Day 281: Malachi 1-2

(The Book of Malachi was the twelfth of the twelve books that made up the minor prophet section of the Old Testament. Malachi was a contemporary of Haggai and Zechariah. Likewise, Malachi encouraged the returning Jews not to sin any more. The Book of Malachi consisted of fourteen accusations from God and ten rebellious answers from Israel.)

Malachi 1
¹ The burden of the word of Jehovah to Israel by Malachi.

(The Word of God to Israel through Malachi after the captivity.)

² I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob;

(God said "I have loved you" to Israel. This verse was the foundation for this entire chapter. The Doctrine in this chapter was referenced in one of the most misunderstood chapters in the New Testament: Romans 9. In fact, the deceptive interpretation of this Doctrine is currently used to justify Calvinism: the belief that God can initiate His Will against the will of individuals, that people lack "free will." We will set this straight within this chapter...)

³ but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness.

(The first step is to recall the definition of hate from Genesis 29:30: "to love less." Second, recall that the definition of love from Luke 6:35 is "to give without expecting in return from the one to whom you gave." These two verses ("yet I loved Jacob; but Esau I hated") stated that God gave more to Jacob than He did to Esau. Basically, God had two sons. He gave more to one than the other.)

⁴ Whereas Edom saith, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever.

(Esau's (Edom) response to getting less was to work harder in their own strength: "...but we will return and build..." God's response was that He would punish Esau even more. Basically, God's son that was loved less chose to respond to God by turning inward, to focusing on themselves even more. God wanted them to focus on Him so He would prevent them from making progress away from God, which was love because it would be for Edom's benefit.)

⁵ And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, Jehovah be magnified beyond the border of Israel.

(Jacob (Israel) ought to have exalted the Lord in response to the love they experienced from Him and because of the understanding they got from watching Edom get punished for turning away from God.)

⁶ A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I am a father, where is mine honor? and if I am a master, where is my fear? saith Jehovah of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

(Israel did not love God in response to His love. Basically, without the example of the son who was loved, people could have said to God, "Being tough on Esau didn't work. Maybe you should have blessed him." However, these first six verses of the Book of Malachi showed that it did not matter if God encouraged or hindered Jacob and Esau (respectively), both chose to turn away from God. Everything in this chapter proved that people have free will to respond to God and that if we choose to turn away from God, God will punish us for our benefit...because God is love.)

⁷ Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of Jehovah is contemptible.

(Actually, Israel offered polluted (defiled, blemished) bread to God. Israel's response to being blessed, to God choosing to love Jacob, was to desecrate God's altar.)

⁸ And when ye offer the blind for sacrifice, it is no evil! and when ye offer the lame and sick, it is no evil! Present it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee? or will he accept thy person? saith Jehovah of hosts.

(God told them to give these offerings to their governor to show them that even their human ruler would not be pleased with these offerings. When people state that "Jacob I loved" meant that God made Jacob righteous against Jacob's will, they have to ignore the context of that verse. We have seen that Jacob was not righteous despite God loving him. How could Jacob have continued to sin if God made Jacob righteous against their will?)

⁹ And now, I pray you, entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he accept any of your persons? saith Jehovah of hosts.

(A call to choose to return to God. God could not make Israel repent against Israel's will.)

¹⁰ Oh that there were one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle fire on mine altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, saith Jehovah of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

(God said that he would not accept an offering from Jacob without their first repenting. Basically, God dealt with two "sons" differently. Both responded by justifying themselves and God would punish both in order to help them make progress back to God, which was love.)

¹¹ For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the Gentiles, saith Jehovah of hosts.
¹² But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of Jehovah is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even its food, is contemptible.

(God's Name would be great among the Gentiles because His people chose to reject God. God could justly reach out to people that were not His people.)

¹³ Ye say also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith Jehovah of hosts; and ye have brought that which was taken by violence, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye bring the offering: should I accept this at your hand? saith Jehovah.
¹⁴ But cursed be the deceiver, who hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King, saith Jehovah of hosts, and my name is terrible among the Gentiles.

(Summary: Esau was "hated" (loved less) than Jacob. Both responded poorly, which justified God. There was nothing God could have done to cause Esau and Jacob to be righteous and focus on Him because He tried both methods, and both chose to focus on themselves. God's loving response was to punish both of them. All of the calamity that came upon Esau and Israel was in response to how each of them chose to live. Also, both of their responses justified God's decision to turn His focus to people outside of His people: Gentiles.)




Malachi 2
¹ And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

(God's focus turned from the nation to specific individuals: a commandment for the priests.)

² If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

(If they would not hear or lay this to their heart to give glory to God's Name, then God would send a curse to the priests.)

³ Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and ye shall be taken away with it.
⁴ And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant may be with Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.
⁵ My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name.
⁶ The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity.
⁷ For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.

(A priest's lips ought to keep knowledge and the people ought to seek instruction from the priests because they were the messengers of God.)

⁸ But ye are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.

(However, the priests departed from God. The priests caused many to stumble in the Law. The priests corrupted the Covenant of Levi.)

⁹ Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have had respect of persons in the law.
¹⁰ Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
¹¹ Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of Jehovah which he loveth, and hath married the daughter of a foreign god.

(The Israelites were committing idolatry. They were focused on man-made doctrines instead of God's Doctrine from His Law. Remember, fornication was to commit idolatry. Idolatry was giving one's self to an image, which was worship of other gods or sexual intercourse with unbelievers. Both were covenantal.)

¹² Jehovah will cut off, to the man that doeth this, him that waketh and him that answereth, out of the tents of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto Jehovah of hosts.
¹³ And this again ye do: ye cover the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, neither receiveth it with good will at your hand.

(The Jews were weeping before God in their distress but their hearts were treacherous. Their appearance was of repentance, but their hearts were rebellious, which was idolatry.)

¹⁴ Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Jehovah hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

(The Doctrine of Marriage according to the Bible: Marriage is a covenant that is begun in one of three ways:
1) exchange of vows
2) exchange of tokens
3) sexual intercourse

The Marriage Covenant is "cut" (completed) with sexual intercourse. Verse 14 referenced the "wife of thy youth" and "wife of thy covenant." God was speaking about the first Marriage Covenant a priest made with a woman through sexual intercourse.)

¹⁵ And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

(God stated that He made these priests and wives of their Covenant "one." These people shared the same spirit with each other and God. God was involved in this Covenant. Leviticus 21:14 stated that priests could only marry virgins of Israel. God joins believing husbands and believing spouses in Marriage. He is a part of their Covenant. Many people try to apply this verse to every marriage. To say that God is a part of every marriage including unbelievers is to say that God can make unbelievers into believers against their will. God does see people who have sexual intercourse as married, however He does not make this couple "one" (and He is not involved in this covenant) unless both people are believers.)

¹⁶ For I hate putting away, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith Jehovah of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

(God hates "putting away." There are two key points to this often abused verse:
1) Hate meant "loved less"
2) Putting away is NOT divorce

Remember, this verse was God's explanation for His issue in the previous verse. God stated the priests were dealing treacherously against the wives of their youth. How? By putting them away.

-Divorce is an ending of a Marriage Covenant that resulted in both spouses remaining in covenant through the greater community: Israel (See Deuteronomy 24).

-Putting away is the ending of a Marriage Covenant that resulted in one of the spouses being removed from the greater community.

The removal from "putting away" was done because of fornication: worshiping other gods and/or covenantal sexual intercourse with an unbeliever. Putting away removed a spouse from the greater community because of unbelief. However, in this verse from the Book of Malachi, we see the priests were putting away the wives of their youth even though these wives were believers. These wives were prevented from remaining in community and marrying others because they had been put away. However, we know that God would still see the priests as being married to these wives of their Marriage Covenant. In addition, the sexual intercourse with another woman that the priests intended to signify a new marriage, God would see as adultery and treachery against the wives of their Covenant.)

(Versions other than the KJV and the ASV translated Malachi 2:16 as "For I hate divorce saith God..."...and then make the case that God is against Divorce and considers it a sin.

-First of all, Deuteronomy 24 stated the Doctrine of divorce, which was in the Law. We know that doing the Law would not result in sin.
-Second, God divorced and put away Judah and Israel (Jeremiah 3). Did God sin?
-Third, Genesis 29:30-31 showed God's definition for hate was "love less."
-Fourth, the correct translation of this passage was "putting away." The Hebrew word was Strong's #7971 shalach. The Hebrew word for divorce was Strong's #3748 - keriythuwth.
-Finally, the context of this passage was clearly putting away because God wanted these priests to not deal treacherously, but return to the wives of their youth. God would not want the priests to continue to be married to these women if they were unbelievers. In fact, so far, everything we have read in the Book of Malachi was warning the nation and the priests from turning from God in unbelief.)

¹⁷ Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? In that ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of Jehovah, and he delighteth in them; or where is the God of justice?

(The priests had wearied God with their words. The priests were dealing treacherously with their wives and their response was to say that God was not Just. The point God made was that He was Just and was dealing harshly with these priests because they were evil. The priests made many to stumble in the Law (2:8) apparently not only through their words but also through their actions.)

(This post covered God's warning to the priests that they were the cause of the evil that had come by dealing treacherously with the wives of their Marriage Covenants.)

Day 282