah before
(15:27):
the great and terrible day ofthe Lord comes.
He will turn the hearts ofparents to their children and
the hearts of children to theirparents, so that I will not come
and strike the land with acurse.
(15:58):
The air has grown.
Still now, the last rays ofsunlight slip beneath the hills,
casting long shadows across thequiet village.
I rise from the worn stonewhere I've sat with you brushing
(16:19):
the dust from my cloak, feelingthe weight of the message
settle into my bones.
The scroll is closed, the inkhas dried, but the word, the
word still burns.
The word still burns.
You've walked with me throughthese chapters.
You've heard the Lord's crythrough my trembling voice and
(16:43):
now, as we stand at the edge ofthe final word, I can almost
feel the hush of heaven drawingnear, like the earth itself is
holding its breath, waiting forwhat comes next.
(17:04):
Surely, the day is coming, theday of the Lord.
It is not a distant thought,but a certainty pressed upon the
horizon.
The proud, the wicked, thosewho have hardened their hearts
like sun-baked clay, they willbe like dry stubble in the field
(17:25):
, consumed in an instant.
But for those who fear his name, ah, for those.
The sun will rise, with healing, with warmth that wraps around
tired shoulders, with light thatdrives out the long cold night.
(17:47):
You will go out and frolic likewell-fed calves.
I can still see their faces theweary farmers, the mothers with
dust-streaked cheeks, the oldmen at the gates, those who
heard this message and quietlytucked it away like a seed
(18:09):
waiting to grow.
Some scoffed, some wept, somesimply turned their faces away,
but some, some, listened.
And now I turn to you, my friend.
As we walk slowly through thevillage, our feet stirring the
(18:33):
loose stones beneath us, I askyou what are you building your
life upon?
Will it stand when the firecomes, or will it crumble like
straw?
Whose name do you truly revere?
Is it the Lord's, or have othernames, like success, comfort or
(18:55):
pride, taken his place?
Are you prepared for the risingsun or are you asleep in the
shadows?
This final word is not just forancient Israel, it is for us,
it is for you.
There will always be areckoning in our hearts Small
(19:17):
fires that test our motives, ourloyalties, our worship.
Each day, you and I stand at thethreshold of decision.
Will we remember the Lord?
Will we walk in His ways, notout of duty but out of love.
Remember the law of my servantMoses.
(19:44):
Remember, not just in your mindbut in your living, in the way
you speak to your neighbor, inthe way you forgive, in the way
you choose integrity when no oneis watching.
And then the promise I willsend the prophet Elijah before
(20:06):
that great and dreadful day ofthe Lord comes.
He will turn the hearts of thefathers to their children and
the hearts of the children totheir fathers, hearts of the
fathers to their children andthe hearts of the children to
their fathers.
The Lord longs to restore whathas been broken Fathers to sons,
(20:29):
mothers to daughters.
Generations fractured bysilence, by anger, by neglect.
He desires to mend them.
I ask you, is there someone inyour life who needs your heart
to turn, someone who needs youto take the first step toward
reconciliation before the day ofthe Lord arrives?
(20:51):
Friend, we are all waiting forthe sunrise.
Some will meet it with joy.
Some with trembling, but today,today, there is still time to
remember, to revere, to return.
(21:11):
As we leave this story together,I feel the quiet settle like a
blanket across the village.
The Lord's voice has spokenSoon.
The silence will stretch forgenerations, but his words will
remain etched in the hearts ofthose who have ears to hear.
Do not mistake his silence forabsence, do not mistake his
(21:37):
patience for indifference.
The sun is still rising, thefire is still refining, the
invitation is still open.
Will you remember?
Will you return?
(21:58):
Will you prepare your heartfor the dawn?
Walk well, my friend.
Walk with reverence, walk withhope, and may the sun of
righteousness rise upon you withhealing in its wings, until the
next voice cries out in thewilderness.
(22:19):
I leave you here on the edge ofthe silence.
Let us live with reverence.
Keep the Lord's name at thecenter of your life.
Honor him in your work, yourrelationships, your quiet
thoughts.
Let us build what lasts.
(22:41):
Examine what you're building.
Are you investing in thingsthat will endure the fire, like
faith, love, justice, or thingsthat will burn away?
Let us prepare for the dawn.
Don't drift in complacency.
The day of the Lord is not faroff.
(23:05):
Live ready.
Let us pursue reconciliation.
Where hearts have grown coldbetween you and others, seek
healing.
Let your heart turn and let usremember his word daily.
The scriptures are not ancientrelics.
(23:27):
They are living guides.
Keep them before your eyes.
May the final words of thisminor prophet Echo in your daily
life, shaping, stirring,awakening.
Until next time, walk in thelight.
(23:47):
Thank you for joining me todayas we journeyed through the book
of Malachi 4.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your
day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation and every step
(24:10):
of obedience.
If this time in God's word hasencouraged you, take a moment to
share it with someone who mightneed it.
And be sure to join me nexttime as we continue walking
through the scriptures, learning, growing and staying faithful
in the field of life.
Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet, trust in
(24:35):
God's call, and rest in Hisunchanging love.
This is In the Field AudioBible, where we Listen to the
Bible One Chapter at a Time.
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