The document outlines the biblical admonitions directed at priests in Malachi 2, emphasizing their elevated responsibility to uphold God's commands, as their failures affect the entire community. It discusses the transition from the Old Testament priesthood, which offered sacrifices, to the New Testament model where Jesus Christ serves as the sole high priest. The text warns that if priests do not honor God's name and fulfill their duties, they will face severe consequences, including the reversal of blessings into curses.

1. MALACHI 2 COMME TARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
1. "And now this admonition is for you, O priests.
1. The priests are held to a higher standard of accountability, for it is their duty to
obey all that God has commanded for his people, and so if they fail to do so, the
whole community will be dragged down to the lowest level. God hits the priests
hard, for their failure has a greater impact on the community than any other group.
When religious leaders go astray from the will of God they do the greatest damage,
and so they must suffer the greatest judgment.
2. Calvin, "To you, he says, O priests. They might have indeed exonerated
themselves, or at least transferred a part of their guilt to others: “Oh! what can we
do? for we see that the people are growing cold in God’s worship; it is better that
imperfect sacrifices should be offered than none at all.” As then they might by
evasion have somewhat extenuated their guilt, the Prophet the more sharply
reproves them and says, To you especially is addressed this command, as they ought
to have shown to others the right way; for when they dissembled, their connivance
was nothing else but a consent; and thus they divested the people of God’s fear, and
allowed them to corrupt the whole of religion by offering spurious sacrifices. To you
then, he says, that is, “Though the whole people is guilty before God, think not that
ye are on this account excused; for it behoves you to check this wickedness, for God
has set you over the people as their teachers and guides: as then ye have neglected
your duty, whatever others have done amiss, falls justly on your heads. For how has
it happened that the people have dared to proceed so far in impiety? even because
you have no concern for religion; for God has promoted you to the priesthood for
this end — to preserve in integrity the worship of his name; but ye know of all the
prevailing profanations, and ye hold your peace: To you then is this command.”
3. God's omniscience is a real pain for hypocrites, for he knows too much about
what we can hide from all others, and he holds us accountable.
A small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness
to the stand in a trial -- a grand-motherly, elderly woman.
He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"
She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve
known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you’ve been a
big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you
manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs.

2. You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the brains
to realize you will never amount to anything more than a
two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."
The lawyer was stunned. ot knowing what else to do, he
pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the
defense attorney?"
She replied, "Why, yes I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he
was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And
he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy,
bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal
relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the
shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him."
At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence
and called both counselors to the bench.
In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, "If either of
you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be jailed for contempt!"
4. Piper asks the question, and then answers it: "Who are the priests today? Or are
there any? The ew Testament never uses the term priest to describe a pastor or
elder in the church. There is no official priesthood in the ew Testament church.
The reason for this is very clear: Jesus Christ himself has become a permanent
priest for us and the Old Testament priesthood is now obsolete. Hebrews 7:23-25,
The priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from
continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues
for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God
through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Christ is now the
one and only priest between us and God. The reason for this is that his sacrifice was
final and his life is indestructible (7:16). When Christ appeared as a high priest . . .
he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves
but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11-12) So the
Old Testament priesthood is replaced once and for all by the priestly ministry of
Jesus -- the offering of himself as the final sacrifice for sin, and the interceding for
us today in heaven. There is no official priesthood in the ew Testament church."
5. Piper goes on, " But this raises the question: Were there other duties that priests
had in the Old Testament besides offering sacrifices for the sake of the people --
duties that may indeed be continued in the ew Testament? The answer is a clear
yes. otice Malachi 2:7, "For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men
should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of
hosts." In other words the priests were teachers. This part of their ministry is
continued in the church of the ew Testament. Ephesians 4:11 says that Christ gave

3. to the church some pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the
ministry. 1 Timothy says that there are to be overseers who are able in teaching
(3:2), and that some elders in the church are to labor in preaching and teaching
(5:17; cf. Titus 1:9).
So this part of the priests' duties in Israel is continued in the elders of the ew
Testament church -- they are responsible to teach and guide the church. But they
are never called "priests", because that would imply too much likeness to the Old
Testament office. Pastors do not offer sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins -- not in
the mass or any other way. We do not offer people Jesus Christ in the mass, we
point people to the finished, all-sufficient work of the cross and directly to the living,
interceding Jesus Christ, by the Word of God. We are teachers and preachers above
all else. So my conclusion is that Malachi 2:1-9 is very relevant for us today because
the priestly failure that Malachi talks about has to do especially with their duties as
teachers and moral examples for the people. The failure he warns against would be
just as much failure today!"
2. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your
heart to honor my name," says the LORD
Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will
curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed
them, because you have not set your heart to
honor me.
1. Here is another paradox-cursed blessings. The priest blesses someone, and instead
of it being a blessing, it becomes a curse. I would suspect that not many would
continue to come to the priest for a blessing after it turns out to be a curse. Imagine
some Jewish farmer coming to ask for a blessing on his crops and after all of his
crops wither, do you suppose he will go back and ask for a blessing on his livestock
after that? The point is the priests will soon be avoided, for it will be obvious that
God is cursing them, and so nobody will have any faith in them.
2. How pathetic is the situation when the religious leaders are under the curse of
God. They are the ones that are to lead people to God, and now they are the ones
that God is rejecting. Religion has become a negative thing in the lives of the people,
for God has refused to honor its function because the leaders will not honor his
name. Religion was nothing but a sham, and a scam to make money, and so God
refused to put his stamp of approval on it. Instead he puts his curse on it, and God
becomes anti-religious. Here is another paradox, for God has become the enemy of

4. his people's religion.
2B. Here we see the choice is totally in their hands, and it is their move. You listen
and change, or else. They had the freedom to change or God would not demand it,
for he does not expect from man anything that man cannot give. Man can listen to
God's Word and respond in obedience, or disobedience. He is free to go either way,
but he is not free to determine the consequences if he chooses not to listen and obey.
In a very real sense they curse themselves by not listening, for God is willing to hold
back his curse if they will listen, and so the curse is their own doing, and not because
God has any delight in cursing. God takes obedience very seriously. Deuteronomy
28:45, states, "All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and
overtake you Until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God
and observe the commands and decrees he gave you."
3. Henry, "Here is a record of the judgments God had brought upon these priests
for their profaneness, and their profanation of holy things. 1. They had lost their
comfort (Mal_2:2): I have already cursed your blessings. They had not the comfort of
their work, which is the satisfaction of doing good; for the blessings with which they,
as priests, blessed the people, God was so far from saying Amen to that he turned
them into curses, as he did Balaam's curses into blessings. That profane people
should not have the favour of receiving God's blessings, nor those profane priests
the honour of conferring and conveying them, but both should lie under the tokens
of his wrath. or had they the comfort of their wages, for the blessings with which
God blessed them were turned into a curse to them by their abuse of them; they
could not receive them as the gifts of his favour when they had made themselves so
obnoxious to his displeasure by not laying to heart the reproofs given them."
4. Calvin, "He now adds, I will send on you a curse; and this curse he immediately
explains, I will curse your blessings. The word blessing, we know, means everywhere
in Scripture the beneficence or kindness of God. God then is said to bless us when he
bountifully supports us and supplies whatever is necessary for us. And hence seems
to have arisen the expression, that God by his nod alone can satisfy us with all
abundance of good things. By blessings then he means a large and an abundant
provision, and also rest from enemies, a healthy air, and everything of this kind.
Some think that those prayers are intended, by which the priest blessed the people;
but there is no reason for this. God then had manifested his favor to the Jews; he
now declares that he will deprive them of all his benefits, that they might know that
he is not propitious to them. Blessings then are evidences of God’s bounty and
paternal favor.
But he immediately adds, Yea, I have cursed. By which words he proves their
senselessness: for they were not even taught by their evils, which yet produce some
effect even on fools, who, according to the common proverb, begin to be wise when
they are chastised. God then here reproves the stupidity of the Jews; for they had
already been deprived of his benefits, and they might have known by experience
that he was not propitious to them, but on the contrary an angry judge; and yet they

