MALACHI 3:13- 4:6 “THE DAY OF THE LORD”

 

The message of Malachi is addressed to a people who had lost touch with the living God. This wasn’t for a lack of love for them from God. We saw that the first 5 verses of chapter 1 began with a particular affirmation of love for God for His people. Here is a quick reminder that God chose Jacob (the father of Israel) and not Esau (the father of the Edomites) cf.  1:2. On what basis did God chose Jacob? See Deuteronomy 7:6-9.  God had not moved. On the contrary, God reminds them, “I the LORD do not change…” (3:5). When God seems far away, guess who has moved?  We saw that it was the people, led by their corrupt spiritual leaders that had moved from God.  When God’s messenger, Malachi, confronts them they displayed a culture of objection (but you say…[1]) and accusation against God.  God had become inconsequential in the eye of the people of Israel. This resulted in them bringing perverted sacrifices to the LORD (2:6-14). They were robbing God (3:6ff). All this happened because they had forsaken the basis of their relationship with God – the covenant[2]. Resultantly, they had grown weary of God (1:13). We saw that this had consequences. The nation not only grew distant from God, but they grew faithless to one another (2:10). But the supreme demonstration  of faithlessness was  found in the demise of the most important of all human covenants- the marriage covenant (2:14-16). Does this not sound like our own day?

What will God do? 

What will the God who has entered into a covenant with Israel/Judah, His treasured possession (3:17) do with her? What will God’s people, who have spoken against their God, do? What will they do, who said, “It is vain to serve God” (3:14)?  And then, what will happen to those of whom it is said …“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another… those who feared the LORD and esteemed his Name?” (3:16). What will happen to those who remain faithful to God?

In these closing words of the message of Malachi we find two kinds of talk, two kinds of people, and two kinds of destinies displayed.  Malachi reminds them and us that all of life will ultimately steer to that great day of the LORD.  The entire Bible has essentially one grand theme: the consummation of God’s kingdom, in which there are two separate destinies for the righteous and the wicked. There are two ways to live. There are two outcomes, two kinds of people. This reminds us  very much  of  Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount  concerning the two states of being: entering  the narrow or the wide gate (Matt. 7:12-14);  being a  healthy or a  diseased tree (Matt. 7:15-20);  being  one who does God’s will or one who does not do God’s will (Matt. 7:21-23);  being a  foolish or wise builder (Matt.7:24-27).

What happens if we speak about God - either by way of honouring His Name, or through speaking harshly against Him? The solemn truth is  that God hears and knows everything about us.

1.       Two kinds of talk – two kinds of people  

i.                    3:13-15   Those who have harsh things to say about God.

ii.                  3:16-18   Those who feared the Lord and who spoke with one another.

 

i.                    3:13-15  Those who have harsh things to say about God

As we work our way through the message of Malachi, we need to continually remind ourselves that we are not dealing here with people that claim to be unbelievers. These are men and women that claim to belong to the covenant. The harsh talk of 3:13 is not attributed to atheists or agnostics. They claim to know God, and yet, as we have consistently noted, there is something very wrong here. They are lukewarm in their expressions of faith. They have become cynical. They do not see themselves as having done anything wrong against God. In fact they are charging God with doing wrong – particularly in 2:17 and 3:14,15. In fact, they are charging Him with favouring the arrogant. Evildoers prosper. Those who blatantly challenge   God seem to escape!  God isn't just.   

We have seen that the root cause of harsh talk against God' is the people’s backsliding. They have turned aside from God (3:7). Backsliding can be likened to cancer - that unseen, hidden process, when vicious cells quietly spread their deadly tentacles in the body, until the day comes when it can no longer hide itself. Backsliding is a cancer of the soul. Initially it is a subtle, painless process until it suddenly erupts in our life and talk. This is what has happened to the Jews in Malachi's day. Gradually they had allowed their love for the LORD, which had been stirred up under godly ministers like Ezra and Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah, to grow cold under the subtle influences of a deadly ministry in 1:6-2:9. Gradually and subtly the process of substituting a living faith for a dead religion had begun.  How can we discern this process?

