Priests to Be Disciplined
1 "Now, O priests, this commandment is for you. 2 If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name," says the Lord of hosts, "then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings [on the people]. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.
God warned the priests that if they did not honor his name, he would punish them. They should have honored his name by performing the sacrifices properly and teaching people the law of Moses. Like these priests, we, too, are called to honor God's name by worshiping him properly. This means acknowledging him as the almighty creator of the universe who alone is perfect and who reaches down to sinful humans with perfect love. We should also carefully teach God's Word to all those under our care. According to this definition, are you honoring God's name?
Who you do not honor, you do not respect, and who you do not respect, you shall not receive from
The priests didn't take God's warning seriously, even though he had given them reminders through his word many times. The priests in Malachi's day had stopped loving God and thus did not know or care what he wanted. How do you make up your mind to follow God? How do you find out what is most important to God? Begin by loving him with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). This means listening to what God says in his Word and then setting your heart, mind, and will on doing what he says. When we love God, his Word becomes a shining light that guides our daily activities. Notice that loving God—and for that matter, loving others—is not first a feeling but an action.
John 14:5 (AMP) "If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.
3 Behold, I am going to rebuke your seed, and I will spread the refuse on your faces, the refuse from the festival offerings; and you will be taken away with it [in disgrace]. 4 Then you will know [without any doubt] that I have sent this [new] commandment to you (priests), that My covenant may continue with Levi [the priestly tribe]," says the Lord of hosts. 5 "My covenant with Levi was [one of] life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he [and the priests] feared Me and stood in reverent awe of My name. 6 True instruction was in Levi's mouth and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from wickedness.
God had made an original agreement (covenant) with the leaders to bring life and peace to the people. The Levites were to be spiritual leaders who "walked with [God]" and "turned many from lives of sin" (2:6). Levi was the ancestor of the tribe of Levites, the tribe set apart for service to God (Numbers 1:47-54). Aaron, a Levite, was the ancestor of the priests (Exodus 28:1). The Levites became God's ministers, first in the Tabernacle, then in the Temple. In these verses, God was admonishing the priests, who were selected from the tribe of Levi, for corrupting the laws he had given to their ancestor Levi and for not following Levi's example.
7 For the lips of the priest should guard and preserve knowledge [of My law], and the people should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But as for you [priests], you have turned from the way and you have caused many to stumble by your instruction [in the law]. You have violated the covenant of Levi," says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi was angry at the priests because, though they were to be God's messengers, they had left God's path. They no longer knew what God expected of them. And this loss of knowledge caused them to lead God's people astray. Their ignorance was willful and inexcusable. Pastors and leaders of God's people must know God's Word—what it says, what it means, and how it applies to daily life. How much time do you spend in God's Word? Even with all the pressures and responsibilities of daily life and work, make learning God's Word a top priority.
9 "So I have also made you despised and abased before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality [to people] in [your administration of] the law."
The priests had allowed influential and favored people to break the law. The priests were so dependent on these people for support that they could not afford to confront them when they did wrong. In your church, do people with money or influence get special treatment? We should have no double standards based on wealth or position. Let your standards be those presented in God's Word. Playing favorites is contemptible in God's sight (see James 2:1-9).
Sin in the Family
10 Do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers [with God]? 11 Judah has been treacherous (disloyal), and an repulsive act has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob to the last man those who do this [evil thing], awake and aware, even the one who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts.
After the Temple had been rebuilt and the walls completed, the people were excited to see past prophecies coming true. But as time passed, the prophecies about the destruction of God's enemies and a coming Messiah were not immediately fulfilled. The people became discouraged, and they grew complacent about obeying all of God's laws. This complacency gradually led to blatant sin, such as marrying those who worshiped idols, which was forbidden in God's law (Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 1 Kings 11:2-3). Ezra and Nehemiah had also confronted this problem years earlier (Ezra 9–10; Nehemiah 13:23-31).
13 This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with [your own] weeping and sighing, because the Lord no longer regards your offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 But you say, "Why [does He reject it]?" Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously. Yet she is your marriage companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your vows].
The people were complaining about their adverse circumstances when they had only themselves to blame. They had been unfaithful, and the prophets had made the consequences for unfaithfulness absolutely clear. People often try to avoid guilty feelings by shifting the blame. But this doesn't solve the problem. When you face problems, look first at yourself. If you changed your attitude or behavior, would the problem be solved?
15 But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.
Divorce in these times was practiced exclusively by men. They were disloyal to their wives and ignored the wedding vows they had made before God, thus corrupting his purpose for them to demonstrate oneness with their wives and raise children who loved God. Not only were these men unfaithful to their wives, but they were also ignoring the fact that marriage was supposed to illustrate the nature of their faithful union with God.
16 "For I hate divorce," says the Lord, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong and violence," says the Lord of hosts. "Therefore keep watch on your spirit, so that you do not deal treacherously [with your wife]."
In this third message, Malachi pointed out that the people were being unfaithful to God in their marriages. Though not openly saying they rejected God, they were living as if he did not exist. Men were marrying pagan women who worshiped idols, and they were commonly divorcing their wives for no reason other than a desire for change. People were acting as if they could get away with anything without being punished. And then they wondered why God refused to accept their offerings and bless them! We cannot successfully compartmentalize our dealings with God from the rest of our lives. For those who are married, honoring the marriage vows is an essential part of honoring God. He must be Lord of all.
"Guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth" means to have the same commitment to your marriage that God has to his promises to his people. Passion is needed in marriages to keep the commitment and intimacy satisfying, but this passion should be focused exclusively on one's own spouse. Guard your heart—avoid temptations of all kinds, including visual, emotional, and physical. Stay away from compromising situations and pornography. Avoid relationships with members of the opposite sex in which you are continually tempted to violate your marriage commitment or sexual purity. (For more on guarding your heart, see Proverbs 4:23-27; 5:1-8; and 7:6-23.)
17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, "In what way have we wearied Him?" In that you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them," or [by asking], "Where is the God of justice?"
Here the people argued that God had neglected them. In fact, it was the other way around. The people were neglecting God and then had the audacity to say that he was approving of their sinful lifestyles, or at the least excusing them. God was making it clear that he was tired of the way the people had cynically twisted his truths. He would send his messenger to set things right. God would also punish those who professed a counterfeit faith while acting sinfully.