Return from Exile Malachi 4 (2)

Pray Psalm 110.1, 2.
The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Sing Psalm 110.1, 2.
(Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
“Sit by Me at My right hand,” the LORD says to my Lord,
“until I make Your foot stand on all who hate Your Word.”
The LORD sends strength from Zion: “Rule all Your enemies.”
While those who Him rely on go forth their LORD to please.

Read Malachi 4.1-3; meditate on verse 3.

Preparation
1. When Christ comes, what will happen to the wicked?

2. How will this occur?

Meditation
I can’t help it: I love that image, Jesus tramplin’ the wicked under His feet. Yeah!

But how does He do that? Through us, His people. Seated at the right hand of God on high, Jesus is putting all His enemies under His feet, and He will continue doing so until He comes again (1 Cor. 15.25). His people go out each day, like eager volunteers (Ps. 110.3), to serve the Lord by their words and deeds. Some of the wicked they will trample by their righteous lives, shaming to those who prefer the life of sin to that of following Jesus (Ps. 83.16).

Some the Lord will trample by giving His people strong, convicting, and convincing words to share, so that those who deny the Lord and reject His Word are left silent, with nothing more to say (Tit. 1.10). Others the Lord will trample into submission as His people walk obediently with Him and affect the culture and society around them. So convincing will their lives and works be that even the wicked will “pretend obedience” to God, going along with what Christians are doing because, while they don’t believe, they can’t deny that the works of God are in everyone’s best interest (Pss. 81.15. 66.3).

And then there will be some—probably many—who, like Saul of Tarsus, the Lord will knock off their high horse and trample them like puffed-up grapes until He converts them to Himself and makes them into new wine.

And all this He promises to do through us. Yeah! Put on your tramplin’ shoes, friend, there’s tramplin’ work to be done today!

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
But be careful where you trample! Make sure your footings are in the right place.

We have so many wonderful promises of how God will enable us now to put His enemies under His feet, and Himself then, to eradicate evil from the world. Oh, how we long for that day!

But until then, we should only ever foray into this battle for righteousness’ sake, never dilly-dally where evil exists for our own amusement. There is a huge difference. Ever hear a fellow Christian say that they watched this horrible movie or read that salacious book so they could “understand” better what the world is thinking?
Well, that thinking is just hogwash—a lame excuse to traverse where we shouldn’t go.
“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil.
Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4.14, 15).

We must carefully dress daily for this battle. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6.11-18). It is a battle to be taken seriously.

Ever mindful about where, how, and whom we trample.
“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy
who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant
by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10.29).
Don’t go there in those tramplin’ shoes.

With all our heart, soul, mind, and strength we fight against evil in our own lives (Matt. 22.37-40) and seek to lead others away from wickedness through our words, works, and pure actions. “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men…and by our good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2.15, 12).

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5.16).

“You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot” (Ps. 91.13).

When our eyes are on Jesus, those Tramplin’ Shoes can be donned, in the full assurance that we’ll be walking carefully on all the right paths—with only evil dust on our soles (Mal. 4.3).

For reflection
1. So, how did Jesus “trample” on you to get you safely under His feet?

2. How can you tell when you are beginning to wander off the tramplin’ path into areas you ought not go? What should you do then?

3. Whom will you encourage today to do a little tramplin’ for Jesus? How will you do that?

The saints’ triumphs are all owing to God’s victories; it is not they that do this, but God who does it for them. Behold another day is coming, far more dreadful to all that work wickedness than any which is gone before. How great then the happiness of the believer, when he goes from the darkness and misery of this world, to rejoice in the Lord for evermore! Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Malachi 4.3

Pray Psalm 110.3-7.
Pray that God will give you a “tramplin’ day” today, and that the devil and those who hate the Lord will know His Presence in all your words and deeds.

Sing Psalm 110.3-7.
(Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
Your people in Your power, arrayed in holiness,
like dew of morning’s hour shall serve like youth refreshed.
The LORD has sworn and never will He His promise check:
“You are a priest forever after Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at Your right hand to execute His wrath,
and judge all kings and all lands—doomed sinners in His path.
Then, all His foes defeated, He takes His hard-won rest,
in glorious triumph seated with us, redeemed and blessed.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available free by clicking here.