August 30, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Malachi? Here’s today’s reading:
Malachi 2 (NIV)
Additional Warning to the Priests
1“And now, you priests, this warning is for you. 2 If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.…..Continue Reading
Marriage is important to God and He takes very seriously the role it plays in relationship with Him as well. Many times it is used figuratively in regards to our relationships with Him and how we stray away or when we are found to be adulterous by putting other things before our relationship with Him. It is also important to have unity in marriage which can be impossible when the two do not believe the same. The havoc our wrong choices can raise for children is also not taken lightly by God and He expresses that here as well.
For the people to finish this chapter questioning God about justice and focusing on the sins of others shows the level of denial we can put ourselves in. Much easier to see the sin in others and forget the sin in our own lives.
Malachi 2
Malachi 2
Malachi 2
Malachi 2: verses 4 through 7 interst me, where God describes the righteousness of Levi as God’s priesthood. God expresses a very high regard for Levi as he behaved respectfully and fearfully before the Lord, which I find refreshing.
The second passage, verse 13, strikes me in the heart. God is not deceived or mocked by puny attempts to garner favor by feigned penance, i.e., “crocodile tears.” All too often, I cry those tears. God does not hear or respect every cry of man, only those of a humble, contrite heart. -gy
In this chapter God through Malachi is mostly addressing the priest. For they have lead the people astray. Instead of teaching the people the right way which is God`s way they themselves have taken foreign wife`s and have dealt treacherously with each other. They have been partial in the law , lying to each other, not offering sacrifices without blemish, and making good to be bad and bad to be good. Verse 8 [ But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.] The Lord after reading this brought to my mind a scripture in Isaiah 53;6 [ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.] In Malachi 2;17 it says that the priests words were wearisome to God for they were being deceptive in their words. They were making evil to be good and good to be evil. [ When ye say, everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or where is the God of judgement. This sounds like today in our society. Thank God that we have good leaders in our church that want to tell the truth and follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
How sad that the priests of Malachi’s time were not faithful to the call God had on their lives. God calls on the example of Levi and his fidelity to highlight their infidelity and show they have not carried on the pattern started by the head of the priestly line. It is a shame when those who should be leading people to truth are defying it and causing people to stumble rather than trying to prevent it. God has strict discipline for them to show His dissatisfaction with them. As he then turns to Judah’s unfaithfulness, I really like that God reminds them that He is their Father and creator…so He really does know what is best. God’s correction to them is for the foreign women they are marrying and the wives they are leaving. How sacred is the marriage bond and God desires that it be maintained. I like how God refers to them as the wife of your youth, your partner and the wife of your marriage covenant. In other words, remember how you loved her at the first. Now one made you get married, you wanted to…for most of us. Also remember all that you have been through. The good and bad times that you have shared and worked through. And you made an agreement….you committed yourself forever because it is that commitment that makes marriage work. This is something we should all take to heart as so many things seek to come in and compromise and destroy marriages.
It’s interesting, it is not often that one would go to the book of Malachi for the overview of God’s view of marriage. There is so much to be gleaned from this section regarding marriage and how specifically a husband should treat “the wife of his youth.” I read the commentary in enduring word and found it very enlightening.
Their interpretation is that the “tears” are those of the wives who were dealt with treacherously.
“The neglected and divorced wives of the priests came and wept at God’s altar. When their priestly husbands then offered sacrifice to God at the same altar it offended God.”
God is a witness between them. That is kind of comforting to think of God being on the wife’s side, when a husband is dealing with her treacherously. I think this would confirm that physical and emotional abuse are “marital unfaithfulness.”
Malachi tells us specifically why God hates divorce:
It profanes a holy institution which He loves.
It covers the altar with tears (hurts someone that you are supposed to love.”
I covers one’s garment with violence. “Part of the marriage ceremony in Bible times involved the husband covering his wife with his garment as a symbol of the protection he brought her. But now, their garments were covered with violence. ”
It says twice, “Therefore take heed to your spirit,” that you……
from the commentary: “It is important to realize that we can change our feelings towards our spouse. If we do not feel loving or connected or caring about them, that can be changed if we will take heed to our spirit.”
God gives his people a stern warning before he acts against them, and he tells them what they need to do to regain his favor. The Lord cares for his people, and he prefers to shower them with blessings rather than correct their behavior with discipline. And the One God seeks Godly offspring. He wants us to be raising our children in his instruction, leading by example and teaching them about his Word.