Jesus reminded His hearers that, that which comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart! (cf. Matt. 15:10-20.  See the consequences of careless words in Matt. 12:36-37). If you listen to the speech of these people then you know that this is not the speech of a people at peace with their God. How did they arrive at this state, and why do they talk like this? When people backslide they begin to forget key facts about God.  They forget to view the world through God's eyes. You become worldly in your thinking. You interpret life from your present political, economic and social circumstances.  You come to careless conclusions, about who's to blame. The weather, the tectonic plates of the earth, the climate change, the politicians and even God gets blamed in a cynical way.  The key problem with backslidden people is that they do not fear God any longer, and we think of everything in terms of second causes. Yes, it is true that God is the Ultimate Cause of everything – even allowing earthquakes and floods – they are perpetual reminders of life in a fallen world and of the final judgement to come. The results are very different: backsliders blame God, the godly fear God! When we stop fearing God we become careless in everything- particularly in our foolish talk and actions. Our deceitful hearts then begin to tell us that we can offer blemished sacrifices. Our deceitful hearts tell us that it isn’t so important to keep our covenant promises (e.g. our marriage vows). Our deceitful hearts tell us that the neglect of giving our tithes and contributions to God isn't serious.

ii.         3:16-18 ; 4:2ff  Those who feared the Lord and  who spoke with one another.

For the first time in Malachi’s message we become aware that there is a remnant of  true believers in Judah. They fear the Lord. They esteem His name.  Here we find a remnant (another prominent theme in the Bible).Thank God that in every age and generation there is  always a remnant of true believers that fear God  and therefore know Him (e.g. 1 Ki. 19:18ff-  the 7000 had not bowed the knee to Baal in  Elijah's time). We learn from these that  “the Lord paid attention and heard them”. We learn that God takes note of everything. He records everything - nothing done either good or evil ever escapes Him.  And now in 3:16b we read that God caused a book of remembrance to be written, concerning “those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name”. The idea of God having a special book in which He records  everything is found frequently in the Bible[3]. The Lord pays attention when His people speak not just to Him, but He hears us when we talk about Him to one another, when we encourage each other and exhort one another from the Scriptures.  These, in particular will be part of God's treasured possession. In this context it is again important to understand, that not all that are of Israel are true Israelites (Rom. 9:6-8); not all church members are members of God's kingdom (Matt. 7:21-23).  But all true children of Abraham - true Jews (in O.T. context) and true Christians (in N.T. context) will be God's treasured possessions in that day. It is these that God will spare. We learn that God makes a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those that  serve God and those that do not serve Him  (3:18). Jesus called them sheep and goats respectively (Matt. 25:31-46) This leads us  to the next thought.

2.      Two kinds of destinies

Can you see the frequent reference to “the day” in our text? “They shall be mine in the day when I make up my treasured possession.” (3:17); “For behold, the day is coming…The day that is coming shall set them ablaze.” (4:2) ;  “They will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act.” (4:3);  “Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” (4:5).

A day is coming, when with sudden clarity the difference between all men will be made clear. And ultimately we shall find that there are only two kinds of people in the world: the believer and the unbeliever. Backsliders forget is this, because they live so much in the present. God fearing men and women will keep their eyes on the finishing line. They   live with the eye on that day!  

Take note of 4:1. Here we find the frightening outcome for those that persist in their rebellion. The day of judgement is a fearful day not for God fearers, but for those that despise God – those that are weary of God, those that say, “It is vain to serve God“.  

Malachi reminds  God fearers in 3:17 and 4:2,3  what God thinks of them:  "They shall  be mine says the LORD of hosts  in the day when I make up my treasure possession...”. Faithful men and women will become the treasured possession of the Lord. He will spare them from the coming day of wrath and judgment.  On that day, “the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” (4:2). Malachi says, “You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” What a day of joy!

The great distinction between believers and unbelievers is revealed by our respective futures. Which future will be yours? This will be determined  by  our response to the  Word of God and therefore the God of the Word.

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER: OUR RESPONSE TO THE WORD OF GOD AND THE GOD OF THE WORD

4:4. THE WORD OF GOD: “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.” The distinctive feature of a believer is their commitment to the Word of God. As the law is now completed in Christ, our true test is this- are we faithful to His commandments? “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” (Jn. 14:15) Faithfulness, obedience, perseverance  are characteristic marks  of a true believer.

