I Dey Send My Messenger

Before day break, di sky dark like grey. Then one thin line of gold show for di edge of di sky. Sun dey come. And di last prophet of di Old Testament talk say: na wetin God wan do be dat.

E fit be like one hundred years after di exiles come back home. Dem don rebuild di temple. Dem don begin offer sacrifice again. But something don dey spoil. Priests dey bring blind and sick animals come di altar, like say God no go notice. People dey break di promise wey dem make for marriage. Dem dey cheat workers for dia salary, dem dey hold back di gifts wey dem suppose give God. And dem dey complain: where di God of justice dey? Inside dis world wey don tire and no believe again, one prophet wey dem dey call Malachi show face. Im name for Hebrew mean, my messenger.

Malachi book be like argument between God and im people. God talk say, I don love una. Dem answer, how you take love us? God talk say, una don despise my name. Dem talk say, how we take despise am? Again and again, dem dey do like say dem no know anything. Then God answer dia question about justice with promise. Look, I go send my messenger, and e go prepare di way for my front; and di Lord wey una dey find go suddenly come im temple. Una wan know where God dey? E dey come. And before e come, e go send somebody go ahead to prepare di road, di way servants dey go ahead of king.

But Malachi ask one question wey go make person think well. Who fit stand di day wey e go come? Who fit stand when e show? Because e be like di fire wey dey refine metal, and like di strong soap wey people wey dey wash cloth dey use. Imagine one metal worker wey siddon near hot furnace, dey watch silver as e dey melt, dey remove everything wey dey spoil am. Na so di Lord go purify di priests, Malachi talk, until dem go bring offering with righteousness. Then di offering of Judah and Jerusalem go sweet di Lord like for di days of old. God coming na good news, but no be news wey dey comfortable. E dey come make im people clean.

For di last chapter, Malachi talk about one day wey go burn like oven for di proud people. But for di people wey honour God name, picture different. For una wey fear my name, di Sun of righteousness go rise with healing for im wings. Una go comot, e talk, una go jump like small cow wey dem release from im pen. And then di very last words of di prophets. Remember di law of Moses. And look: I go send Elijah di prophet give una before dat great day come. E go turn di heart of di fathers to di children, and di heart of di children to dia fathers. Then di prophets keep quiet. And di people dey wait.

Hundreds of years after, one angel stand for di temple and talk to one old priest wey dem dey call Zechariah about di son wey e go get. Di angel talk say dis pikin go go before di Lord with di spirit and power of Elijah, to turn di heart of di fathers to di children. Na almost exactly Malachi last words be dat. Di Gospel of Mark start by quoting Malachi promise of messenger, and Jesus imself talk say John di Baptist na di messenger wey Malachi write about.

You go find dis promises for Malachi chapter three, verse one reach four, and chapter four, verse two reach six. Di messenger come, and then di Lord imself, like sun wey dey rise after long night. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. If God dey prepare way to enter your life, wetin e fit wan clear comot to make di road ready?