Single lesson
Malachi 4: The Day of the LORD
Malachi 4:1–6
Malachi 4:1-6 speaks about the coming day of Yahweh with both warning and hope. It contrasts the end of the proud and wicked with the future of those who fear God’s name, then closes with commands and a warning.
Before you teach
In these verses, Yahweh of Armies announces a coming day, describes judgement on the wicked, promises healing and joy to those who fear his name, tells Israel to remember the law given through Moses at Horeb, and says Elijah the prophet will come before that great and terrible day.
Explain the central teaching of Malachi 4: The Day of the LORD, using two details from the reading. This passage presents the day of Yahweh as a time of judgement, healing, remembrance of God’s law, and a call for hearts to be turned rightly.
Welcome: Malachi 4: The Day of the LORD
5 minIntroduce “The Day of the LORD” and locate Malachi 4:1–6. This passage presents the day of Yahweh as a time of judgement, healing, remembrance of God’s law, and a call for hearts to be turned rightly. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
Malachi 4:1, Malachi 4:4, Malachi 4:6
Read and explain the passage
12 minThe passage opens with a strong picture of judgement. The coming day is “burning like a furnace”, and the proud and those who work wickedness are compared to stubble. The image shows complete removal, because the fire will leave “neither root nor branch”. Yahweh of Armies himself declares it.
The next command is to remember “the law of Moses my servant”. The text links this law to Horeb and says it was commanded for all Israel, including statutes and ordinances. Alongside the warning and promise in this passage, God’s people are told to remember what he has already commanded.
Before the great and terrible day of Yahweh, God says he will send “Elijah the prophet”. His work is described as turning the hearts of fathers to children and children to fathers. The warning is serious, because the passage ends with the possibility of the earth being struck with a curse.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “The Day of the LORD”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
Malachi 4:1, Malachi 4:4, Malachi 4:5, Malachi 4:6
Discuss the details and their meaning
8 minUse the three questions below. Begin with “What different outcomes does this passage describe for the wicked and for those who fear God’s name?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. This passage presents the day of Yahweh as a time of judgement, healing, remembrance of God’s law, and a call for hearts to be turned rightly. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
Malachi 4:1, Malachi 4:2, Malachi 4:3, Malachi 4:4, Malachi 4:5, Malachi 4:6
Make and respond: Vision and message evidence map
12 minWork on “Malachi 4: The Day of the LORD: Vision and message evidence map”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “The Day of the LORD” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
Malachi 4:1, Malachi 4:4, Malachi 4:6
Closing: return to The Day of the LORD
3 minRevisit Malachi 4:1–6. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about The Day of the LORD and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
Malachi 4:1, Malachi 4:4, Malachi 4:6
Questions to explore
What different outcomes does this passage describe for the wicked and for those who fear God’s name?
Compare the burning furnace and ashes with the rising sun, healing, and leaping calves to trace the contrast in these verses.
Malachi 4:1, Malachi 4:2, Malachi 4:3
How does Malachi 4:4 sit within the warning and promise around it?
Notice that the command to remember Moses’ law stands between the promise for those who fear God’s name and the warning about the coming day and curse.
Malachi 4:2, Malachi 4:4, Malachi 4:5, Malachi 4:6
How is Elijah’s role described before the day of Yahweh?
Focus on the action named in the text: turning hearts within families, and the warning attached to that turning.
Malachi 4:5, Malachi 4:6
Make, think or respond
Malachi 4: The Day of the LORD: Vision and message evidence map
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- a Bible or the source reading on this page
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “What the passage describes”, “What is explained in the text”, “What question remains”.
- Read Malachi 4:1–6. Use “The Day of the LORD” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Compare your notes with a partner. Check that every quotation is accurate and every conclusion has support in the passage.
- Circle an explanation the passage itself provides. Leave unexplained details as questions for further reading.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Malachi 4: The Day of the LORD connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For learners who need more support, prepare the reading headings “The Day of the LORD” and let them match short quotations to the correct heading.
- For confident readers, compare two sections of Malachi 4:1–6. Ask for a written explanation with two supporting references and one question that the text leaves open.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read Malachi 4:1–6. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Malachi 4
1 “For behold, the day comes, burning like a furnace, when all the proud and all who work wickedness will be stubble. The day that comes will burn them up,” says Yahweh of Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out and leap like calves of the stall.
3 You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make,” says Yahweh of Armies.
4 “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.