5. were touched by no penitence, according to what we have seen in the other
Prophets.
5. "They were also told to give honor to God's name. How can we honor the name of
God? The word honor there is "kabod", which means abundance, honor, glory. It
comes from a root word meaning "heavy or weighty". To honor God's name means
to give it weightiness. Many people dishonor the name of God by vainly prophesying
in His name. Saying, "Thus saith the Lord," when the Lord has not spoken. That
shows dishonor to the name of God, using it like a stamp of approval on our flesh.
ot giving proper weight to the divine name.Other people dishonor the name of
God by using it as a curse word. They blaspheme God using His own name. They
fail to honor God's name by esteeming its kabod, its weightiness." Author unknown
6. If the priests refuse to listen and take these things to heart, if they refuse to honor
the name of God, then God promises to curse them. In Deuteronomy 10:8, we read
"At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant
of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him and to bless in His name until
this day."They were to speak the benediction, the blessing, upon God's people. God
would hear their blessing, and bless the people. In um. 6:22-27 we read, "Then the
LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'Thus you
shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: "The LORD bless you, and keep
you; The LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift
up His countenance on you, and give you peace."' So they shall invoke My name on
the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them." So the ministers of God are
commanded to bless His people, not only physically, but verbally, speaking blessing
over them. There is a supernatural link to God's blessings when they do this, even to
this day. But because they were not esteeming the name of God, and were not taking
these things to heart, God says, "I've cursed your blessings already."Author
unknown
7. "The number one cause of atheism is Christians. Those who proclaim God with
their mouths and deny Him with their lifestyles is what an unbelieving world finds
simply unbelievable." -- Karl Rahner, quoted in the Wittenburg Door (June/July
l988). It was true in the Old Testament as well as the ew that the unfaithfulness of
believers was a primary cause for the unbelieving world to reject the God they
professed to follow. God's people are his primary witness to the world, and if their
witness is corrupted, the world will reject it.
8. The good news is that God starts with an if, and an if means there is a choice.
They could go either way, and listen or not, but God in his mercy was giving them
another chance. When you read chapter one, it is an amazing example of God's
patience and mercy to offer this chance. o earthly king would do such a thing, and
few people anywhere in power would be treated with such contempt and still offer a
chance for reconciliation.
9. Brian Bill wrote, "Look at the very first word of verse 2: “If.” God is giving them

6. a condition. If they persist in sliding south in sin, then He will punish them. This is
very similar to Jeremiah 13:16, where we read: “Give glory to the LORD your God
before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills.” On
the other hand, if they give glory to God and set their hearts to honor His holy
name, He will unleash His blessings."
3. "Because of you I will rebuke your descendants;
I will spread on your faces the offal from your
festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with
it.
1. This is about as grim and gross a scene that can be imagined. It is so aweful that it
will lead to rebuke of their descendants. The animal sacrifices produced a lot of
dung that had to be carried away. God is saying that I will not accept your sacrifice,
but instead I will cast it back in your face with all of the dung. I will smear your face
with the feces, and have you carried off to be burned just like the crap you are
offering me in your sacrifices. "He is going to give them manure makeovers! He is
going to take the excrement from the sick animals and smear it on them." God is
saying that they are as worthless as manure, and as all the crap that has to be
hauled away to the dunghill, so they will be carried away and cast on that same pile
of dung. God is talking dirty here, for he is talking about animal poop spread on
their faces. We all worry about stepping in it, but these priests are getting it in the
face. How aweful to have offal so near to your orfice. It is not a pretty picture that
God paints. It makes mere bad breath seem like a blessing in comparison. They are
showing contempt to God, and God in return treats them with contempt. So God
said of Eli in 1Sa_2:30, “them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me
shall be lightly esteemed.” I think crap in your face says it more forcefully. In
ahum 3:6 he comes close when he says, “I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you
with contempt and make you a spectacle.” My 4 year old greatgrandson would love
this text, and he would make it one of his favorites, for poop is one of his favorite
words. When God starts pelting you with poop, however, you know you are no
longer one of his favorites.
1B. They are so disgraced that it will reflect on their descendants. Their children
and grandchildren, and on down the line for who knows how many generations, will
suffer the humiliation of their sinfulness in their sacriligious behavior. I can just
imagine the poor kid going to school, whose father was one of these priests, and
some group of bratty kids saying, "Here comes the child of poop face. Ha ha ha,
poop face is back from the dunghill." ot only this, but the kids and grandkids will
be so influenced by the corrupted lives of these priest that they will go on being
disrespectful to God and bring on themselves the same judgment as the father.

7. 2. Keil & Delitzch, "Scattering dung in the face was a sign and figurative description
of the most ignominious treatment. Through the expression “dung of your festal
sacrifices,” the festal sacrifices offered by these priests are described as being
themselves dung; and the thought is this: the contempt of the Lord, which they show
by offering blind or lame animals, or such as are blemished in other ways, He will
repay to them by giving them up to the greatest ignominy."
3. Calvin, "The Prophet then shows, by mentioning one thing, what sort of curse
was nigh the Jews, — that God would destroy their seed. Some read, but
improperly, “I will destroy you and the seed.” I wonder how learned men make
such puerile mistakes, when there is nothing ambiguous in the Prophet’s words. I
will destroy then for you the seed; that is, “Sow as much as you please, I will yet
destroy your seed, so that it shall produce no fruit.” In short, he threatens the Jews
with want and famine; for the land would produce nothing when cursed by God.
Ye are a holy nation, ye are the chosen seed of Abraham, ye are a royal priesthood;
these are your boastings; but the Lord will render your faces filthy with dung; this
will be your nobility and preeminence! there is then no reason for you to think
yourselves exempt from punishments because God has adopted you; for as ye have
abused his benefits and profaned his name, so ye shall also find in your turn, that he
will cover you with everything disgraceful and ignominious, so as to make you
wholly filthy: ye shall then be covered all over with dung, and shall not be the holy
seed of Abraham.”
the Prophet alludes to the oxen, calves, and rams; for when the Jews from various
places brought their sacrifices, there must have been much dung from all that vast
number. There is then here a striking allusion to the victims themselves, as though
he had said, “Ye think that I can be pacified by your sacrifices, as though loads of
dung were pleasing to me; for when ye bring such a vast number, even the place
itself, the area before the temple, throws an ill-savor on account of the dung that is
there. Ye are then, forsooth! holy, and all your filth is cleansed away by means of
this dung. Begone then together with the dung of your solemnities; for I will cast
this very dung on your heads.” "He adds at last, It shall take you to itself; that is, “
Ye shall be dung altogether; and thus all your boastings, that ye are descended from
the holy Patriarch Abraham, shall be wholly useless; though I made a covenant and
promised that you should be to me a royal priesthood, yet the dung shall take you to
itself, and thus whatever dignity I have hitherto conferred on you shall be taken
away.”
4. Treating anyone like crap, or dung, is not very nice at all, but that is the point of
it. It is horribe to be so treated, and nothing can be more humiliating, and that is
why it is a form of the most harsh judgment that we find all through the Old
Testament. The IV uses the term in this way in only two texts.
A. 1 Kings 14:10 'Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of
Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I

8. will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone."
B. Job 20:7 he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will
say, 'Where is he?'"
5. The T IV has more of this dung business as a disgraceful end.
A. 2 Kings 9:37 Jezebel's body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel,
so that no one will be able to say, 'This is Jezebel.' "
B. Psalm 83:10 who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
C. Jeremiah 8:2 They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of
the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and
consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like
dung lying on the ground.
D. Jeremiah 9:22 Say, "This is what the LORD declares: " 'Dead bodies will lie like
dung on the open field, like cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather
them.' "
E. Jeremiah 16:4 "They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or
buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and
famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals."
F. Jeremiah 25:33 "At that time those slain by the LORD will be everywhere—
from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or
buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.
G. Ezekiel 4:15 "Very well," he said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow dung
instead of human excrement."
H. Zephaniah 1:17 "I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope
about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their
blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung.
6. When we go to the King James Version we find even more distasteful text that
reveal how disgraceful it is to be connected with dung in judgment.
A. 2 Kings 9:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the
field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.
B. 2 Kings 18:27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy
master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit
on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
C. Ezra 6:11 Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let

9. timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon;
and let his house be made a dunghill for this.
D. Isaiah 36:12 But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to
thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall,
that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
E. Jeremiah 8:2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all
the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after
whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have
worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon
the face of the earth.
F. Ezekiel 4:12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with
dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
7. Gill, "... with the dung spread upon them; they looking like a heap of dung, being
covered with it, and had in no more account than that: or "to it"; that is, as Jarchi
explains it, to the dung of the beasts of your sacrifices they shall carry you; or you
shall be carried to it, that ye may be rejected and despised as that. Kimchi's note is
"the iniquity (you are guilty of) shall carry you to this contempt; measure for
measure; you have despised me, and ye shall be despised:''
8. Their judgment was carried out on their descendants in 70 A. D. Grace otes
says, "Recall that the Levitical priesthood was restricted to the tribe of Levi, the line
of Aaron. Thus Aaron and his progeny comprised the Levitical priesthood. In
Malachi 2:3, God states that one of the components of the 'curse' to the priests will
be the eradication of their genealogical rolls. In other words, the Rabbinical system
of present day Judaism is apostate in the sense that it is not traditional, nor is it
founded on an accepted register of ancestry, i.e., it is not from the tribe of Levi, the
line of Aaron. The Jews observe the feasts, but they do not satisfy the rituals of the
feasts. Why? Because satisfaction depends upon the function of a Levitical priest.
And because of the destruction of the records in the Temple in 70 AD, they cannot
dogmatically assert who is and who is not from the tribe of Levi, the line of Aaron.
Thus, the Levitical priesthood was "confused" and replaced by the Rabbinical
system." "Just as the excrement of the Old Testament sacrifices was carried outside
the camp and disposed of, so the priests, in 70 AD, would be carried outside of the
nation of Israel and disposed of. Quite plainly, God is saying this: 'You unbelieving
priests are as spiritual as dung. Therefore I will dispose of you as I would dung.'"
4. And you will know that I have sent you this
admonition so that my covenant with Levi may

