CHAPTER 2

(397 B.C.)

GOD REBUKES HIS PRIESTS, WARNS THEM OF JUDGMENT

¹And now, O you Priests, this Commandment is for you. (This reveals a pointed direction by the Holy Spirit and leaves absolutely no doubt as to who or what is intended. The first nine Verses of this Chapter form a special Message to the Priests; the remaining Verses, a special Message to the people. It is also a Commandment and not a suggestion!)

²If you will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto My Name, says the LORD of Hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your Blessings: yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart. (If you will not hear, concerns the free moral agency of man. They can hear or refuse to hear! And if you will not lay it to heart, speaks of the manner in which man responds to the Lord. It is not merely to be an intellectual response, but rather a heart response!

I will even send a curse upon you, pertains to a blight upon all the efforts of the people. The phrase, And I will curse your Blessings, actually means to stop the Blessings, and has to do with the first fourteen verses of Deut., Chpt. 28. In these verses, Blessing after Blessing is intoned; however, in Verses 15 through 68 of the same Chapter, curses are listed, which in the event of disobedience, will cancel out the Blessings; therefore, the Blessings were cursed because of sin!

The last phrase proclaims the fact that the curse had already begun to work with these Israelites.)

³Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. (The idea of this Verse is: if they considered anything good enough for God, then anything was good enough for them. In effect, because they offered to Him in Sacrifice the torn, lame, and sick, the Lord is saying they have offered no more than dung. I wonder how the Lord looks at our offerings presently?)

⁴And you shall know that I have sent this Commandment unto you, that My Covenant might be with Levi, says the LORD of Hosts. (The first phrase proclaims the fact that the Lords threats are not being made in vain. In other words, God says what He means, and means what He says! The last phrase presents the Lord as saying that He desired to have a body of Priests who would keep their vows and maintain the true Priestly character.)

⁵My 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. (My Covenant was with him of life and peace, refers to that which God promised to these Levites, which pertained to the Blessings of life, abundance, prosperity, and also the privilege of serving as a Type of Christ, which, within itself, brought untold Blessings.

The Lord is referring to the Blessing pronounced on Phinehas for his conduct in the matter of Zimri [Num. 25:12-13]. That day, because of the faith of Phinehas, the Tribe of Levi won the Priesthood; a Covenant went with it, which conferred certain privileges and also involved certain duties.

And I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, simply means: I gave him the fear of Me. This expresses mans part in the Covenant. In other words, the Blessings would come on the condition that he feared, reverenced, worshipped, and obeyed the Lord.

And was afraid before My Name, means that Phinehas, with whom this original Covenant was made, and who was the High Priest of the Tribe of Levi, faithfully kept the Covenant before the Lord [Ex. 32:26-29; Num. 25:10-13]. Phinehas lived about a thousand years before, but is still used as an example.)

⁶The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. (The life and service of Phinehas, which all Priests who followed were to emulate, turned many to God, which is always to be the case, and proves that competent Spiritual leadership brings about the same in the people, i.e., truth, peace, and equity.)

⁷For the Priests lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the Messenger of the LORD of Hosts. (Priests were to know the Word of God, should give that Word to the people, and do so in undiluted form, serving actually as the Messenger of the LORD of Hosts.)

⁸But you are departed out of the way; you have caused many to stumble at the Law; you have corrupted the Covenant of Levi, sa ys the LORD of Hosts. (The Priests of Malachis day made void this Covenant, causing many to stumble in the Law by superimposing their traditions [Mat. 15:3-6] and having respect of persons in administering the Law, which the next Verse proclaims. But you are departed out of the way, means that the Priests of Malachis time had departed from the Law of Truth, thereby substituting something else to take its place.

You have caused many to stumble at the Law, means that they did not properly teach the Law, which caused Spiritual weakness in the people [Ezek. 3:20]. You have corrupted the Covenant of Levi, says the LORD of Hosts, pertains to the broken Covenant; therefore, Jehovah held Himself no longer bound by it; consequently, the blessings would be cursed.)

⁹Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as you have not kept My Ways, but have been partial in the Law. (Thus, these nine Verses record the corruption of Truth by the sons of Levi; and the following seven Verses, the violation of the institution of marriage by the people. Both violations resulted in disobedience to the Word of God. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, means that as the Priests no longer honored Him, He no longer honored them.

But have been partial in the Law, means that some people were given preferential treatment. As an example, when some brought sick animals to be used for Sacrifice, they were sorely reprimanded, while others were allowed to do so without rebuke!)

THE TREACHERY OF JUDAH; JUDGMENT FOR TREACHERY

¹⁰Have we not all one father? has not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the Covenant of our fathers? (The question, Have we not all one father?, actually has a double reference. It speaks of Abraham and of God. The question, Has not one God created us?, is not actually meant to portray the Lord as Creator of each person, but instead the Creator of Israel as a nation. So, in effect, they were saying that by simply being born a Jew, this meant they were saved!

The last phrase proclaims the Truth that when men began to break their Covenant with God, they then began to deal treacherously against their fellowman; even more specifically, against their brother, i.e., in the Lord. The two, violation of the Covenant and dealing treacherously, go hand in hand!)

¹¹Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the Holiness of the LORD which He loved, and has married the daughter of a strange god. (Judah has dealt treacherously, here has to do with Judahs dealings with the Lord, in that there were mixed marriages with heathen women. This was against the Law of God [Ex. 34:16; Deut. 7:3; Josh. 23:12-13]. And an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, is meant, by the mention of the two names of Judah and Jerusalem, to mark the seriousness of this sin. The mention of these names marks Gods Covenant with these people the Mosaic Law.