4:5,6 THE GOD OF THE WORD: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Malachi tells us that Elijah the prophet, the forerunner of the Messiah will return. Jesus identified John the Baptist as Elijah (Matt. 11:14). He came to prepare the way for Jesus. He proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29,36). John preached Christ, and in so doing he saw many sons and daughters reconciled to God through their faith in the Messiah.  As they were reconciled to God, they were reconciled to one another. This is the miracle of the gospel, and it is signified here in terms of the relationships of fathers to their children and of children to their fathers. The true gospel heals our relationships vertically and horizontally. And now we must ask: How is it going with your relationship with God? How is it going in terms of your relationship with one another? How is your marriage? Parents, what is your relationship with your children like?

LOOK TO JESUS!

If the message of Malachi has exposed you, then receive this  as the Word of God to your soul. God's promise  and invitation  is found in  3:7b : “Return to me , and I will return to you …”  

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[1] 1:2,6,7,13; 2:14,17 ; 3:7,8,13

[2] The covenant of Levi (2:5-9) ; the covenant of their fathers  (2:10) and hence the most important  of all human covenants – the marriage covenant (2:14)

[3] cf. Ex 32:32,33; Ps. 69:28, Ps. 139:16 ; Isa. 4:3; 65:6 ; Ezek. 13:9 ; Dan. 12:1 ;  Philip. 4:3;  Rev.3:5,13:8, 17:8, 20:12,15 ; 21:27

MALACHI 2:17- 3:15 Do Not Grow Weary of God. He Is Coming!

 

The book of Malachi is a Word from God on the phenomenon of spiritual backsliding. This happens when the people of God grow weary – when they lose touch with the living God. This book is a wake-up call, and in some ways similar to the message of 2 Peter 3:3ff. 

We saw that Malachi’s burden for this situation began with an affirmation of the love of God (1:1-5) for His people. Let’s be clear on this.  When God’s people backslide they are facing a loving heavenly Father whose primary response is love. That means that He chastises us (Prov. 3:11,12 cf. Hebr.12:5-11). We also saw that in  1:6-2:9  that Malachi, God’s messenger has a rebuke for the spiritual leaders who bore the primary responsibility for Israel’s backsliding. Last time we considered the nature of a true and a false ministry, followed by an analysis of how this affects the spiritual condition of the nation.  The manifestation was seen in the alienation of God’s people   from their God, followed by an alienation between one another, followed by alienation in  that most important of  all  human relationships – the marriage covenant (2:10-16).  Losing touch with the living God means that we find ourselves on a slippery slope. When God becomes marginalised in our thoughts, our lives follow. Our hearts begin to seek other loves and other gods, because our hearts do not like a vacuum. Our hearts become idol factories. When we lose touch with the Living God our understanding of God becomes distorted. Resultantly our theology becomes distorted - we will see this in our passage.  When our thinking becomes warped and distorted, the effects of this will be felt. That’s what it means to live under God’s curse (2:2). And if God loves His people He will not leave them as they are. They will go through the refiner’s fire.   You will see this in our passage  as  we now  consider 2:17 -  3:13-15.

2:17; 13-15 Israel (Judah) at a crossroads

This portion of Scripture begins and ends with a familiar formula. At least nine times[1] we find God making a statement by which He indicts His people,  and they reply by challenging the statement.

Here God challenges them: “You have wearied the LORD with your words”.  But they say, “How have we wearied him?” God's people have the audacity to blame God for this spiritual /economic/political "low" in their lives. They say, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and He is pleased with them." By implication they are saying,  "we who do good  - (please note,  they considered themselves to be good) are evil in God's eyes; we are not  going ahead; we are not prospering; we are still oppressed by the Persians. Where is the God of justice?" And then consider also 3:13-15, where this complaint continues. God says to them, “Your words have been hard against me”. And they say, “How have we spoken against you?’” Here is what they have said, “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of keeping His charge or walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” This is what people were saying about God.  What’s the use of serving this God?

Two things about this accusation

Arrogance:  they demand accountability from the only wise, holy, all seeing, sovereign God of the Universe. He must now defend Himself before them. This is what backsliding does. It turns good theology on its back.   How can man who is created by God accuse God, who in His very essence and being is just - how can they accuse Him of injustice? This is actual blasphemy, and it shows you how backslidden in their understanding of God they are. Truly there is no knowledge of God, and therefore there is no fear of God.