10. continue," says the LORD Almighty.
1. Henry gives us some great background to understand this verse. He wrote, "This
covenant was made with the whole tribe of Levi when they were distinguished from
the rest of the tribes, were not numbered with them, but were taken from among
them and appointed over the tabernacle of testimony ( um_1:49, um_1:50), by
virtue of which appointment God says ( um_3:12), The Levites shall be mine. It was
made with Aaron when he and his sons were taken to minister unto the Lord in the
priest's office, Exo_28:1. Aaron is therefore called the saint of the Lord, Psa_106:16.
It was made with Phinehas and his family, a branch of Aaron's, upon a particular
occasion, um_25:12, um_25:13. And there the covenant of priesthood is called, as
here, the covenant of peace, because by it peace was made and kept between God
and Israel. These great blessings of life and peace, contained in that covenant, God
gave to him, to Levi, to Aaron, to Phinehas; he promised life and peace to them and
their posterity, entrusted them with these benefits for the use and behoof of God's
Israel; they received that they might give, as Christ himself did, Psa_68:18. now, for
the further opening of this covenant, observe, 1. The considerations upon which it
was grounded: It was for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my
name. The tribe of Levi gave a signal proof of their holy fear of God, and their
reverence for his name, when they appeared so bravely against the worshippers of
the golden calf (Exo_32:26); and for their zeal in that matter God bestowed this
blessing upon them and invited them to consecrate themselves unto him. Phinehas
also showed himself zealous in the fear of God and his judgments when, to stay the
plague, he stabbed Zimri and Cozbi, Psa_106:30, Psa_106:31. ote, Those, and those
only, who fear God's name, can expect the benefit of the covenant of life and peace;
and those who give proofs of their zeal for God shall without fail be recompensed in
the glorious privileges of the Christian priesthood."
2. Calvin, "This evil however has ever prevailed among men — that they have
defrauded God of his glory, and have turned to an occasion of pride the favors
received from him. But it is an evil which is very commonly seen in all governors;
for they who are raised to a high dignity, think no more that they are men, but take
to themselves very great liberty when they find themselves so much exalted above
others. Thus kings and those in authority seem to themselves to be above the
common order of men, and presumptuously disregard all laws; they think that
everything is lawful for them, as no one opposes their willfulness. The same thing is
also to be seen in teachers. For when God favored the priests with the highest honor,
they became blinded, as it will hereafter be seen, by that favor of God, that they
thought themselves to be as it were semi-gods; and the same thing has taken place in
the kingdom of Christ.
And he adds, not without severity, that my covenant may be with Levi; as though he
had said, “On what account are ye thus elated? for God cannot get a hearing for
himself, yet ye say that the covenant with Levi is not to be void, as though God had

11. put Levi in his own place, and divested himself of all authority when he appointed
that tribe, and made you ministers of the temple and teachers of the people; is he
nothing? What was God’s purpose when he honored you with that dignity? He
certainly did not mean to reduce himself to nothing, but, on the contrary, his will
was, that his own right should remain entire and complete. When therefore I
reprove your vices, and show that ye are become vile, and as it were dung, that ye
are defiled by everything disgraceful, — when I make these things openly known, I
do not violate the covenant made with Levi. God then justly summons you before his
tribunal, and strips you of your honor, in order that the covenant he made with Levi
may be confirmed and ratified.” This is, as I have said, a severe derision."
5. "My covenant was with him, a covenant of life
and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for
reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of
my name.
1. Here is a discription of what a priest should be like. They are to have the highest
expressions of reverence for God, and treat his name and everything holy with a
sense of awe. Such reverence is what the fear of the Lord is all about that is so
important in the lives of all believers, but specially so in the lives of leaders and
teachers. God's name is equivalent to God himself, and to revere it, honor it, and
stand in awe of it represents our attitude toward God. It is the essence of worship to
revere and be in awe of God's name. This is the key fault of the priests here in
Malachi, for they have no reverence for God, and they do not honor his name. They
have no awe of God, and no fear of God, and so they do things that God forbids
because they don't care about what God wants and wills.
1B. Kelley: "In Hebrew thought, a name was far more than just a convenient way to
address another person. A person’s name represented the essence of his or her
being. . .Furthermore, the revelation of God’s name to a person was viewed as a sign
of special favor. . . To know God’s name was to know God, His holiness, His power,
and His love. To honor His name was to honor God. To despise His name was the
height ofblasphemy and sacrilege."
1C. The ideal priest was one who recognized the honor it was to be a servant in the
house of the Lord. People in all forms of ministry need to grasp the truth that there
is not higher calling in life than to be in God's service. Here is a story of a servant
who did grasp it: "A missionary was offered a position with a large firm that was
doing business in the country where he was serving. The position carried a salary
that was much higher than what the missionary had been receiving. When he
declined the offer, the firm’s officials returned with an even higher salary offer.

12. Again, he declined. The officials, reacting in amazement, asked: “How much salary
would persuade you to join our firm?” The missionary responded: “Oh, it’s not a
question of your salary not being big enough. It’s just that your job isn’t big
enough!”
2. Barnes, "So Isaiah says Isa_8:12-13, “Fear ye not their fear (the fear of this
people), nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself, and let Him be your fear
and let Him be your dread.” “What can be more precious (than this fear)? For it is
written Pro_13:13, ‘He who feareth the Lord will be rewarded.’ (Ecclesiasticus
1:11), ‘The fear of the Lord is honor and glory and gladness and a crown of
rejoicing.’ He saith, “the fear, wherewith he feareth Me and was afraid,” i. e., he
received the fear of God in his whole heart and soul. For these reduplications and
emphases suggest to the hearer how rooted in virtue are those thus praised."
3. "The former portion of the verse expresses the promise, and Jehovah’s fulfillment
of it; the latter, the condition, and Levi’s steadfastness to it (Deu_33:8, Deu_33:9).
The Jewish priests self-deceivingly claimed the privileges of the covenant, while
neglecting the conditions of it, as if God were bound by it to bless them, while they
were free from all the obligation which it imposed to serve Him. The covenant is
said to be not merely “of life and peace,” but “life and peace”; for the keeping of
God’s law is its own reward (Psa_19:11).
4. Calvin stresses the folly of the priest in thinking that the covenant was only one
sided. God made promises and they wanted those promises of his blessing, but they
totally forgot that the covenant was two sides, and that they also had an obligation
on their part, which they were totally ignoring. Calvin wrote, "So also our Prophet
here shows, that the priests made pretences and deceived the common people, while
they sought to prove themselves heirs of the covenant which God had made with
Levi their father, that is, with the tribe itself. “I shall be faithful,” says God, “and
my faithfulness will be evident from the compact itself; my compact with your
father was that of life and peace: but it was mutual: ye seem not to think that there
are two parties in a compact, and that there is, according to what is commonly said,
a reciprocal obligation: but I on my part promised to your father to be his father,
and I also stipulated with him that he was to obey me, to obey my word, and
whatever I might afterwards require. ow ye will have me to be bound to you, and
yourselves to be free from every obligation. What equity is this — that I should owe
everything to you and you nothing to me? My compact then with him was that of
life and peace; but what is your compact? what is it that ye owe to me? Even what
the mutual compact which I made with your father Levi and his tribe requires;
perform this, and ye shall find that I am faithful and constant in all my promises.”
5. Grace otes, "And the the last clause in verse 5, which reads, "this called for
reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name," could perhaps be
better translated as follows: "this covenant called for faith (salvation through belief
in Christ) and he (Levi) worshiped me (God) and had respect for my name (the

13. coming Christ, the Messiah, the manifest One, the Living God)." In other words,
knowledge of God led Levi to the point where he respected and loved God, the
visible Christ to come. But Levi's starting point was faith in God, i.e., belief in
Christ. And the priests of Malachi's day have no faith in God, no fear of God, no
respect for God, and certainly no love for God; they are just mechanical men going
through mechanical motions as they perform the animal sacrifices. Their conduct
stinks of secularity and infidelity."
6. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing
false was found on his lips. He walked with me in
peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.
1. The perfect priest taught truth, avoided falsehood, walked with the Lord with a
consistent righteousness, and was successful in helping others prevent sinning in
their lives. They were a true community blessing worthy of honor from God and the
people. Such were the good old days is what God is saying, but you present day
priests are a far cry from this ideal picture. You better gaze at it hard and long,
however, or there will be a heavy price to pay. You will notice there is no poop on
the face, mouth and lips of these righteous men of God. Take a good look and follow
their lead and you will not be smeared with such yourselves.
2. The words he walked with me in peace and uprightness coveys the idea that his
faith was not a mere ritual that he performed in the temple, but a way of life. He
lived in the presence of God in all of his activities, and not just in the ceremonial
functions of his religion. He lived to please God in all that he did in both the sacred
and secular aspects of life. This is what walking with God is all about. If you are
only religious in the sense of being aware of God's presence in church, and then live
the rest of the week with no thought of God and his presence in your daily life, you
are not walking with God. You may be sitting or standing with God, but you are not
walking with him, for it is a one time thing and not a continuous thing, which is the
ideal.
3. Barnes gives us a list of texts that show it was the duty of the priests to teach the
people the law of God. "Of the priest God says; Lev_10:11, “that ye may teach the
children of Israel all the statutes, which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the
hand of Moses:” of the tribe of Levi generally Moses says Deu_33:10, “They shall
teach Jacob Thy judgments and Israel Thy law.” After the schism of the ten tribes, a
prophet says to Asa, that “Israel” had 2Ch_15:3, “for long time been without the
true God and without a teaching priest and without law.” They are evil times, of
which Ezekiel says Eze_7:26, “the law shall perish from the priest;” and God says of
corrupt priests Jer_2:8, “The priest said not, where is the Lord? And they that
handle the law knew Me not. Eze_22:26; Zep_3:4 they did violence to My law.”

