I was amazed to discover the reading for October 15 in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order was a paraphrase and reprise of the silent period between the Old and New Testaments. There is no scripture per se in this day's reading.
Therefore, I went to the final book of the Old Testament, Malachi.
I love these opening verses. The are the basis of one of my favorite passages in Handel's Messiah Oratorio. "Who can endure the day of His coming and who can stand when He appears. He is like a refiner's fire and a fuller's soap."
Whatever implications scholars see here, I see a foreshadowing of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. The messenger prepares the way and the Lord appears out of nowhere.
And it is the blood of Christ that allows us to stand in His righteousness before the Father. So He has purified us with His blood.
The curtain is drawn, and we experience a four hundred year silence between this promise and the coming of the Messiah. For the nation of Israel, it was a dark night of silence and exile.
Father, God,
When the darkness comes and the night seems long, remind us of Your promises and Your faithful watch over our lives. Teach us to trust in the dark that day will dawn again.
In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.
Amen.
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