Malachi

Warnings to priests and leaders

Mallachi 2:1-2

God commanded the priest to listen; and not just hear but to take it to heart.  They had been given all they needed to worship and honor God; yet it could all be done with a bad attitude and wrong heart.  It was just empty religion.  Empty religion is easy and so many fall into the trap of drawing comfort from it.  These priests had slowly fell prey to the sinful nature which diverts our eyes from God and His service to us and our service.  Failure to heed this warning and repent, their blessings would be cursed.  The word Malachi used for 'curse' here is rare; its use links the thought of this passage to one of its few other uses, Deuteronomy 28:20.  This passage promises cursing, confusing and rebuke in all they set their hand to when they forsake God.  The word means 'severe affliction'.

 

Malachi 2:3-6

Judgment would fall on these priests, rebuking their descendants.  The intestines, contents and other innards were removed from the sacrifice and taken out of the temple and disposed of.  God told the priest He would rub their faces in excrement and they would be taken out with the rest of the waste and disposed of.  These priests thought they were something special; God showed them they deserved to wear the defilement of excrement and be treated like they were part of it.  This unthinkable disgrace was supposed to shock them out of the funk they were in. 

 

This judgment was to cleanse the office of priests which God held in high regard.  He had made a covenant with Levi and that covenant would continue, but not with these priests.  Levi stood as a symbolic head of the priest.  They were called to this life of service; this was a life of health and vitality and blessing.  It was a life of peace, shalom; a harmonious relationship, no hostilities.  This calling was high and holy and honorable.  Who could feel adequate in such a thing?  This moved the priests of Levi to reverence and fear of God.  God's truth was in their mouth.  Many were turned from iniquity.  This was the Levitical priesthood, far removed from the priesthood of Malachi's day.  The Lord looks back on this Levitical priesthood intended and contrasts it with what it had become. 

 

Malachi 2:7-9

It was expected that the priests be 'keepers of knowledge'; the people seeking instruction in the law would come to them.  They would be purveyors of God's wisdom and ways, speaking truth in to the life of God's children.  The word messenger in verse 7 is the word 'Malak'; the word from which the name Malachi comes.  We can rephrase the sentence: For he(the priest) is the malachi of the Lord of Hosts.

 

Sadly, verse 8 starts with 'but'.  The standard had been left.  The priests had made the priesthood something else.  They had departed from the intended way.

 

God called them to His way; one of wisdom and righteousness.

• God's indictment: They departed from that way.

God called them to be keepers of the law, instructing many, turning them from iniquity (v6).

• God's indictment: They had instructed people in their wicked example, causing people to stumble.

While this message was to the priests of that day, we shouldn't dismiss this as irrelevant to us.  I believe we have an even higher responsibility.  We have a more complete picture of the priesthood and the work of The High Priest Jesus Christ.  Consider 1 Peter 2:9-10:

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.^[1]

This begs the question, what have we done in our royal priesthood?  Have kept the way of the Lord; one of wisdom and righteousness?  Have we been purveyors of His grace & wisdom, instructing in the law of the gospel?  Could the indictments of God be brought against the church today? 

 

The failings of our nation are often blamed on politics, people groups, taking prayer out of school, banning religious displays, etc.  This is an unbelieving culture acting like unbelievers.  Where did they come from?  They are our sons, daughters, neighbors, co-workers.  They are the lives the church was to reach?  As we place blame for a broken nation, we ought first to look at ourselves. 

 

The priests of Malachi's day had corrupted the priesthood

 

"Lifting of the face" in 1:9 was the picture of God accepting the worship and lifting the face of he reverent from the dust.  This is a beautiful picture of grace.  The worshiper is put in the dust by understanding their sinfulness in contrast to the righteousness and holiness of God.  This creates a reverent respect and pleading for forgiveness, for God's provision of mercy and grace in our life.  God would not lift a face that was not bowed, that didn't feel the weight of the law upon them, that was not bowed in worship in spirit and truth. 

 

The same phrase 'lifting of the face' shows up again at the end of verse nine of the second chapter.  The priests had not kept God's ways and had 'lifted the face' in the law.  They were not holding the law in high regard.  In doing so, they kept the law from doing its work.  The law shows us the perfect, holy requirements of God; which brings us to the knowledge of sin, which leads us to repentance and worship and prayer and walking in His ways.  The priests were disrupting this work.

 

When we, as members of the royal priesthood, don't hold God's word in regard and speak of an all-loving, all-forgiving God with disregard of His just nature, we are just as guilty.  When we preach a gospel of asking God into your heart like He is an accessory to your life; after which you take Him on, you can go about your business as you chose and call on Him when you get in trouble, we bring similar indictments on ourselves.   

 

'The way' of the priests was to be God's way.  Their lives were to be conformed into fitting the plans and path as set forth by God.  They once walked that way, but had since parted.  As Christians, we might adjust our language of asking God into our heart to giving our life, our heart, our everything to Him for His service.  As we conform to the royal priesthood, we will be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  As we bow and worship before Him with eyes to see His holiness and our wretchedness, He will lift our face and bless us.  This abiding in Him is walking in His ways.  This is the gospel work of our life and, as priests, we speak that truth into other lives, by word and witness.