14. Upon their return from the captivity Ezra was known to Artaxerxes as Ezr_7:12,
Ezr_7:21, “a scribe of the law of the God of heaven,” and he looked upon him
apparently, as one who should keep the people in good order by teaching it.
Ezr_7:25-26, “thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God which is in thy hand, set
magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people which are beyond the river,
all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach ye them that know them not: and
whosoever will not do the law of thy God or the law of the king, let judgment be
executed speedily upon him.” Ezra says of himself, that he Ezr_7:10, “had prepared
his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and
judgments.”
4. Barnes adds an interesting insight: "And turned away many from iniquity - They,
the true priests of the Old Testament then, were not satisfied with their own
sanctification, but were zealous for the salvation of souls. What a history of zeal for
the glory of God and the conversion of sinners in those, of whom the world knows
nothing; of whose working, but for the three words in the closing book of the Old
Testament, we should have known nothing!"
5. Henry has great praise for these old priests who pleased God, and all of his
commentary is worth reading. He wrote, "Here is a memorial of the fidelity and zeal
of many of their predecessors in the priest's office, which are mentioned as an
aggravation of their sin in degenerating from such honourable ancestors and
deserting such illustrious examples, and as a justification of God in withdrawing
from them those tokens of his presence which he had granted to those that kept
close to him. See here (Mal_2:6) how good the godly priest was, whose steps they
should have trod in, and what good he did, God's grace working with him. 1. See
how good he was. He was ready and mighty in the scriptures: The law of truth was
in his mouth, for the use of those that asked the law at his mouth; and in all his
discourses there appeared more or less of the law of truth. Every thing he said was
under the government of that law, and with it he governed others. He spoke as one
having authority (every word was a law), and as one that had both wisdom and
integrity - it was a law of truth, and truth is a law, it has a commanding power. It is
by truth that Christ rules. The law of truth was in his mouth, for his resolutions of
cases of conscience proposed to him were such as might be depended upon; his
opinion was good law.
5B. Henry goes on, "Iniquity was not found in his lips; he did not handle the word of
God deceitfully, to please men, to serve a turn, or to make an interest for himself, but
told all that consulted him what the law was, whether it were pleasing or
displeasing. He did not pronounce that unclean which was clean, nor that clean
which was unclean, as one of the rabbin expounds it. And his conversation was of a
piece with his doctrine. God himself gives him this honourable testimony: He walked
with me in peace and equity. He did not think it enough to talk of God, but he walked
with him. The temper of his mind, and the tenour of his life, were of a piece with his
doctrine and profession; he lived a life of communion with God, and made it his
constant care and business to please him; he lived like a priest that was chosen to

15. walk before God, 1Sa_2:30. His conversation was quiet; he was meek and gentle
towards all men, was a pattern and promoter of love; he walked with God in peace,
was himself peaceable and a great peace-maker. His conversation was also honest;
he did no wrong to any, but made conscience of rendering to all their due: He
walked with me in equity, or rectitude. We must not, for peace-sake, transgress the
rules of equity, but must keep the peace as far as is consistent with justice. The
wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable. Ministers, of all men, are concerned
to walk with God in peace and equity, that they may be examples to the flock.
5C. Henry continued, "See what good he did; he answered the ends of his
advancement to that office: He did turn many away from iniquity; he made it his
business to do good, and God crowned his endeavours with wonderful success; he
helped to save many a soul from death, and there are multitudes now in heaven
blessing God that ever they knew him. Ministers must lay out themselves to the
utmost for the conversion of sinners, and even among those that have the name of
Israelites there is need of conversion-work, there are many to be turned from
iniquity; and they must reckon it an honour, and a rich reward of their labour, if
they may but be instrumental herein. It is God only that by his grace can turn men
from iniquity, and yet it is here said of a pious laborious minister that he turned
men from iniquity as a worker together with God, and an instrument in his hand;
and those that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars, Dan_12:3. ote,
Those ministers, and those only, are likely to turn men from iniquity, that preach
sound doctrine and live good lives, and both according to the scripture; for, as one
of the rabbin observes here, When the priest is upright many will be upright."
6. Calvin wrote, "The law of truth, he says, was in his mouth. Why does he not
commend the integrity of his heart rather than his words? Had he spoken of an
individual, the Prophet might have justly said, that he who sought to be an
approved servant of God, had conducted himself harmless towards men; but he
speaks of a public office, when he says, that the law of truth was in his mouth; for he
is not worthy of that honor who is mute: and nothing is more preposterous, or even
more ridiculous, than that those should be counted priests who are no teachers.
These two things are, as they say, inseparable — the office of the priesthood and
teaching.
And that he might more clearly show that he speaks not of an ordinary matter, he
repeats the same thing in other words, Iniquity was not found in his lips. We hence
see that all this belongs peculiarly to the sacerdotal office. He afterwards adds, In
peace and rectitude he walked before me. The Prophet here commends also the
sincere concern for religion which the first priests manifested, for they walked with
God in peace and uprightness; they not only carried signals in their lips and mouth,
by which they might have been justly deemed the ministers of God and the pastors
of his Church; but they also executed faithfully their office. And he alludes to the
peace of which he had spoken: as God then had promised peace to the Levites, so
also he says, that the Levites had lived themselves peaceably before God; for they
did not break the covenant which he had made with them. As then they had
responded to the stipulation of God, he says that they had walked in peace: but he

16. also mentions how this was; it was, because they had walked in uprightness."
7. Apple, "Four Essentials of Proper Priestly Ministry
a. Teaching the Truth
“True instruction was in his mouth”
b. Purity of Conduct
“and unrighteousness was not found on his lips”
c. Intimacy of Fellowship
“he walked with Me in peace and uprightness”
d. Effectiveness of Ministry = Fruit of Changed Lives
“and he turned many back from iniquity.”
8. Grace otes, "In verse 6, Malachi compares Levi with the priests of Malachi's
day. Levi spoke "true instruction," that is, by offering unblemished animal
sacrifices, Levi instructed the Jews in the shadow Christology of the Old Testament.
And 'truth was in his mouth' and "nothing false" on "his lips;" these two phrases
delineate the following concept: words are the expression of thoughts, and thoughts
originate in the soul. Thus, Levi thought the absolute truth of God's Word and
imparted it with his lips.
"Peace" SHALOM, again refers to the concept of reconciliation. In other words,
Levi was reconciled to God by faith in Christ. He believed what he was teaching
through the sacrifices. Levi had fulfilled the contract with God in every way. He had
true fellowship with God. And the term "uprightness" MISHOR, declares that
because Levi had been reconciled to God, he had also satisfied the Righteousness of
God, by means of faith in the Lamb of God, and thus was 'justified' in God's eyes."
7. "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve
knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek
instruction--because he is the messenger of the
LORD Almighty.
1. It was the duty of the priest to preserve the law by instructing each generation,
and by so doing he became the messenger of God. He was to keep the word of God,
not from the people, but for the people. He was the one through whom the Lord
would communicate his will to the people. The priest was to be a student of the law
so that he became the expert in knowing what God's will was in all circumstances.
People would come to him with their questions, and he would have the answers.
Angels were God's messengers, and these priests then were the angels of God's
people. In the book of Revelation we see that the leaders of the 7 churches were also
called angels, for they were the messengers through whom God communicated to