For Judah has profaned the Holiness of the LORD which He loved, portrays the result of this sin [intermarriage with foreign women] and of any sin. In other words, all sin is designed by Satan and carried out by the perpetrator, whether realized or not, as an affront against the Holiness of the LORD.

And has married the daughter of a strange god, referred to women who were idolatresses, i.e., they adhered to a foreign deity.)

¹²The LORD will cut off the man who does this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him who offers an offering unto the LORD of Hosts. (The LORD will cut off the man who does this, refers to the sins of Verse 11. The words, cut off, mean to lose ones soul! The phrase, And him who offers an offering unto the LORD of Hosts, concerned all the people who came to offer Sacrifices at the Temple.)

¹³And this have you done again, covering the Altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that He regards not the offering any more, or receives it with good will at your hand. (And this have you done again, refers to Ezra, nearly 100 years before, who had effected a reform in this same matter, but with the people now lapsing again into this same sin [Ezra, Chpt. 10]. We speak of Jews marrying strange women, i.e., foreign women who worshipped strange gods. Satan, once again, attempts to pull Israel back into idolatry.

Covering the Altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, does not pertain to hypocrisy, as some have thought, but instead to divorced wives and children who had been wronged, taking their case to the Lord. To be sure, as recorded here, the Lord saw their tears and heard their crying.

Insomuch that He regards not the offering any more, or receives it with good will at your hand, means that the wrongdoers [in this case, the husbands] could not assuage their sin with sacrifices. For the sin to be assuaged and the sacrifices to be effective, the problem had to be correctly addressed!)

¹⁴Yet you say, Wherefore? Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously: yet is she your companion, and the wife of your covenant. (The question, Yet you say, Wherefore?, proclaims the Holy Spirit through the Prophet mimicking the people in their asking the Prophet just exactly why the Lord would not accept their sacrifices! They, as most, would not acknowledge their guilt. This question, Wherefore?, shows they were as insensible to natural affection as to Divine affection. The latter insensibility quickly occasions the former.

The phrase, Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, signifies the Lord seeing all and not being fooled whatsoever by the sacrifices, as He is not fooled presently! Yet is she your companion, and the wife of your covenant, refers to the solemn vow made when the ceremony of marriage was engaged. In effect, it was till death do us part.

One sin leads to another still deeper. The restored Exiles [Neh. 13:23], contrary to the Bible [Deut. 7:3], married heathen wives. To this evil they now added the deeper one of divorcing their Hebrew wives in order to marry a foreign woman.)

¹⁵And did not He make one? Yet had He the residue of the Spirit. And wherefore one? that He might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. (The question, And did not He make one?, means that God made only one wife for Adam. This condemns polygamy [being married to several wives at the same time] and divorce! The phrase, Yet had He the residue of the Spirit, means that God, being the Author of life, could have given Adam, if He so desired, many wives and so have instituted polygamy. Therefore, what God originally did and intended must not be changed.

The question, And wherefore one?, has reference to Abraham, to whom God gave one wife and a godly seed by her [Isaac]. Malachis critics objected that Abraham had two wives, referring to Sarah and Hagar, and that they might also, to which Malachi had a double reply: 1. Abraham took a second wife, not to gratify passion, but to procure an heir; and, 2. That in so acting, he grieved God and brought suffering upon himself and others. Gods appointment of monogamy is here stated in order to produce holy children [I Chron. 7:14].

Therefore take heed to your spirit, has to do with the corruption of ones own spirit, which leads to all types of sin, i.e., making one dead to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth, has some inference to the beauty fading with the passing years, with the youth of the foreign women becoming more attractive, and even possibly more accessible. At any rate, it was a wicked direction these men were taking.)

¹⁶For the LORD, the God of Israel, says that He hates putting away: for one covers vio lence with his garment, says the LORD of Hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously. (For the LORD, the God of Israel, in its structure, portrays the tremendous significance of the statement about to be made. The phrase, Says that He hates putting away, means that God hates divorce. The reasons should be obvious.

Divorce is contrary to Gods original institution and, in effect, constitutes a direct attack on the sacredness of the home and family unit, which was originally prescribed by God in the Garden of Eden. There are two Scriptural conditions given for divorce and remarriage.

They are:

1. Fornication is committed by one partner [Mat. 5:32];

2. Desertion by one partner, and because of the Gospel; in other words, an unequal yoke [I Cor. 7:1-16].

The phrase, For one covers violence with his garment, says the LORD of Hosts, is actually a negative term. The garment is used in the sense of the bridegroom casting the skirt of his garment over her who is betrothed to him [Ruth 3:9]. So the idea is: when one engages in divorce and remarriage without Scriptural grounds, one is throwing his garment over violence, for such will be the end result of this action.

In view of these dire predictions, which most certainly are true because they are uttered by the Lord, divorce and remarriage should not even be considered unless there is absolutely no other alternative.)

¹⁷You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When you say, Everyone who does evil is good in the Sight of the LORD, and He delights in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? (You have wearied the LORD with your words, concerns the very things these backslidden Jews were saying. This should cause us to realize and understand that God hears what we say, and He is either offended or gladdened by our statements.

The Jews were claiming that it really didnt matter too much what one did, inasmuch as some of the nations around them were idolatrous and wicked, and yet were prosperous, which seemed to mean, at least in their minds, that God approved of wickedness. The question, Where is the God of judgment?, is a challenge to Malachi by these malcontents, that, in effect, said: Produce proofs that God judges evil! The answers to their accusations and questions are found in the first six Verses of Chapter 3.)