The Book of Malachi: "he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers..."

The Old Testament's grand finale

This video gives a good overview of Malachi, but does not address its amazing final sentence.

The last section of Malachi, chapter 4, is about the last days: ² you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow fat like calves of the stall. ³And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.”

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.

Thus ends the Old Testament. I’ve never heard anyone interpret this verse, but here’s my reading of it.

Whether people are ready to hear it or not, this verse is about men healing from compartmentalizing, and finally allowing themselves to be caring and sensitive enough to acknowledge all of their children. It’s time to live life from the inside out.

When I was small, I recall watching a TV news magazine show that showed footage of abandoned children living in the streets in Vietnam that were clearly half white or half black and half Vietnamese — the children of American soldiers— rejected and left behind.

Later, some fathers were able to bring their families to the US, like the man in the video below, but many more may not even know whether they have children abroad. Many of us no doubt have brothers, sisters or cousins we don’t know about. It has ever been thus.

I am reminded of a scene in “The Kite Runner” (2007) in which the main character, after rescuing his deceased half-brother’s illegitimate son from an orphanage in Afghanistan, quite an adventure in itself, refuses to be ashamed of the circumstances of the boy’s birth when confronted by small-minded would-be gossips. He simply smiles triumphantly, so grateful to have found the boy and be able to adopt him as his own.

What many people (including some pastors) don’t realize is that the standard of the New Covenant of no longer having to follow the Law of Moses is actually a much higher standard! Now the standard will be love.

Thanks to genetic testing, many family members are now being discovered. Humanity is finally growing past the shame stage to be able to do the right thing for the next generation. And the next generation will be extremely grateful.

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. —Eleanor Roosevelt.

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