17. the churches. It is a high and holy office to be a priest and a messenger of God, and
that is why God is so disgusted with the priests in this book, for they are so far from
the ideal that they were a negative force in the community rather than the most
positive force.
1B. Brian Bill, " I like to keep in mind the model that Ezra sets: “For Ezra had
devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to
teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). First, he was devoted. Second,
he studied. Third, he applied what he had studied. And finally, he taught others.
That’s a good formula for each of us to follow. otice the second part of verse 7: “…
And from his mouth men should seek instruction-because he is the messenger of the
LORD Almighty.” People should want to hear from us. That leads to a question,
doesn’t it? Are you making people thirsty for God? Do people come to you for
answers? If we’re living our faith out loud, people will notice and they will seek
instruction from us. If no one has asked you why your life is different, then maybe it
really isn’t. 1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope
that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
2. Henry, "Ministers must be men of knowledge; for how are those able to teach
others the things of God who are themselves unacquainted with those things or
unready in them? They must keep knowledge, must furnish themselves with it and
retain what they have got, that they may be like the good householder, who brings
out of his treasury things new and old. ot only their heads, but their lips, must keep
knowledge; they must not only have it, but they must have it ready, must have it at
hand, must have it (as we say) at their tongue's end, to be communicated to others
as there is occasion."
3. Calvin, "What the Prophet has said of the first priests he extends now to the
whole Levitical tribe, and shows that it was a perpetual and unchangeable law as to
the priesthood. He had said that Levi had been set over the Church, not to apply to
himself the honor due to God, but to stand in his own place as the minister of God,
and the teacher of the chosen people. The same thing he now confirms, declaring it
as a general truth that the lips of the priest ought to retain knowledge, as though he
had said, that they were to be the store-house from which the food of the Church
was to be drawn. God then did appoint the priests over his chosen people, that the
people might seek their food from them as from a store-room, according to what we
find to be the case with a master of a family, who has his store of wine and his store
of provisions. As then the food of a whole family is usually drawn out from places
where provisions are laid up, so the Prophet makes use of this similitude, — that
God has deposited knowledge with the priests, so that the mouth of every priest
might be a kind of store-house, so to speak, from which the people are to seek
knowledge and the rule of a religious life: Keep knowledge then shall the lips of the
priest, and the law shall they seek from his mouth."

18. 4. What you don't get from the ideal religious leader you can, of course, get through
your mother according to Brian Bill. He wrote, "There are some things that only a
mom can teach…
My mother taught me about anticipation:
“Just wait until your father gets home!”
My mother taught me about medical science:
“If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to stay that way.”
My mother taught me about genetics:
“You’re just like your father.”
My mother taught me about justice:
“One day you’ll have kids and I hope they turn out just like you.” (I heard that one
a lot)
5. Bruce Ferris, "Ezra is a fine example to examine in the Old Testament. He was
one of the sons of Aaron, a priestly line, and his name signifies “helper”, which the
Lord’s Message is to be. Listen what is said of Ezra in the Bible: “For Ezra had set
his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it…” (Ezra 7:10) otice Ezra
set his heart to study the law of the Lord. The word set means to establish, fix,
prepare or apply. Literally, set in this context means, “to be erect or stand
perpendicular.” One gets the image of a fence post firmly fixed in the ground so it
cannot be shaken by forces nature might bring against it. Likewise, Ezra’s heart
involved not just the emotions but the intellect and will. So, he firmly established his
very being to search for and pursue the meaning of Scripture. He was established in
the faith so he wasn’t toss by every wind of doctrine.
As the Lord’s messenger, you are exhorted to do the same. The Apostle Paul tells
you to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not
need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Likewise, you are advised to “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things
that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2) And this should be done “not by way of eye
service, as men pleasers, but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the
heart.” (Ephesians 6:6) The best teacher is one who is always a student and always
learning. otice this knowledge is not only in your head but also on your lips. For
you to preserve knowledge – it must be on the tip of your tongue – “but sanctify
Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone
who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and
reverence;” (1 Peter 3:15) The story is told by Dr. Howard Hendricks of a professor
who made an impact on his life Dr. Hendricks often saw him pouring over his

19. books. One day, Hendricks asked him, “Doctor, I’d like to know, what is it that
keeps you studying? You never cease to learn.” He answer: “Son, I would rather
have my students drink from a running stream that from a stagnant pool.”
8. But you have turned from the way and by your
teaching have caused many to stumble; you have
violated the covenant with Levi," says the LORD
Almighty.
1. Here is the big "But" that takes us from the glorious past to the pathetic present
where the priests were not teaching people how to walk with God. Instead, they
were teaching people in such a way that they fell away from God. They caused
people to stumble and fall on their faces, not in reverence, but in rejection of the law
of God. They violated the covenant and taught others to do the same, and so the
whole religious system was anti-God. Who ever heard of religion that was opposed
to God? That is among the most paradoxical of paradoxes. Atheism is anti-God
because they don't believe God exists, and that makes some sense, but to believe in
God, and then have a religion that defies his will and leads people away from
obedience to God is as strange a perversion that can be conceived. But here you
have it, a religious system that leads people away from God; an anti-religious
religion designed, not to lead people to God, but to lead them away from God. The
devil himself could not have come up with a better idea to hinder God's will being
done on earth as it is in heaven.
2. It is not only old foggys who think that the good old days were the best, for God is
saying the same thing here. The old was best, and the present is a great departure
from the old best. The present stinks compared to the sweet smelling obedience of
the past. Henry says, "You have departed out of the way (Mal_2:8), out of the good
way which God has prescribed to you, and which your godly ancestors walked
before you in. It is ill with a people when those whose office it is to guide them in the
way do themselves depart out of it: “You have not kept my ways, not kept in them
yourselves, nor done your part to keep others in them,”
3. Keil, "Hence Jehovah also is no longer bound by the covenant, but withdraws
from the priests what He granted to the Levi who was faithful to the covenant, viz.,
life and salvation (Mal_2:5), and makes them contemptible and base with all the
people. This is simply a just retribution for the fact, that the priests depart from His
ways and have respect to men in the administration of the law, they act with
partiality."

20. 4. Calvin, "He shows here how far were the priests of his time from fulfilling that
compact which he had mentioned. He hence concludes that they were unworthy of
the honor of which they were so confidently proud, and under the shadow of which
they sought to cover their vices, as though they were not bound to God, and were at
liberty to tread the Church under foot with impunity. He then shows that it was an
extremely foolish arrogance in them to seek to be exempt from all law, and yet to
regard God and the whole Church bound to them.
He says first, that they deviated from the way, that is, they exhibited nothing
suitable to their office, on account of which they were counted priests. He then
amplifies their guilt — that they made many to stumble in the law. He had before
said that Levi walked in peace and uprightness; what he now says is very different
— that the priests, forgetting religion, had first shaken off the yoke. He had said
that Levi restored many from iniquity; but he now says that the priests made many
to stumble. He adds in the last place — Ye have therefore corrupted the covenant.
An illative is to be put here, for so ought the sentence to be explained — “As ye have
deviated from the way, and perverted the whole worship of God, ye have thus
violated the compact which had been sanctioned with Levi; ye have then no reason
to boast of your title of honor, for succession failed when ye fell away from the
faithfulness of your father Levi.”
5. Instead of turning many back from iniquity and giving men proper godly
instruction, these priests had caused many to stumble by their instruction. God is a
very serious Father. And when you mess with His children, you're walking on thin
ice. Jesus said in Matt. 18:6-7 "but whoever causes one of these little ones who
believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around
his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because
of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to
that man through whom the stumbling block comes!"They were causing the people
to stumble by improperly instructing the people. They had deviated from the pure
Word of God. Whenever you turn aside from the narrow path of the true Word, it is
only a matter of time before you will stumble and fall." Author unknown
6. Grace otes, "This functional failure of the priesthood has led "many" to
"stumble," which is the hiphil of KASHAL, and refers to 'enfeebling the spiritual
life to the point of apostasy.' In other words, the apostate teaching of the priests has
led the Jews to spiritual apostasy, civil lawlessness, idol worship; and, moreover, has
led to the destruction of personal freedom within Judah, and the destruction of the
institution of marriage and the concept of family."
7. The sins of which the Lord’s priests were guilty are nothing less than shocking.
1. Refusing to reverence the Lord and despising His name - Mal. 1:6.
2. Offering the blind, lame, sick, etc. as sacrifices - Mal. 1:7,8.
3. Treating the altar as contemptible - Mal. 1:7,12.
4. Treating the Lord’s service as a wearisome drudgery - Mal. 1:13.

21. 5. Refusing to take the Lord’s warning to heart - Mal. 2:1,2.
6. Corrupting the priestly covenant of Levi - Mal. 2:4,5,8.
7. Departing from the way of the Lord - Mal. 2:8,9.
8. Causing the people to stumble at the law - Mal. 2:8.
9. Showing partiality in the priestly functions - Mal. 2:9.
9. "So I have caused you to be despised and
humiliated before all the people, because you have
not followed my ways but have shown partiality in
matters of the law."
1. How can you be too hard on men who reverse the whole purpose for their
existence? God is severe with them, and rightly so, for they have become a disgrace
among his people. The people have no respect for their priests because they have no
respect for God. They ignore his clear revealed will, and they interpret it to fit their
own will by giving special treatment to those they favor. Sinners that can benefit
them, such as slipping a few extra gold coins to them, are not held accountable, but
poor sinners who cannot afford to bribe are made to suffer the full judgment of the
law. Everybody knows it is a racket and they are nothing more than con artists, and
so they are not respected at all, but they don't care as long as the loot keeps coming.
They use their position only to please men and not God. It is all for what they can
get out of it, and not for what they can give to bless others.
1B. Grace otes, "The priests, then, were not teaching God's word; rather they
were being suborned by wealth and money. Thus, they became the 'hired help' of
anyone with money. In other words, they were religious prostitutes, and people
exploit prostitutes, but they do not respect or honor them. And the Jews of
Malachi's day had no respect for the priests. So the chain is sequential: the priests
had no respect for God and His word, the people had no respect for the priests, and
the priests respected money, while the people exploited the avarice of the priests."
2. Barnes, "You have interpreted the law differently for rich and poor, or have put
it in force against the poor, not against the rich. It would include actual bribery; but
there are many more direct offences against equal justice." “Thou shalt not respect
the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty, in righteousness shalt
thou judge thy neighbor Deu_1:17, ye shall not respect persons in judgment
Deu_16:19, thou shall not wrest judgment,”
2B. God takes being fair in judgment very seriously, and when justice is not done,
and priests; any authority, or any person practices partiality it raises a red flag
before the eyes of God. Look at these texts and you will see just how important it is
to God.