 

If all hope of change were lost, God would not speak this truth to them or us.  The prophet is speaking to these people to bring change.  There is blessing and curse, building up and tearing down; God's at work in our life.  Even in our failing, He calls to us, loving us enough to correct and chastise.  For us, this is done that we might be His precious and holy people, a chosen royal priesthood, those who know His mercy.  Boice said this:

That is how God is working with you if you are one of his precious people through faith in the work of Jesus Christ. Do not ever say, as those in Israel said, "How have you loved us?" Instead, confess the greatness of God's love as well as your own paltry love for him, and determine that you will be a mirror of his grace rather than a mirror of the times in which you live.^[2]

 

Malachi 2:10-12

The third dispute is one of infidelity.  Isaiah speaks as one of the people in this passage and he points out God is the Father (by asking the question to bring this in their thinking).  This is the idea that the nation of Israel was the offspring of the life-giving Father.  They were, after all, created by Him and for Him.  If they all were born of the same Father, they were all one family, brothers and sisters in the Lord.  That being the case, why did they treat each other so poorly; taking advantage of the weak and oppressing the brothers?  Their forefathers had made a covenant.  It wasn't just a covenant for those people at that time, it was for the nation across the ages.  Isaiah pointed out that they were profaning that covenant.

 

The looks on marriage as a holy institution.  The profaning of this institution was thought to be their unlawful divorce.  This unlawful act was in the same category as idolatry, witchcraft and adultery.  In addition to this, the nation was profaning marriage by marrying thier ungodly neighbors.  This was a direct violation of God's laws. 

 

Our first response to this might be, "What's the big deal, after all they had bigger problems than this, didn't they?"  Yet, we  know many instances of where intermarriage became a problems:

1. Numbers 25; Israel married the women of Moab and brought the curse of God on them.
2. 1 Kings 16:29-33; Solomon married foreign women who led him astray.
3. 1 Kings 16:29-33; Ahab married Jezebel who ran roughshod over Israel
4. Ezra 9:2; For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their
5. sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands.

For the man who does this, Isaiah calls for him to be cut off.  This is removal from the community and fellowship for the man who plays the part of a Jew, yet is aware of this law against marriage of this kind.  "Awake and aware" is a hard to translate phrase that basically means 'anyone'.  The NIV translates this to 'whoever this may be'. 

 

God's objection to these marriages had nothing to do with race or ethnicity but was protection for them from ungodly influence.  In fact, God had made provisions for the aliens among them.  If they submitted and worshiped God they became a part of Israel (Exod. 12:48; Num. 9:14).  But these marriages with the 'daughter of a foreign god'.  Being born of these other gods mean they bore the likeness and character of these foreign gods.

 

Malachi 2:13-15

The second example of their unfaithfulness is their approach to God.  They came with excessive emotionalism.  This may have been false humility to hide behind a proud heart.  Others believe these emotional outcries were the way the foreign gods were worshiped.  God's people came into His presence and attempted to worship Him in the same manner the false gods were worshiped.  Either way, their heart wasn't right when offering, therefore it was rejected. 

 

The response, which seems to be another dispute that isn't put in the same category as the others, is the same 'how' or 'wherein'.  In this case it may be more of a why; why did God not accept the offering?  Marriage was a covenant of which God was the witness.  A Jewish man leaving his wife and breaking the covenant was like breaking a covenant with God Himself. 

 

Their abomination was divorcing the wife of their youth to marry foreign women.  God has indeed made them one when they were married.  God established this from the beginning (Gen 2:18-25).  God gives the purpose for this; to raise up godly children.  These men needed to check their spirit.  They needed to take heed as directed by God and be respectful and honor the one that they were joined with in covenant. 

 

To 'take heed' was to guard yourself.  Our guard must be in place to watch us, knowing our very nature is one of unfaithfulness and wandering.  We are taking heed against our self and sinful nature; keeping our wandering heart and eyes in check.  This is a disciple being disciplined.

 

Malachi 2:16

Divorce was dealt with by Ezra (10:3) but the covenant did last past that generation.

 Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.  Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it."^[3]

 

Jesus said, "What God has joined together, let no man separate."  This is consistent with the Lord's view of marriage.  He hates divorce.  Covering your garment with violence likens the damage to divorce to that of being covered to blood after murdering someone.  The evidence you are covered with may not be physically seen like blood, but it is just as real.  Divorce covers a life like many kinds of sin. 

 

Then Malachi again tells the people to 'take heed to your spirit'.  As before, this may be seen guarding your spirit or guarding from your spirit.  It seems our human spirit is the source of the problem.  I believe we need the Holy Spirit to guard us from our spirit driven by its sinful nature.  It's the lust of the flesh and the pride of man that leads us to deal treacherously. 

 

Malachi 2:17

The fourth dispute is about the justice of God.  The people question God's justice; They understood blessings for obedience and curses for the disobedient.  However, they saw that sometimes evil people prosper and concluded something wasn't right. 

 

Malachi said they had wearied the Lord with their words.

• The people responded, "In what way have we wearied Him?"

 

They were seeing that evil people prospered instead of experiencing an immediate curse.  They were struggling and as they looked around in their world, they saw wicked people getting along just fine.  In fact, they seemed to be blessed by God.  Yet, those seeking God seemed to be struggling.  They wanted justice for those around them.  They wanted to see God's justice at work in the life of their enemies and the gentiles around them.  Yet, God's justice would go bad for them also. 

 

"Where is the God of justice?" they asked.  It just so happens His coming soon.  But it's not His justice we desire, it's His mercy & grace. 

 

©2018 Doug Ford