父子的心轉向彼此 Turning Hearts Back—Fathers and Children

Cathy Chen, 10/8/2025

父親的心轉向兒女，兒女的心轉向父親（瑪拉基書4:6）百姓故態復萌

《瑪拉基書》是舊約的最後一卷書，寫作時間約在主前430年，相當於中國的戰國時代初期，與《尼希米記》同一時期。若將時間軸往前推：主前586年聖殿被巴比倫毀滅，百姓被擄。七十年後（主前516年），被擄歸回的以色列人在先知哈該和撒迦利亞的鼓勵下，終於完成了聖殿重建。

當百姓回到耶路撒冷，再次能在象徵神同在的殿中敬拜，一切如此美好，生活似乎重回正軌。然而，隨著農作物欠收，社會没有變得更好，生活在灰黯中不到一個世紀（約86年）之後，百姓的信仰再度腐化，陷入宗教的形式主義。他們在屬靈上冷漠，行為上敗壞，於是神藉瑪拉基責備他們：「我曾愛你們。」你們卻說：「你在何事上愛我們呢？」（瑪1:2）

本書記載神與人的六次辯論，從這六次內容來看，當時社會從祭司到百姓，他們不但懷疑神的愛，也藐視祂的名（瑪1:6），扭曲神的形象（瑪2:17；3:13-15），污穢祭壇（瑪1:7-14），與外邦通婚、不自潔（瑪2:11），惡待配偶、破壞婚約（瑪2:14-15），並在奉獻上欺騙神（瑪3:8-9）。他們行邪術、犯姦淫、起假誓、欠工價、欺壓孤兒寡婦、屈枉寄居者（瑪3:5）。

這些罪行都不是新鮮事，歷史記錄著神曾藉摩西、撒母耳、阿摩司、何西阿、彌迦、以賽亞、哈巴谷、撒迦利亞、以斯拉與尼希米等先知與領袖，一次又一次，一代又一代地疾呼他們悔改，百姓依然故我。

神在黑暗中仍賜下希望

即使人們悖逆，神仍然透過先知向敬畏祂的人應許公義與醫治將會臨到：

「必有公義的日頭出現，其光線有醫治之態」（4:2）。並預告：

「在耶和華大而可畏的日子未到以前，我必差遣先知以利亞到你們那裡去。他必使父親的心轉向兒女，兒女的心轉向父親。」（瑪4:5-6）

這是舊約聖經裡最後一句預言，後來在新約中應驗於施洗約翰的事工（路加福音1:16-17）。自此，舊約聖經結束，以色列歷史經歷了約400年的先知沉默期。整整四個世紀，神不再藉先知發聲，直到耶穌基督的到來。

祈禱

主啊，翻開舊約第一卷書《創世紀》，開篇滿是祢創造的美好：光、空氣、海洋、地面、星辰、飛鳥、走獸、男人、女人與安息日，祢看著一切所造的都甚好。然而因著人的悖逆，罪進入世界，神與人，人與人親密的關係破裂。人們雖然從此失去與神的同在，但祢並沒有徹底丟棄我們。祢對蛇宣告的懲罰，其實已經為人類的救贖埋下伏筆：「女人的後裔要傷你的頭，你要傷他的腳跟。」（創3:15）

如今讀到舊約最後一卷《瑪拉基書》，彷彿又回到創世的開端，人們又墮落了。祢透過先知發出警告的同時，再一次不丟棄他們。最後，祢為救贖自己的孩子再次埋下伏筆「他必使父親的心轉向兒女，兒女的心轉向父親。」在先知的沉默的400年間，人們聽不見神的話，必須學習用信心安靜的信靠仰望。

感謝天父，我活在應許成就的新約時代，不再被定罪，因為主耶穌在十字架上已成就了救恩。我得以悔改、得釋放與自由都是白白而來的恩典。祢的心已經轉向我，我的心也轉向祢，帕子除去使我得以敞著臉看見祢的榮光（林後3:16-18），享受與真葡萄樹相連的滋味，連軟弱中也有聖靈親自用說不出來的嘆息為我代求（羅8:26）。這是何等大的福份！