22. Leviticus 19:15 Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or
favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
Deuteronomy 1:17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great
alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case
too hard for you, and I will hear it.
Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the
great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
Deuteronomy 16:19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe,
for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
2 Chronicles 19:7 ow let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for
with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery."
Job 13:10 He would surely rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.
Job 32:21 I will show partiality to no one, nor will I flatter any man;
Job 34:19 who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the
poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
Psalm 82:2 How long will you [ The Hebrew is plural. ] defend the unjust and show
partiality to the wicked? Selah Here is the clever criminal lawyer who gets the man
off that everyone knows is guilty of the crime.
Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is
not good:
Proverbs 28:21 To show partiality is not good— yet a man will do wrong for a piece
of bread.
Luke 20:21 So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and
teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in
accordance with the truth.
1 Timothy 5:21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect
angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of
favoritism.
2C. In the light of all these passages we can see why God was fed up with the priests,
for they were the ones who had the responsiblity to maintain a fair system of justice.
They chose instead to use their position to cater to the rich and let them get by with
injustice, and that for a price, of course. Apple wrote, "Showing partiality to the

23. rich and powerful and influential is always a temptation for spiritual leaders." He
asks, "Do we show partiality in what portions of the Scripture we choose to overlook
or in how we apply God’s standards to different groups of people?" The answer, of
course, is yes, we as Christians do practice partiality. If you don't believe it, read
James 2, and you will see that the early church had a problem in being too much
like these bad priests of Israel. They treated the rich in church like royalty, but
treated the poor like scum. We may not be as conspicuous in our partiality as they
were, but it is a universal human problem, and none of us are free from the
tempation to do so. We tend to be more subtle, however, but these priests were
flagrant in their disobedience to God's clear revelation, and they were the ones to set
the example for the people.
2D. Connie Giordano makes a statement that makes it just about impossible for any
of us to escape the temptation to be partial. She wrote, "Do you favor a certain class
of people based on their appearance, rank, wealth, intelligence, manner of speaking,
church denomination, nationality, race, etc. ? If so, then you are not obeying the
Word of the Lord. You are committing Sin." The primary sin in the Bible is
showing partiality to the rich over the poor, but all partiality that is unfair, and
discriminating in a way that encourages prejudice and injustice is clearly out of
God's will.
2E. Here again we see the reality of man's will in conflict with God's will. God
makes it clear that showing partiality is sinful behavior, and he forbids it
repeateadly. evertheless, man has a free will, and he can choose to ignore God's
will and do it anyway. God does not stop this evil behavior, for he is committed to
allowing man the freedom to disobey. He will hold those responsible who make this
bad choice, and they will suffer judgment for it, but he does not prevent it from
happening. So you have a world where all sins and evil behavior contrary to God's
will are permitted in order for man to be free to exercise his own will in a way that
will please God or displease him. This is the only kind of world that makes sense
because of the fact that God is love, and love is the highest value in this world. If
power was supreme, God could just make everything happen the way it pleased
him, but his love says, "There is no lasting pleasure in a machine that is made to do
what it is programed to do. I want live beings who have the freedom to choose to do
what I want them to do. It is risky, because such freedom can be used to choose
what I hate, but it is worth the risk, for my love can only be satisfied with beings
who can respond by loving me back." So God took the risk, even knowing that he
would have to pay an enormous price to save these being by his own Son's sacrifice.
Many will choose to love and obey him, and many will choose to rebel and not obey,
but the happy ending with God and man togather in love forever makes it all worth
while.
3. Clarke points out a specific example of corruption of the priesthood. He wrote,
"See what happened to the truly abominable priesthood of France and Rome 1796-

24. 8. They were the sole cause of that infidelity that brought about the revolution." We
could go through history and show that the priesthood has led the people into
corruption over and over again. In our own day the greatest number of scandals are
coming out of the priesthood. It is not limited to Catholic priest, however, for many
protestant spokesmen for God are also corrupt, and abuse their office for personal
gain, and for other immoral purposes. o body of believers is immune to this kind
of corruption.
4. Henry, "“You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, have violated it, have
contradicted the great intentions of it, and have done what in you lay to frustrate
and defeat them; you have managed your office as if it were designed only to feed
you fat and make you great; and not for the glory of God and the good of the souls
of men.” This was a corrupting of the covenant of Levi; it was perverting the ends of
the office, and making it subservient to those sensual secular things over which it
ought always to have dominion. And thus they forfeited the benefit of that covenant,
and corrupted it to themselves; they made it void, and lost the life and peace which
were by it settled upon them. We have no reason to expect God should perform his
part of the covenant if we do not make conscience of performing ours.
4B. Another instance of their betraying their trust was that they were partial in the
law, Mal_2:9. In the law given to them they would pick and choose their duty; this
they would do and that they would not do, just as they pleased; this is the fashion of
hypocrites, while those whose hearts are upright with God have a respect to all his
commandments. Or, rather, in the law they were to lay down to the people; in this
they knew faces (so the word is); they accepted persons; they wilfully misinterpreted
and misapplied the law, either to cross those they had a spleen against or to
countenance those they had a kindness for; they would wink at those sins in some
which in others they would be sharp upon, according as their interest or inclination
led them. God is no respecter of persons in making his law, nor will he in reckoning
for the breach of it; he regards not the rich more than the poor, and therefore his
priests, his ministers, misrepresent him, and do him a great deal of dishonour, if, in
doctrine or discipline, they be respecters of persons. See 1Ti_5:21. 3. That they did a
great deal of mischief to the souls of men, which they should have helped to save:
You have caused many to stumble at the law, not only to fall in the law (as the margin
reads it) by transgressing it, taught and encouraged to do so by the examples of the
priests, but to stumble at the law, by contracting prejudices against it, as if the law
were the minister of sin and gave countenance to it. Thus Hophni and Phinehas by
their wickedness made the sacrifices of the Lord to be abhorred, 1Sa_2:17.
4C. There are many to whom the law of God is a stumbling-block, the gospel of
Christ a savour of death unto death, and Christ himself a rock of offence; and
nothing contributes more to this than the vicious lives of those that make a
profession of religion, by which men are tempted to say, “It is all a jest.” This is
properly a scandal, a stone of stumbling; there is no good reason why it should be so
to any, but woe to those by whom this offence comes. 4. That, when they were under
the rebukes both of the word and of the providence of God for it, they would not

25. hear, that is, they would not heed, they would not lay it to heart; they were not at all
grieved or shamed for their sin, nor affected with the tokens of God's displeasure
which they were under. What we hear does us no good unless we lay it to heart and
admit the impressions of it: You will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, by
repentance and reformation. Therefore we should lay to heart the things of God,
that we may give glory to the name of God, may praise him in and for all that
whereby he has made himself known. It is bad in any to rob God of his honour, but
worst in ministers, whose office and business it is to bear up his name and to give
him the glory due to it."
5. Their teaching was bad enough, but their actions made their teaching a joke even
when it was valid teaching. Edgar Guest had a word for these men too.
“I Rather See A Sermon”
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example always clear;
And the best of all preachers are the men, who live their creeds,
For to see the good action is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done,
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be wise and true;
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
10. Have we not all one Father? Did not one God
create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our
fathers by breaking faith with one another?
1. God is the Father of his people in a special way. He created them by his special
choice and providence in bringing them on the stage of history. "“Thus saith the
Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel. Every one that
is called by My ame; I have created Him for My glory; I have formed him; yea I
have made him. This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My
praise." This and other verses from Isaiah spell this out-(Isa_43:1, Isa_43:7,

