Malachi 2
COMMENTARY:
: 5 MY covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before MY name. (1285 “covenant” [bariyth] means league, confederacy, alliance, pledge, treaty, contract, or contractual arrangement between God and a person.)
DEVOTION: God made a covenant with Aaron and the Levites. They were HIS personal possession. They were HIS representatives to the rest of the tribes of Israel.
They were HIS inheritance and they were HIS. They were not given land like the rest of the tribes because their income was to come from the tithes and offerings of the people.
They had a special responsibility to teach the people who to worship and obey the LORD.
They were to have a reverent fear of the LORD. They were to manifest this fear or reverence before the people. The people were to learn from their example. The LORD put
them up as HIS representative to the rest of the world as the only HOLY people who could properly teach the truths of HIS Word.
When they taught properly and the people listened there was going to be peace in Israel.
There was also going to be longer life for those who listened to HIS Word. That promise is restated in the New Testament. We are to fear the LORD and if we do we will be blessed of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Do we still need life and peace today? It all begins with the fear of the LORD!
: 7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. (1847 “knowledge” [da’ath] means perception, learn to know, find out and discern, be acquainted with, skill, discernment, understanding , or wisdom.)
DEVOTION: These first two chapters of Malachi’s message are directed toward the priests in the Temple. The starting age of the ministry of a priest was thirty years. He was a student until that time. After this time he served when it was his turn.
Malachi was informing the priests that their lips were supposed to be ones that had wisdom, discernment and skill. The priesthood had to be a lifetime of learning the commands of the LORD. He had to read the Law of the LORD on a regular basis. He had to know the history of the relationship of the people with the LORD. It was a serious responsibility. Remember that the two sons of Levi offered strange fire and were killed immediately.
The LORD took the responsibility of the priesthood seriously. HE wanted them to know that they were a special group of people. They were made up of only one tribe: Levi. The LORD was their inheritance. They were given refuse cities. Their pay was the tithes and offerings of the people. When the people followed the Law and honored the LORD the priests were will paid. When the people didn’t honor the LORD they were not so well paid.
Here we find that the priests were not living by the Law of the LORD. They were marrying outside their tribe. They were marrying foreign women who worshiped foreign gods. Some of them were unfaithful to their wives. Some of them were giving their wives a certificate of divorcement which the LORD hated. They were not giving the people a good example to follow.
Leadership has great responsibility. Leaders are sinners. The LORD knows this. But leaders are not to live in sin and let the people follow their example. The children of Israel were looking at God’s messengers and seeing the commit these sins and the LORD seemed to be letting them. The priests even thought that the LORD didn’t mind their sins.
However, Malachi tells them what the LORD thinks of their actions. He informs them that their lips are to be teaching the people what the LORD tells them through HIS Word. They are to be students of the Law. They are to be in right relationship with HIM and set the example for the people. The people are to come to the priests with questions and they are to give God’s answers to those questions through their study of the Law. The priests had forgotten that they were the messengers of the LORD. For their actions they were going to be judged by the LORD. They were not giving GLORY to the LORD with their actions.
This message is true today. Those who are called to be leaders in the church need to be students of the Word of God. Our example should be one that sets people to studying and living the Word of God in their lives. Does that mean that leaders never sin? NO!!! They are sinners like everyone else in the church. They are ones who should keep short accounts with the LORD. They are ones who shouldn’t think they are better than the rest of the people in their church. They are to be servants. All of the people should be able to come to them for answers. If they don’t know the answers, they should find someone who has studied more than them and find out the answers. The answers should always be BIBLICAL. Not based on feeling or tradition but based on the Word of God. Are the present leaders of the church giving Biblical answers to today’s problems here in America? Or are the leaders leading people away from the Word of God to politically correct answers to their questions. If leaders are more concerned with being politically correct than Biblically correct they will receive the great judgment either now or when they stand before the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Never stop being a student of the Word of God!!!
: 16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, said that he hates putting away: for one covers violence with his garment, says the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. (7971 “putting away” [shalach] means send away empty handed, send out, dismiss, give over, cast out, divorce, release, or get rid of.)
DEVOTION: God had established a special relationship to the children of Israel. HE called Israel HIS bride. HE wanted Israel to be faithful to HIM. HE gave them rules to follow in the wilderness. HE blessed them with a Promised Land full of milk and honey. HE fought for them.
The problem was that they were not faithful to HIM when HE provided so much to them. They took HIS riches and gave it to false gods that were worshiped in the Promised Land and that they brought from Egypt. They knew they were blessed but they wanted to see a false god that was made with hands rather than a God they didn’t see.
Marriage was the type of relationship HE had established to last from the time HE called them until they went out of existence. That didn’t happen. HE told them that HE was going to divorce them for their unfaithfulness. HE also states here that HE hates divorce. HE doesn’t want anyone who is married to divorce their wife. It is doing violence to them. It is also doing violence to the children. Here it is also called treachery.
