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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Malachi 3:1-5

3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. (ESV)

by Angie Osborn

This passage, in the last book of the Old Testament, points us right to the New Testament. A messenger will prepare the way and then the Lord will come. Interesting, that is just what happened!

I found an illustration of Jesus holding the Old Testament in his left hand. Christ was very clearly in the middle and the New Testament was in his right hand. Christ pulls the scriptures together, making them whole. He is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. He is the baby born of a virgin in the New Testament. He is the fulfillment of prophesy from days of old and our savior today!



Copyright Information

Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .