Frolicking in Freedom

<p>A third-generation farmer, Jim was so moved when he read &ldquo;You who revere my name. . . . will go and frolic like well-fed calves&rdquo; (Malachi 4:2) that he prayed to receive Jesus&rsquo; offer of eternal life. Vividly recalling his own calves&rsquo; leaps of excitement after exiting their confined stalls at high speed, Jim finally understood God&rsquo;s promise of true freedom.</p> <p>Jim&rsquo;s daughter told me this story because we&lsquo;d been discussing the imagery in Malachi 4, where the prophet made a distinction between those who revered God&rsquo;s name, or remained faithful to Him, and those who only trusted in themselves (4:1&ndash;2). The prophet was encouraging the Israelites to follow God at a time when so many, including the religious leaders, disregarded God and His standards for faithful living (1:12&ndash;14; 3:5&ndash;9). Malachi called the people to live faithfully because of a coming time when God would make the final distinction between these two groups. In this context, Malachi used the unexpected imagery of a frolicking calf to describe the unspeakable joy that the faithful group will experience when &ldquo;the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays&rdquo; (4:2).</p> <p>Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this promise, bringing the good news that true freedom is available to all people (Luke 4:16&ndash;21). And one day, in God&rsquo;s renewed and restored creation, we&rsquo;ll experience this freedom fully. What indescribable joy it will be to frolic there!</p>