主啊，願更多人經歷父親與兒女的心轉向彼此，從家開始，到教會、到萬國萬邦。願「從日出之地到日落之處，祢的名在外邦中被尊為大」（瑪1:11）。求祢使用我們，教我們如何敬拜，如何事奉，甘心樂意獻上最好的祭。奉主耶穌基督的名禱告，阿們。

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Devotional – Malachi

By Cathy Chen, 10/8/2025

“He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”

— Malachi 4:6

The People’s Old Habits Return

The Book of Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, written around 430 B.C., roughly during the early Warring States period in China and contemporaneous with the Book of Nehemiah. Looking back in time: in 586 B.C. the Temple was destroyed by Babylon, and the people were taken into exile. Seventy years later (516 B.C.), the Israelites who returned from exile, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, finally completed the rebuilding of the Temple.

When the people returned to Jerusalem and could once again worship in the Temple—symbolizing God’s presence—everything seemed to be restored to order. Life appeared to be back on track. However, as crops failed and society did not improve, things darkened again. Less than a century later (about 86 years), the people’s faith had once more decayed into religious formalism. Spiritually indifferent and morally corrupt, they provoked God to rebuke them through Malachi:

“I have loved you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask, ‘How have You loved us?’” (Malachi 1:2)

The book records six disputes between God and His people. From these exchanges, we see that both priests and people had gone astray. They doubted God’s love and despised His name (1:6), distorted His character (2:17; 3:13–15), defiled the altar (1:7–14), intermarried with pagans and defiled themselves (2:11), mistreated their spouses and broke their marriage covenants (2:14–15), and even robbed God in offerings (3:8–9). They practiced sorcery, adultery, perjury, and withheld wages, oppressing widows, orphans, and foreigners (3:5).

These sins were nothing new. History shows that God had repeatedly sent prophets and leaders—Moses, Samuel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Zechariah, Ezra, and Nehemiah—to call the people to repentance generation after generation, yet they continually reverted to their old ways.

God Gives Hope in the Darkness

Even in the people’s rebellion, God extended hope to those who feared Him, promising that righteousness and healing would come:

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.” (Malachi 4:2)

And He foretold:

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” (Malachi 4:5–6)

This is the final prophecy of the Old Testament, later fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist (Luke 1:16–17). After this, the Old Testament closes, and Israel enters a period of about 400 years of prophetic silence—four centuries during which God no longer spoke through prophets, until the arrival of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord, when I open the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis, the opening pages are filled with Your goodness—light, air, sea, land, stars, birds, animals, man, woman, and the Sabbath. You saw all that You had made, and it was very good. Yet through human disobedience, sin entered the world, breaking the intimate relationship between God and man, and between people themselves. Although humanity lost Your immediate presence, You never abandoned us completely. Even in Your judgment upon the serpent, You had already planted the seed of redemption:

“The offspring of the woman will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Now, reading the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, it feels as though history has come full circle—people have fallen again. Yet even as You warned them through the prophet, You did not abandon them. Once more, You left a promise of redemption:

“He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”

During those 400 silent years, when no prophetic voice was heard, people had to learn to trust and wait in faith.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, that I live in the age of fulfilled promises—the New Covenant—where there is no more condemnation, for Jesus Christ has accomplished salvation on the cross. My repentance, freedom, and deliverance are all gifts of grace. Your heart has already turned toward me, and my heart has turned toward You. The veil is removed so that I may behold Your glory with unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:16–18), abiding in the true vine and tasting its sweetness. Even in weakness, the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for me with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). What a tremendous blessing!

Lord, may more hearts—fathers and children—be turned toward one another, beginning in families, extending to the church, and to all nations.

“From the rising of the sun to its setting, My name will be great among the nations.” (Malachi 1:11)

Use us, Lord. Teach us how to worship and serve You, and to offer our best sacrifices with willing hearts.

In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, Amen.