26. Isa_43:21, add Isa_44:2, Isa_44:21, Isa_44:24)." God is not talking about creation in
general that incluedes all people, but about his specialized creation of this chosen
people.
2. Barnes, "And from the first in Moses’ song Deu_32:6, “Is not He thy Father that
created thee? Hath He not made thee and established thee?” This creation of them
by God, as His people, gave them a new existence, a new relation to each other; so
that every offence against each other was a violation of their relation to God, who
had given them this unity, and was, in a nearer sense than of any other, the common
Father of all. “Why then,” the prophet adds, “do we deal treacherously, a man
against his brother, to profane the covenant of our fathers?” He does not yet say,
wherein this treacherous dealing consisted; but awakens them to the thought, that
sin against a brother is sin against God, Who made him a brother; as, and much
more under the Gospel, in which we are all members of one mystical body
1Co_8:12, “when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience,
ye sin against Christ.” He speaks of the sin, as affecting those who did not commit
it."
3. The specific sin that is being dealt with here is that of divorcing your wife so you
can marry a pagan idol worshiping woman. The pagans were likely more sexy than
the Jewish women, for they made sex a part of their religion, and so the Jewish men
were just like men have always been. They like sex to excess, and they saw their
chance for more with the pagan women, and so they sought divorce so as to be free
to take these foreign hoties. Sex is a powerful force that often leads men to do things
out of God's will. Control of the sex drive is one of the key elements in living a life
pleasing to God, and they were not in control, for it was controlling them to do what
God had forbidden.
4. Keil, "The one father, whom all have, is neither Adam, the progenitor of all men,
nor Abraham, the father of the Israelitish nation, but Jehovah, who calls Himself
the Father of the nation in Mal_1:6. God is the Father of Israel as its Creator; not,
however, in the general sense, according to which He made Israel the people of His
possession. By the two clauses placed at the head, Malachi intends not so much to
lay emphasis upon the common descent of all the Israelites, by virtue of which they
form one united family in contrast with the heathen, as to say that all the Israelites
are children of God, and as such spiritual brethren and sisters. Consequently every
violation of the fraternal relation, such as that of which the Israelite was guilty who
married a heathen woman, or put away an Israelitish wife, was also an offence
against God, a desecration of His covenant. The idea that the expression “one
father” refers to Abraham as the ancestor of the nation (Jerome, Calvin, and
others), is precluded by the fact, that not only the Israelites, but also the Ishmaelites
and Edomites were descended from Abraham; and there is no ground whatever for
thinking of Jacob, because, although he had indeed given his name to Israel, he is
never singled out as its ancestor.
The Israelite acted faithlessly towards his brother, both when he contracted a
marriage with a heathen woman, and when he put away his Israelitish wife, and

27. thereby desecrated the covenant of the fathers, i.e., the covenant which Jehovah
made with the fathers, when He chose them from among the heathen, and adopted
them as His covenant nation (Exo_19:5-6; Exo_24:8)."
11. Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has
been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah
has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by
marrying the daughter of a foreign god.
1. God's charges are getting stronger as the sins of the priests become even more
abominable. God is extremely disgusted with them for they have entered into a
serious relationship with a foreign god. It is not bad enough that they ignore their
own God, but they make it worse by showing favor to another god. This is the
ultimate in betrayal. It is the essence of what adultery is all about, in that you ignore
the one you are married to and go off and make love with one you are not
committed to. That is spiritual adultery when we do the same with God, and that is
what the Israelites were doing. It is detestable, and this means to be “morally
disgusting” and “abhorrent.” Brian Bill says, "This term was reserved for the worst
of evils, such as immorality, witchcraft, or idolatry. otice that they had “desecrated
the sanctuary the Lord loves…” This is the same word that is translated “profane”
in verse 10. The word “sanctuary” literally refers to God’s holiness. Their behavior
was a direct affront to the weightiness of Yahweh."
1B. They had committed spiritual adultery first, and this in turn leads to physical
adultery. When you lose your relationship with God, all other relationships are in
danger, for you no longer have a foundation for life. ow there are no solid values,
and all becomes relative. You are free to do whatever you feel like doing, for now
your free will is your highest value, and it no longer cares for God and his values.
Every evil is possible in the life of one who no longer loves God with all his heart.
1C. Both Ezra (Ezra 9:1,2) and ehemiah ( eh. 10:30; 13:23-28) describe their
distress at this situation. In calling for repentance, ehemiah says, “I contended
with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair” ( eh.
13:25). Malachi is equally alarmed when he says, “Judah has dealt treacherously,
and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem” (Mal. 2:11)
2. Barnes, "Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts were in themselves a special
profanation of that holiness. The high priest was to Lev_21:14-15, “take a virgin of
his own people to wife, and not to profane his seed among the people.” The priests
who “married stranqe wives, defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the

28. priesthood” eh_13:29. The marriage with idolatresses brought, as one
consequence, the profanation by their idolatries. The prohibition is an anticipation
of the fuller revelation in the Gospel, that 1Co_6:15-20 the body is the temple of the
Holy Spirit, and so, that “sins against the body” are profanations of the temple of
God. “As those who acknowledge, worship and serve the true God are called His
Deu_32:19; 2Co_6:18 sons and daughters, so they that worshiped any strange god
are, by like reason, here called the daughters of that god. Hence, the Jews say, ‘He
that marrieth a pagan woman is, as if he made himself son-in-law to an idol."
2B. Solomon learned the hard way that marrying unbelievers can lead you to
becoming wed to idols. I Kings 11:2-3, “They were from nations about which the
LORD had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they
will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ evertheless, Solomon held fast to
them in love. [This literally means that “he ran after” unbelieving women]. He had
seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led
him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and
his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his
father had been.”
3. Henry, "In contempt of the covenant God made with Israel, as a peculiar people
to himself, they married strange wives, which was expressly prohibited, and
provided against, in that covenant, Deu_7:3. Observe here: What good reason they
had to deal faithfully with God and one another in this covenant, and not to make
marriages with the heathen. They were expressly bound out from such marriages by
covenant. God engaged to do them good upon this condition, that they should not
mingle with the heathen; this was the covenant of their fathers, the covenant made
with their fathers, denoting the antiquity and the authority of it, and its being the
great charter by which that nation was incorporated. They lay under all possible
obligations to observe it strictly, yet they profaned it, as if they were not bound by it.
Those profane the covenant of their fathers who live in disobedience to the
command of the God of their fathers."
4. Henry goes on,"The harm was not so much that she was the daughter of a strange
nation (God has made all nations of men, and is himself King of nations), but that
she was the daughter of a strange god, trained up in the service and worship of false
gods, at their disposal, as a daughter at her father's disposal, and having a
dependence upon them; hence some of the rabbin (quoted by Dr. Pocock) say, He
that marries a heathen woman is as if he made himself son-in-law to an idol. The
corruption of the old world began with the intermarriages of the sons of God with
the daughters of men, Gen_6:2. It is the same thing that is here complained of, but as
it is expressed it sounds worse: The sons of God married the daughters of a strange
god. Herein Judah is said to have dealt treacherously, for they basely betrayed their
own honour and profaned that holiness of the Lord which they should have loved (so
some read it); and it is said to be an abomination committed in Israel and in
Jerusalem; it was hateful to God, and very unbecoming those that were called by his
name. ote, it is an abominable thing for those who profess the holiness of the Lord

29. to profane it, particularly by yoking themselves unequally with unbelievers."
5. Kelley: Besides marrying pagan women, the men of Judah were divorcing their
Jewish wives. One possible motive for their action was lust, the desire for younger
and more sensual wives. A second possible motive was prestige. Since the non-
Jewish nations held the reins of power, to have a non-Jewish wife would have been
an economic and political advantage. . . Marriage should be regarded as a solemn
covenant into which persons enter before God, the obligations of which may not be
disregarded without serious consequences."
6. In other words, there are good reasons to suspect their motives for marrying
outside their faith. One is suspecious of the same in the following stories told by
Brian Bill. "After breaking up with his fiancée, a young man realized the error of
his ways when he wrote: “Dearest Marie, o words could ever express the great
unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me
back. o one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love
you! Yours forever, Jimmy…P.S. And congratulations on winning the lottery.”
I’m not sure how sincere this guy was about getting back together, but he was
probably ready to restore their broken relationship at any cost. That reminds me of
a young man who was proposing to his girlfriend. He had the ring in his hand and
said: “Sweetheart, I love you so much, I want you to marry me. I don’t have a car
like Johnny Green. I don’t have a yacht like him or a house as big as his. I don’t
have the money of Johnny Green but I love you with all my heart.” She looked into
his eyes and said, “I love you too, sweetheart…but could you tell me more about
Johnny Green?"
7. Calvin, "We then see the purpose of this passage, which is to show, — that the
Jews were ungrateful to God, because they mingled with heathen nations, and
knowingly and wilfully cast aside that glory by which God had adorned them by
choosing them, as Moses says, to be to him a royal priesthood. (Exodus 19:6.)
Holiness, we know, was much recommended to the Jews, in order that they might
not abandon themselves to any of the pollutions of the heathens. Hence God had
forbidden them under the law to take foreign wives, except they were first purified,
as we find in Deuteronomy 21:11,12; if any one wished to marry a captive, she was
to have her head shaven and her nails pared; by which it was intimated, that such
women were impure, and that their husbands would be contaminated, except they
were first purified. And, yet it was not wholly a blameless thing, when one observed
the law as to a captive: but it was a lust abominable to God, when they were not
content with their own nation, and burnt in love with strange women. As however
the Jews, like all mortals without exception, were inclined to corruptions, God
purposed to keep them together as one people, lest the wife by her flatteries should
draw the husband away from the pure and legitimate worship of God. And Moses
tells us, that there was a crafty counsel given by Balaam when he saw that the
people could not be conquered in open war; he at length invented this artifice, that
the heathens should offer to them their wives and their daughters. It hence