Blame-shifting:  They blame God for their plight. But, if God seems far away, guess who has moved? Blame-shifting is the common default of our fallen humanity. At the fall Adam blamed God for what the woman did ("the woman YOU gave me... Gen. 3:11,12); Eve blames the devil (Gen. 3:13).  Israel blames God. Israel wearies God with words, and they have now come to a point of saturation. Enough is enough! The time has now come for God to act. Do you get the point? God is on trial. The people are grumbling- a persistent theme in the book of Exodus. A grumbling heart always distorts the character and the nature of God!

This is very similar to the dilemma which the prophet Habakkuk faced in His own  day, when things were very similar. Habakkuk  accused God of doing nothing  while the nation  was backsliding, and when God did say that He  was going to send the Babylonians to chastise his people, Habakkuk was perplexed. But the end of the story is not that God had to change , but that Habakkuk had to change.

So too here in the book of Malachi whilst Judah was examining her own position and saw that she was suffering at the hand of evil and injustice, she was failing to examine herself. She saw the evil that others did to her, but she did not see the evil that she herself was guilty of. When we backslide we do not see the world from God’s perspective. When we backslide we become weary, but we must also remember that God is wearied by or thoughts, words and attitudes.  So, where is the God of justice you ask?  

3:1-12  God’s Messenger  of the Covenant  will  appear suddenly!

Between those two verses which we have just considered is the answer found in   3:1-12.  Where is God? Where is the God of justice?   God's reply comes in 3:1

1.      He will send a messenger in due time, preparing the personal coming   of the Lord (3:1a). Who does this refer to? This refers to John the Baptist who will prepare the way of the Lord. From a future perspective this will happen in 400 years to come (see Isaiah 40:3 – 5 –  He is the Elijah  of Malachi 4:5).

2.      This will be followed by  a sudden and personal appearance to the temple by the Lord. He is described as 'the messenger of the covenant' (3:1b).  It is one thing for God to send a messenger. That He has done for many years. He had sent many messengers: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel and all the minor prophets of the OT and many more. But now the Lord Himself will come to His temple. That has never happened before! This is a messianic prophecy and in relation to John the Baptist here, it is of course a reference to the first coming   of the Lord Jesus Christ.

3.   His appearance will be challenging - like a refiner’s fire – like fuller’s[2]  soap (3:1c - 2a). He comes  to refine and cleanse.  Malachi tells us, that one of the primary purposes of the LORD's coming would be to purify the worship of God.  "And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple...".  When Jesus came, what did He do? He challenged the shallow prevailing view of worship that was propagated in the temple (see again 1:6 - 2:9). Therefore, the people became what their priests were. When Jesus came He not only overturned the tables of those that had turned the Father’s house into a den of robbers. He overturned the whole system of Pharisaic teaching. Consider the Sermon on the Mount. With its repeated refrain, "You have heard it said... but I say...!", He exposed the hypocritical giving to the needy by the Pharisees, who give to be seen. He exposed their praying on the street corners only to be seen by people. He exposed the Pharisees by calling them hypocrites, blind guides and whitewashed tombs.   He overturned the useless traditions of the elders and He showed the fulfilment of the O.T. law in Himself. What a refining... what a fire! And slowly, out of the hypocritical rubbish dump, a new body of people emerged, whose hearts were regenerated and renewed by the work of the Holy Spirit.  At Pentecost the church was baptized by the Holy Spirit, and the whole worship of God was transformed and renewed. In the meantime the temple in which the Jews took such pride was destroyed in A.D 70. The messenger of the new covenant came to show us, that He alone is the true, pure and great High Priest, who offers the righteous sacrifice to God. He showed us that our self- righteousness has no merits before God. Jesus came to refine, purify and renew the worship of God. He came to get rid of our dirt and dross. Realize then, that this prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming.

