John Calvin Commentary Malachi 4:6

"And 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 4:6 (ASV)

This verse may be viewed as containing a simple promise, but I prefer to regard it as including what is between an exhortation and a promise. The first thing is that God reminds the Jews for what purpose he would send John: namely, to turn the hearts of men and to restore them to a holy unity of faith. It must therefore be noted that not only would the Redeemer come, but that after some intermission had occurred, as has been said, the doctrine of salvation would again run its course and would begin with John.

Yet the Prophet seems here to concede to men more than what is right, for the turning of the heart is God’s distinctive work; indeed, it is more distinctively his than his other works. And if no one can change a hair on the head of his brother, how can he renew his heart, so as to make him a new man?

At the same time, it is of greater importance to be regenerated than to be created and merely to be made inhabitants of this world. John then seems to be too highly extolled here when the turning of the heart is ascribed to him. This difficulty can be easily resolved: when God speaks so highly of his ministers, the power of his Spirit is not excluded. He shows how great the power of truth is when he works through it by the secret influence of his Spirit.

God sometimes connects himself with his servants, and sometimes separates himself from them. When he connects himself with them, he transfers to them what never ceases to dwell in him, for he never resigns his own office to them but only makes them partakers of it. And this is the meaning of such expressions as these:

“Whose sins you remit, they are remitted: whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven” (John 20:23);

or when Paul says that he had begotten the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 2:15), he did not claim for himself what he knew belonged only to God, but rather extolled the favor of God as manifested in his ministry, according to what he declares in another place:

“Not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

But when God separates himself from his ministers, nothing remains in them: “He who plants is nothing,” says Paul in another place,

“And he who waters is nothing, but God who gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

When, then, is it that teachers are co-workers with God? It is when God, ruling them by his Spirit, at the same time blesses their labor, so that it bears its fruit.

So we now see that this way of speaking detracts nothing from God, that is, when the minister is said to turn the hearts of men; for as he implants nothing by his own influence, so God supplies what is necessary for him to fulfill his office.

By saying that he would turn the hearts of fathers to sons and of sons to fathers, he points out not a simple union or agreement, for men often unite, and yet God condemns and hates their union; but the Prophet here has in view the origin of the people, namely, Abraham and other holy patriarchs. Had he spoken of the Egyptians or the Assyrians, or some other nations, this turning would not have been so wonderful. But when he speaks of the holy and chosen race, it is no wonder that he mentions it as an instance of the ineffable kindness of God, that they were all to be gathered and restored from discord to unity, so as to become united in one faith.

Since their mutual agreement is the subject, we must come to the source; for Malachi takes it for granted that there was formerly true religion in that people, that the true worship of God prevailed among them, and that they were bound together by a sacred bond; but since, in the course of time, various notions arose among them, indeed, monstrous follies, and since sincerity had become entirely corrupted, he now calls them back to their original condition, so that sons might unite in belief with their fathers, and fathers also with their sons, and become one in that faith which had been delivered in the law.

If anyone were to object and say that it was not reasonable for fathers to join themselves to their apostate sons, as this would be to approve of their defection, I answer that there have been some converted young men who have shown the right way to their fathers and have carried light before them. We indeed know that old men, as they are morose, not only reject what they hear from the young but are made more obstinate because they are ashamed to learn. The Prophet directs that such a dispute be dismissed, so that all might in their heart think only the same thing in the Lord.

Lest I come and smite the land with a curse. Here again the Prophet threatens the Jews, and indeed vehemently. He was constrained, as we have said, by necessity, for the lethargy of that people was very great, and many of them were hardened in their perverseness. This is the reason why God now declares that the Jews would not escape unpunished for despising the coming of Christ.

And we are at the same time reminded how abominable in the sight of God is the ingratitude of not receiving his Son whom he sends to us. If we wish to derive benefit from what the Prophet teaches us, we ought especially to welcome Christ, while he so kindly calls us, indeed, allures us to himself.

But if the sloth of our flesh keeps us back, let even this threat stimulate us. And as we learn that the sin of not embracing Christ when he offers himself to us shall not go unpunished, let us struggle against our tardiness. In any case, let us take heed to kiss the Son, as we are exhorted to do in Psalm 2:12.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as nothing is omitted by you to help us onward in the course of our faith, and as our sloth is such that we hardly advance one step though stimulated by you—O grant, that we may strive to profit more by the various helps which you have provided for us, so that the Law, the Prophets, the voice of John the Baptist, and especially the doctrine of your only-begotten Son, may more fully awaken us, that we may not only hasten to him, but also proceed constantly in our course, and persevere in it until we finally obtain the victory and the crown of our calling, as you have promised an eternal inherence in heaven to all who do not faint but wait for the coming of the great Redeemer.—Amen.