Today we find that many people are either not marrying or having children or they are having children and then divorcing their wife for another woman even some for a man. It is wrong in God’s eyes. HE looks at it as adultery for someone who is married to marry another.
God’s plan for HIS people is that once a man and woman marry it should last a lifetime. As a believer we should be able to forgive our spouse and work at the marriage.
The only reason God gave a writing of divorcement was because of hardness of heart. Christians should not have hardness of heart. Churches should be on the front line to help anyone who is struggling in their marriage. Pastors and Bible teachers should be teaching married couples how to forgive and live together. There might need to be times of separation but God wants marriages to last a lifetime.
The only one who wins in a divorce is the lawyer. The ones who lose the most are the children of divorce. It is necessary for couples to fight selfishness and laziness in their marriage. Marriage is W.O.R.K.
CHALLENGE: Understand God’s ideal for marriage and W.O.R.K. at your marriage with all your body, soul and spirit. Give your children an example they can follow.
: 17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, Wherein have we wearied HIM? When you say, Every one that does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and HE delights in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? (3021 “wearied” [yaga] means to labor, struggle, strive, make to toil, to be fatigued, or to be exhausted.)
DEVOTION: God listens to every word that comes out of our mouth. HE hears what we say every day. HIS desire is to hear words of truth coming out of our mouth. HE doesn’t want to hear evil words. HE knows that our tongue can be a deadly poison. HE knows that those who are not followers of HIM say words that HE doesn’t like on a regular basis.
Here the LORD is speaking to HIS people through the prophet. Malachi is saying that the LORD is weary of hearing nice words coming from the mouths of HIS people but they are not living a life that is pleasing in HIS sight.
They are saying what they think HE wants to hear but acting completely different from HIS plan for their life. They are marrying unsaved individuals and thinking it is good in HIS sight. They are saying that those who are doing evil in the LORD’S sight are doing good. They are calling evil good. The opposite is what is happening they are calling good evil.
Our words mean something to the LORD. HE wants to hear us saying things that are pleasing in HIS hearing. HE wants all to remember that HE is a God of justice.
When people call evil good HE will judge those people. Today we fall into this category in many mouths of those who say that they love the LORD but say and teach things that are opposite to what HE says in the Word of God.
CHALLENGE: God is weary with many who say things but disobey HIS commands.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Priestsverses 1, 7
Solemn feastsverse 3
Priest’s lips should keep knowledgeverse 7
Offeringverses 12, 13
Altar of the LORDverse 13
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentverses 1, 4
Law of truthverse 6
Lawverses 7, 8
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 2, 4, 7, 8, 11-14, 16, 17
LORD of hostsverses 2, 4, 7, 8, 12, 16
Corrupt seedverse 3
Covenant of life and peaceverses 4, 5, 8, 10
I have made priests contemptable and base before all the peopleverse 9
Creatorverse 10
Holiness of the LORDverse 11
Witnessverse 14
Hates putting awayverse 16
Sight of the LORDverse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)verses 10, 16, 17
Creatorverse 10
God of Israelverse 16
God of judgmentverse 17
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Will not hearverse 2
Not laid commandments to heartverse 2
Nor give glory to God’s nameverse 2
Curseverse 2
Iniquity verse 6
Departing out of the Wayverses 8, 9
Stumbleverse 8
Corrupted covenant of Leviverse 8
Contemptibleverse 9
Baseverse 9
Not kept God’s waysverse 9
Partial in the Lawverse 9
Deal treacherouslyverses 10, 11, 14-16
Profane the covenantverse 10
Abominationverse 11
Profaned the holiness of the LORDverse 11
Married daughters of strange godsverse 11
Strange godverse 11
Dealing treacherously with wife of youthverses 14-16
Hateverse 16
Putting away of wifeverse 16
Wearied the LORD with your wordsverse 17
Evil is goodverse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Give glory to God’s nameverse 2
Blessingverse 2
Covenantverses 4, 5, 8, 10, 14
Covenant of life and peaceverse 5
Fear of the LORDverse 5
Law of truth was to be taughtverse 6
Walk with peace and equityverse 6
Turn many away from sinverse 6
Knowledgeverse 7
Seek law of God taught by priestverse 7
Messengerverse 7
Wife of covenantverse 14
Godly seedverse 15
Take heed to spiritverses 15, 16
Let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youthverse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Priestsverse 1
Leviverses 4, 8
Should seek the law from mouth of priestverse 7
Priest is a messenger of the LORD of hostsverse 7
One fatherverse 10
Judah has dealt treacherouslyverse 11
Israelverses 11, 16
Jerusalemverse 11
Master verse 12
Scholarverse 12
Tabernacles of Jacobverse 12
Wife of your covenantverse 14
Godly seedverse 15
Spiritverse 16
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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