Thank God for the refiner’s fire! The metal is brought to a high temperature, so that it melts. The impurities in the metal, which have a lower density than the metal itself, then will float to the top of the molten liquid, and then it is scraped off.  This process can be repeated until there is purity. In the same way God applies the heat of suffering and discipline to the lives of His children until they are refined. The goal of biblical testing/refining is never destruction, but  purification and cleansing. When God's people have been tested and tried by Him, they come forth as pure gold (Job 23:10). That is precisely what Jesus, the messenger of the new covenant came to do. He did not come with a soft message. It was a good message, but not a soft message. He came to do good. But He cannot ignore sin. He calls us to abandon sin- see 3:5. Sin is why Jesus died. God is merciful.

Despite the fact that we and our fathers have sinned and turned aside from God’s statutes (3:7a), He bears with us and calls us  to return (3:7b)

Returning is the key.  And again  the people Malachi is speaking to are running into the same wall  as before: “But you say how shall we return?  And the answer is this: “Will a man rob God?” Here is a particular problem with which God’s people were struggling.   They found an excuse for not giving to the Lord what was rightfully His. Note, that the emphasis on the robbing is with reference to God:  "You rob me!" (3:8,9) – the whole  nation (Hebr. goy - usually a reference to pagans; but in this case it has the overtone of 'unfaithful people') is doing this.  God challenges them to show their concrete turning/ repentance by bringing in the whole tithe and offerings into the storehouse (lit. the house of supplies). Then God charges the people to test Him in this matter  (3:10b - 12), and He attaches  3 marvellous blessings to this test:  

(i) Abundance (3:10)  "I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour  down for you a blessing… ". We see here the incredible generosity of God.

 (ii) Protection (3:11):  "I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear …” 

(iii) Reputation (3:12):  "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight… ".

This is a call to perseverance in your faith in the midst of challenging days. We are currently considering the book of Malachi against the background of our own church society – the people of God. There can be no doubt that we, the people of God – the church as a whole, are currently not in a good place – and much can be blamed on the corrupt nature of church leaderships. As a result of the lack of blessing our people are constantly questioning God, and accusing Him of many things. Like the people of Malachi’s day we have many objections - many ‘but’s’.  We live in a church society with much sin (3:5). We often blame God for our lack of blessing. And we are stingy in our giving. Our churches are struggling to survive.

God is calling His people to look to Jesus, the   messenger of the new covenant. And from His Word we must learn to be content with His refining and cleansing work. It will involve suffering.  Letting go of sin and all our idols is difficult. But it is not vain to serve God. Soon the messenger of the covenant who has come once will come again. And all our endurance, and patience in suffering would have been worth it. Amen

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[1] 1:2, 6,7,13 ; 2:14,17; 3:7,8,13

[2] Fullers were launderers who washed the clothes of the city and also finished processing fabric later made into clothing, blankets, or other necessary items.

MALACHI 2: FALSE AND TRUE SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

 

The book of Malachi is an eloquent, timeless commentary on the nature of spiritual backsliding among God’s people. The Holy Spirit has preserved this book for this reason. He reminds us that one of our great temptations is to grow lukewarm in the things of God. The book began with an affirmation of the love of God for His backslidden people in 1:1-5. Why the effort to send ‘His messenger’[1] if God   did not love His people enough to speak to them and to warn them of the consequences of continuing in their lukewarmness?  God, being who He is – the holy God, whose hatred for sin is synonymous with His character, begins His word through Malachi with a strong rebuke of Israel’s priests. Israel’s backsliding begins with her spiritual leadership. Hosea comments, “And it shall be like people, like priests”(Hosea 4:9; Isa. 24:2). At least three failures of the priests are outlined in 1:6-14:

·         1:7,8  A CORRUPT MINISTRY: Offering defiled sacrifices on God's altar. The offering of   blind, lame, sick animals was forbidden by the law of Moses  (Lev.22:18-25;Deut. 15:21)

·         1: 8 & 9  PROMOTING  OF THOUGHTLESS WORSHIP

·         1:12,13  HOLDING THE PRIESTLY  OFFICE IN CONTEMPT.  The priests despised the work God gave them to do. They found their work wearisome. They dishonoured God.

As we hear these words we need to remember that this is not only a commentary on the state of Old Testament religion. It also is a commentary for the NT church[2]. 1:10 could just as well be applied to the modern church. Many places that call themselves churches would serve the cause of Christ better by closing their doors. They confuse people. They scatter God’s people. They speak peace where there is no peace. They dress the wounds of God’s people lightly (Jer.8:11). They withhold the Word of the Lord (Jer. 8:7; Hosea 4:6).  They exchange the truth of God for a lie (Rom. 1:25).  

As we hear these words it is also important to remember that the NT church is no longer served by a priesthood. Jesus alone is our great High priest (Hebr. 7:15-28).The church is a holy priesthood (1 Pet.2:9). Pastors, elders, overseers are a part of the church and gifts given by the Holy Spirit to the church. As such they have no priestly function in the sense of offering sacrifices on behalf of the people. They are shepherds of God’s flock and co- workers with God’s flock.  And as such they are accountable  (James 3:1; 1 Pet.5:2,3)

OUTLINE

1.      2: 1-3  A warning to unfaithful ministers

2.      2:4-7  Marks of a faithful minister

3.      2:8 -9  The devastating consequences of an unfaithful ministry

4.      2:10 – 16  The effects  of an unfaithful ministry upon the nation

 

1.         2: 1-3  A Warning To Unfaithful Ministers

We have already seen in 1:6-14 that the backsliding of Israel has to do with her spiritual leaders – the priests. Chapter 2 continues with this theme. It is a call of repentance to the OT priests. This call is accompanied by a stern warning and even a curse. The priests did not listen to God. They did not honour His Name (2:2). And so God would turn their blessings into curses. To understand the biblical concept of curse (which in the OT is usually found in parallel with blessing e.g. Gen. 12:3; Deut. 28) we find that only God truly curses, and in that sense it is a revelation of His justice in response to any disobedience of His revealed will. In this case the holy, righteous God will not suffer the unfaithfulness of the priests.  God is not mocked and 2:3 is enough commentary on this matter:  “Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.” Unfaithful church leaders are under God’s curse, and they will be shown up for what they are, and God will judge them. We  will find the  legacy and the sad effects  that unfaithful leaders leave  when we get to 2:8.

2.         2:4-7 Marks Of A Faithful Minister[3]

Here we find a portrait of the ideal OT priest.  Here we look back to Levi, the father of the tribe of priests in Israel. At least 4 marks of a   true minister emerge:

a.      2:5 A proper relationship with God based on true fear and reverence. They manifested a holy seriousness and a deep reverence for God, and the things of God. He knows God. More than anything else God's ministers need to cultivate this knowledge and attitude. How many churches look at this, when calling a pastor? There is an enormous responsibility resting on the shoulders of those that are called by God to the spiritual leadership of the church. Theirs is the duty   to convey a sense of the greatness of God to the people for whose souls they care.

b.      2:6a A commitment to the truth of God's Word. “True instruction was in his mouth and no wrong was found on his lips.” A good minister  is a servant of the Word of God. He does not enter the pulpit to entertain his people. He is a messenger boy of the Most High God.  His work is to feed the flock of God with true instruction.   

c.       2:6b. A true minister walks with God in peace and uprightness.  A true minister walks in a harmonious fellowship with His God - consistently so! He practises what he preaches. It is always a mark of a false teacher that he does not practise what he preaches.  A true minister reveals a spiritual consistency in his life. He practises the presence of God. He leaves his people with a sense of God.

d.      2:6c He turns many from iniquity. He helps people to turn from sin. False, ungodly leaders tempt their people. They turn their people to sin. The great work of a godly leader is to influence people towards God and away from sin. Shepherds, elders must not be afraid to talk to people about their sins. They are not appointed simply to keep peace in the church. They are appointed to the end that the Lord Jesus might truly have a godly flock which walks the narrow road to heaven. Don't be offended when your pastor sometimes wounds you by confronting you with the sin to which you are clinging. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”  (Prov. 27:6).

e.      2:7 “The lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord”. Sermons are not a mere transfer of information. They are not a lecture. They speak with prophetic authority. They declare the Word of God. They are divine ‘logic on fire’ (Martyn Lloyd Jones). This is the Holy Spirit using a spiritually gifted messenger to speak God’s truth to God’s people. And therefore people are helped by his instruction. His is the voice of divine reason. It is the voice of home. It is the voice of the Good Shepherd (John 10:3,16). Listen to Martin Luther’s commentary on this verse:

