MALACHI 4:3

“‘And you will crush the wicked underfoot, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am preparing,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but the instant image I got when I read this verse was someone crushing a lit cigarette with their food on the ground. You’ve probably seen someone do it, too. That lit cigarette is smothered and crushed by the bottom of their shoe. Usually there’s some rubbing also to make sure the fire is out. I know – not a very biblical example, but you get the picture.

The Lord is not crushing cigarettes, but He does say the wicked will be crushed that way by His followers. He will give them the strength and power to smother out the fire of the wicked. They will lose all their strength. “On the day I am preparing” is an unknown day. We can rest, however, in the fact that He is preparing it, so it will be right on time.

APPLICATION

Psalm 68:21 says, “Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.” We have that promise. Just like He promised the children of Israel to crush the wicked, He will crush our enemies today. In Luke 10:19 we are told when Jesus was talking to the seventy-two disciples He had sent out, “‘Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.’”

Now, this is an important point – you have no power to do this on your own. The power, the authority, all comes from Him. He is the one crushing them, not you. So, if we have that power through Him, why do we fear? We have no reason to. He is our strength. It is His heel that crushes them.

The whole time Jesus was on earth Satan was trying to find a way to bring Him down. He even used one of Jesus’ disciples (Judas Iscariot). The devil thought he had won when Jesus was crucified and buried, but his head was crushed by the heel of the Savior on Resurrection Morning. Jesus is just as triumphant today. Trust Him.

O Lord, my God, I praise You for crushing the wicked and my enemies. I have nothing to fear with You so near.

P.S. For my frequent followers, I will be taking a short break when we finish Malachi in three days. I will pick back up on January 1. Pray that the Lord shows me where to go to next in our daily study.