Reflections on Malachi 2

Malachi 02 (Contemporary English Version)


1. I, the LORD All-Powerful, have something else to say to you priests.
   
2. You had better take seriously the need to honor my name. Otherwise, when you give a blessing, I will turn it into a curse. In fact, I have already done this, because you haven't taken to heart your duties as priests.
   
3. I will punish your descendants and rub your faces in the manure from your animal sacrifices, and then be done with you.
   
4. I am telling you this, so I can continue to keep my agreement with your ancestor Levi.
   
5. I blessed him with a full life, as I had promised, and he kept his part of the agreement by honoring me and respecting my name.
   
6. He taught the truth and never told lies, and he led a lot of people to turn from sin, because he obeyed me and lived right.
   
7. You priests should be eager to spread knowledge, and everyone should come to you for instruction, because you speak for me, the LORD All-Powerful.
   
8. But you have turned your backs on me. Your teachings have led others to do sinful things, and you have broken the agreement I made with your ancestor Levi.
   
9. So I caused everyone to hate and despise you, because you disobeyed me and failed to treat all people alike.
   
10. Don't you know that we all have God as our Father? Didn't the one God create each of us? Then why do you cheat each other by breaking the agreement God made with your ancestors?
    
11. You people in Judah and Jerusalem have been unfaithful to the LORD. You have disgraced the temple that he loves, and you have committed the disgusting sin of worshiping other gods.
    
12. I pray that the LORD will no longer let those who are guilty belong to his people, even if they eagerly decide to offer the LORD a gift.
    
13. And what else are you doing? You cry noisily and flood the LORD's altar with your tears, because he isn't pleased with your offerings and refuses to accept them.
    
14. And why isn't God pleased? It's because he knows that each of you men has been unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young. You promised that she would be your partner, but now you have broken that promise.
    
15. Didn't God create you to become like one person with your wife? And why did he do this? It was so you would have children, and then lead them to become God's people. Don't ever be unfaithful to your wife.
    
16. The LORD God All-Powerful of Israel hates anyone who is cruel enough to divorce his wife. So take care never to be unfaithful!
    
17. You have worn out the LORD with your words. And yet, you ask, "How did we do that?" You did it by saying, "The LORD is pleased with evil and doesn't care about justice."
    

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In the previous chapter the charge was brought against Israel and Judah that they dishonored God by going through the motions of worship, considering it to be a nuisance, and thus dishonoring God. Their attitude may have been driven from their thinking that God didn't love them, which they assumed to be the case because of their exile and persecution. But in this thinking they had completely missed the point of their exile. They caused the exile, not God. It was their turning from God to idols and their injustice and wickedness that caused the exile. Now that they were beyond the exile and were rebuilding their lives back in their homeland, they were blaming God and doing no better in honoring or worshiping Him.

Malachi begins chapter two with a charge and a warning against the priests. The charge was that they were not giving the people true instruction in the law, nor were they honoring God. We already know from chapter 1 they were offering before God sacrifices that were unacceptable. And since they were not giving true instruction to the people they were causing them to stumble. Because of these practices and failures, they were warned that unless they began to honor God and to properly instruct the people they would be removed from their positions as priests. The blessings they gave the people would turn into curses and they would be despised and humiliated before the people.

Beginning with verse 10 another charge is brought. This one is against the people but is undoubtedly a result of the priest's failure to give true instruction of the law. They were charged with marrying the daughters of idol worshipers. The Israelites were forbidden by the law to marry pagan wives. One reason for this prohibition was to keep them from sinking into idol worship themselves. Another reason was to keep the blood lines pure. To this point following the exile, no charge had been brought against Israel for worshiping idols. But they were headed in that direction by marrying these pagan wives. Not only were they marrying these pagan wives, they were divorcing their Jewish wives to do so. They were doubly charged. Malachi made it clear that God considered such divorce to be a treacherous act against the wife of their youth, and that by doing so they were covering their garments with injustice.

Furthermore, the Lord was wearied by their words. While they were doing these things they were making themselves feel good by proclaiming that they were doing good in the Lord's sight. They were even questioning, "Where is the God of justice?" They were acting unjust but were accusing God of injustice. This is very common practice that results from turning away from God. A practice that is prevalent today. We turn values upside down. As long as we seek God and His teachings we have a clear understanding of what is just and what is right. But when we turn from God's values we make up our own values and then charge God with injustice when He does not observe our set of values.