“Certainly God could with His Spirit instruct and justify those whom He would, but it has pleased His wisdom more to instruct and save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. The Word is the channel through which the Holy Spirit is given. This is a passage against those who hold the spoken Word in contempt. The lips are the public reservoirs of the church. In them alone is kept the Word of God. You see, unless the Word is preached publicly, it slips away. The more it is preached, the more firmly it is retained. Reading it is not as profitable as hearing it, for the live voice teaches, exhorts, defends, and resists the spirit of error. Satan does not care a hoot for the written Word of God, but He flees at the speaking of the Word. You see, this penetrates hearts and leads back those who stray.”[4]

3.         2:8 -9  The Devastating Consequences Of An Unfaithful Ministry 

a.      They have turned aside from the way. They have lost touch with the living God.

b.       They have caused many to stumble by their instruction.

c.       They have corrupted the covenant of Levi – this amounts to false teaching

d.      They have shown partiality in their instruction. (see James2:1)  

4.         2:10 – 16 The Effects Of An Unfaithful Ministry Upon The Nation

God, through Malachi now turns His attention to the people as a whole. The effect of an unfaithful ministry is seen in these verses. 2:10-16 raises the issue of what happens when God's people become faithless, when they break faith with each other and with God?  Against this background, the prophet asks the 3 questions found in Malachi 2:10

a.      Have we not all one Father? i.e. are we not His children by adoption? Has God not chosen us out of all the nations of the world? Are we not His covenant people?

b.      Has not one God created (Hebr. ba'ra ) us?  Israel was a special act of God's creation (cf. Deut. 7:6 - 8)

c.       Why then  are we faithless, profaning the  covenant of our fathers? 

GOOD QUESTIONS!

If all these things are true (and they are),  then  how is it possible that Israel has fallen into this  state of  spiritual backsliding?  What has happened?  The answer is given in 2:11: “Judah has been faithless… Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD… Judah has married the daughter of a foreign god”. Judah has committed spiritual adultery in many ways…

Now follow the logic with me. When we lose touch with the living God, (Questions 1 &2)   it is a small step from losing touch with God’s covenant people (Question 3). We lose touch  with our covenant relationship  with God,  and we lose touch with the profoundest of all  human relationships - marriage.  And so Judah has slidden into a real mess.

1.      People who backslide from their relationship with God, loose a sense of God.

2.     People also backslide in their relationship with God's people - the church. By losing touch with the living God, we easily break faith, dealing falsely with one another. When we deal falsely with one another we violate the unity of God's people.

3.  People lose a sense of the most important of all relationships by which the human race is effectively propagated: Marriage.

4.      First of all: compromised marriage. They were now  marrying  daughters that were serving foreign gods (2:11). This was forbidden in Deut.  7:1-4.  In the NT  1 Cor.  7:39  encourages  Christians to be married only in the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14).

5.      Divorce! One of the greatest curses in our society – the breaking of the marriage covenant – see 2:13-16. Here we find Israel in a bad way.  They practise easy divorce.  This again is a serious problem, because the Word of the Lord regards marriage as a covenant, which in its essence is unbreakable. See the seriousness of this expressed in 2:15 “Did he not make them one with a portion of the Spirit in their union?”  God is the witness of this union when vows were made. Marriage is a sacred institution.  One of the reasons why it is a scared thing is because, by this means, godly offspring is produced for the glory of God - in the context of a God fearing marriage! And  therefore God  hates divorce. It contradicts  and destroys  his good plan for this world.  The root of divorce proceeds from spiritual barrenness!

6.      They subsequently found that  their prayers were not answered (2:13). They have finally lost touch with the living God.

“…So Guard  Yourselves In Your Spirit” (2:15,16)  

 How do you do that?

1.      Take care of your heart

2.      Stay under a faithful  ministry; seek true instruction; hold yourself accountable

3.      Fear God, shun sin.

4.      Do not be faithless to others

5.      Seek a godly partner for marriage

6.      Keep your marriage covenant and do not divorce.

7.      Know that divorce proceeds from a barren spirit

8.      Let nothing hinder your prayers

         

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[1] The meaning of Malachi’s name is “my messenger”

[2] 2 Timothy 3:16,17 : “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God  may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

[3] I am using this term in the sense of ‘leitourgos’ – a man who performs a public duty – a public servant

[4] Luther's Works, Volume 18 (Lectures on Minor Prophets)