John Calvin Commentary Malachi 4:3

"And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts." — Malachi 4:3 (ASV)

When God promises redemption to His Church, He usually mentions what is of an opposite character—namely, the destruction and ruin of His enemies. He does this on purpose so that envy will not annoy or harass the faithful when they see the ungodly prosperous and happy.

So also in this place, Malachi says that the ungodly would be trodden under foot by the faithful like the dust. He says this so that the elect, while lying prostrate under the feet of their enemies and proudly trampled upon by them, would not succumb to their troubles. Instead, they were to look for what the Prophet declares here, for they were not only to be raised up by the hand of God but were also to be superior to their enemies and enabled, in their turn, to suppress their pride. In short, he means that they were to be raised above all the height of the world.

At the same time, God does not allow His children to cruelly seek vengeance, for He would have them be endowed with meekness, so that they do not cease to do good to the wicked and to pray for them, even though they may have been unjustly treated by them.

But, as I have already said, He meant here to counteract an evil which is natural to us all, for we are apt to despond when our enemies exult over us and rage against us. Therefore, so that their temporary success and prosperity will not deject our minds, God brings a remedy and strengthens our patience by this consideration: that the state of things will shortly be changed, so that we will triumph over the ungodly, who thought us to have been ruined a hundred times. God will indeed visit them with extreme shame, because they not only foolishly boast of their unjust deeds but also raise up their horns against Him.

Let us proceed. He says, In the day in which I make. He again restrains their desires, so that they might not look forward with too much haste, but wait for the day appointed by the Lord.

We indeed know how great is the insistence of people regarding their wishes, and how ardently they seek their fulfillment unless God checks them. Whenever, then, we speak of the destruction of our enemies, let us remember that we ought to regard the day of the Lord, in which He purposes to execute His judgment. Some, as I have said, offer a different interpretation, but the one I have given is the most probable and is also more generally approved.