30. happened that the people provoked God’s wrath, as we find it recorded in umbers
25:4."
8. Keil, "This involved the desecration of the holy calling of the nation. It is true that
in the law it is only marriages with Canaanites that are expressly forbidden
(Exo_34:16; Deu_7:3), but the reason assigned for this prohibition shows, that all
marriages with heathen women, who did not give up their idolatry, were thereby
denounced as irreconcilable with the calling of Israel (see at 1Ki_11:1-2). This sin
may God punish by cutting off every one who commits it. This threat of punishment
(Mal_2:12) is indeed only expressed in the form of a wish, but the wish has been
created by the impulse of the Holy Spirit...........there is not a single word to indicate
that the prophet is speaking only of priests who have taken foreign wives; on the
contrary, the prophet accuses Judah and Jerusalem, and therefore the people
generally, of being guilty of this sin."
9. We need to understand that the problem with marrying the pagan women was
because they would bring into the marriage their pagan idolatrous culture and
corrupt the worship of the God of Israel. It happened to Solomon, and now they
were about to do the same thing again. The pagan women could become wonderful
wives, for we see it in Ruth and Rahab, both of whom became key women in the
blood line to Jesus. They were pagans, but they became believers in Israel's God,
and so as converts they were greatly used by God, but most of the women that the
Jews found appealing were appalling in their idolatry and unbelief in the God of
Israel. They would only corrupt the lives of the men, and that is why they were to
refrain from such marriage.
12. As for the man who does this, whoever he may
be, may the LORD cut him off from the tents of
Jacob--even though he brings offerings to the
LORD Almighty.
1. God will not allow for exceptions like the corrupt priest were doing. If a man
came with a generous offering to the Lord, they would overlook his idolatry in
marrying the daughter of a foreign god. They wanted to reap the benefits of his
offering, and could care less about his private life. They did not care to prevent sin
like the ideal priest. All they cared about was getting paid.
2. Barnes, "“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Pro_28:9; he
that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer shall be an
abomination.” And God by Amos says , “I hate, I despise, your feast-days, and will

31. not accept your solemn assemblies.” In one sense the sacrifice was an aggravation,
in that the worship of God made the offence either a sin against light, or implied
that God might be bribed into connivance in the breaking of His laws. The ancient
discipline of removing from communion those guilty of grievous sin was founded on
this principle.
3. Henry, "The Lord will cut off both the master and the scholar, that are guilty of
this sin, both the teachers and the taught. The blind leaders and the blind followers
shall fall together into the ditch, both him that wakeneth and him that answereth (so
it is in the margin), for the master calls up his scholar to his business, and stirs him
up in it. They shall be cut off together out of the tabernacles of Jacob. God will no
more own them as belonging to his nation; nay, and the priest that offers an offering
to the Lord, if he marry a strange wife (as we find many of the priests did,
Ezr_10:18), shall not escape; the offering he offers shall not atone for him, but he
shall be cut off from the temple of the Lord, as others from the tabernacles of Jacob.
ehemiah chased away from him, and from the priesthood, one of the sons of the
high priest, whom he found guilty of this sin, eh_13:28."
4. Calvin, "The Prophet here teaches us, that neither the priests nor the people
would go unpunished, because they had mingled with the pollutions of the heathens,
and profaned and violated the covenant of God. God then says, Cut off (the word
means to scrape off or to blot out) shall God the man who has done this, the mover,
or prompter, as well as the respondent. Jerome renders the last words, the master
and the disciple; and interpreters vary. Some indeed explain the terms allegorically,
and apply them to the dead; but by the mover, I have no doubt, he understands
every one who was in power, and could command others, and by the respondent the
man who was subject to the authority of his master. The masters then prompted or
roused, for it belonged to them to command; and the servants responded, for it was
their duty to receive orders and to obey them. It is the same as though the Prophet
had said, that God would punish this perfidy, without passing by any, so that he
would spare neither the common people nor the chief men: and he also adds the
priests, intimating, that the priests themselves would not be excepted. In short, he
denounces punishment on the Jews universally, and shows that however prevalent
had this impiety become everywhere, and that though every one thought that
whatever was commonly practiced was lawful, yet God would become an avenger,
and would include in the same punishment both the masters and the servants, and
would not exempt the priests, who considered themselves safe by peculiar
privilege."
5. Maclaren, "It is obvious from the whole context that divorce and foreign inter-
marriage were becoming increasingly prevalent in Malachi’s time. The conditions in
these respects were nearly similar to that prevailing in the times of Ezra and
ehemiah. It is these sins which the Prophet is here vehemently condemning, and
for which he threatens to cut off the transgressors out of the tents of Jacob, and to
regard no more their offerings and simulated worship. They might cover ‘the altar
of the Lord with tears,’ but the sacrifice which they laid upon it was polluted by the

32. sins of their daily domestic life, and therefore was not ‘regarded by Him any more.’
Malachi is true to the prophetic spirit when he denounces a religion which has the
form of godliness without its power over the practical life. But his sharp accusations
have their edge turned by the question, ‘Wherefore?’ which again calls out from the
Prophet’s lips a more sharply-pointed accusation, and a solemner warning that
none should ‘deal treacherously against the wife of his youth,’ ‘for I hate putting
away, saith the Lord.’ We may dismiss any further reference to the circumstances of
the text, and regard it as but one instance of man’s way of treating the voice of God
when it warns of the consequences of the sin of man. Looked at from such a point of
view the words of our text bring before us God’s merciful threatenings and man’s
incredulous rejection of them."
13. Another thing you do: You flood the LORD's
altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no
longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts
them with pleasure from your hands.
1. These cry babies had the audacity to weep before the Lord for his refusal to
accept their offerings just because they were offered by scoundrels who were idol
worshipers, and just because they were worthless animals, and just because they
were only interested in getting their share of it. Here we see strong emotion that
does not move God at all in the direction they are hoping, for he despises the tears of
such offensive priests. How blind can you be to offer God corrupted crap and expect
him to have pleasure enough in it to reward you. A child bringing a dandelion to
mom deserves to be rewarded with pleasure and love, for it is an act of love, but
these priests were offering God corrupted gifts out of corrupted hearts, without love
for God or anyone else, and they had no right to expect anything by condemnation,
for that is what they richly deserved.
2. Calvin is rightly critical, in my judgment, of a common interpretation of these
tears. He wrote, "This is the real meaning of the Prophet, which none of the
interpreters have perceived. The Rabbins think that the priests are here reproved,
because their wives filled the altar in the sanctuary with weeping, because they saw
that their husbands did not faithfully treat them, according to the law of marriage;
and almost all have agreed with them. Thus then they explain the verse — Ye have
in the second place done this; that is, “That sin was of itself sufficiently grievous,
when ye suffered lean victims to be sacrificed to me, as it were in mockery; but in
addition to this comes your sin against your wives, who continually complain and
deplore their condition before the altar of God, even because they are not loved by
you, as the right of marriage requires.” They thus refer the tears, the weeping, and
lamentation, to the wives of the priests, which were so cruelly treated by their

33. husbands: they were not able to do anything else than to fill God’s sanctuary with
their constant complaints. Hence they render, twnp dw[ ˆyam, main oud penut, “I
will not therefore regard,” or, “no one regards;” but both versions are not only
obscure, but wholly pervert the sense of the Prophet.
2B. Calvin goes on, "But what I have already stated is the most suitable — that it
was to be ascribed to the priests that no one could from the heart worship God, at
least with a cheerful and willing mind; for God was implacable to the people,
because the only way of obtaining favor under the law was when the priests, who
represented the Mediator, humbly entreated pardon in the name of the whole
people. But how could God attend to the prayers of the priests when they had
polluted his altar by the filth of wickedness? We then see the object of this
amplification — Ye cover the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping and wailing.
The praises of God ought to have resounded in the temple, according to what is said
“Praise, O God, waits for thee in Zion.” (Psalm 65:1.)
And the principal sacrifice was, that the people exercised themselves in
contemplating the blessings of God, and in thanksgiving. But he says that none went
forth before the altar with a cheerful mind, but all were sad and sorrowful, because
they found that God was severe and rigid. — that all wept and groaned before the
altar, because they saw that they came there without any advantage, that their
sacrifices did not please God, and that the whole worship was in vain, inasmuch as
God did not answer their prayers. The Prophet ascribes the fault to the priests, that
God did not turn to mercy, so as to forgive the people when they sacrificed. With
weeping, then, he says, was the altar filled or covered, because God received not
what pleased him from their hand; that is, because no victims pleased him which
were offered by polluted and impure hands."
3. Grace otes, "qnaxA, which is rendered "wail or groan," but is in this instance
the 'loud, phony groaning" of those attempting to mislead. Again, these idolaters
believe they can deceive God, their countrymen, and wives with false repentance.
BAKAH, which is "to weep;" and is defined as "the sorrow of a penitent" by
Wilson. Hence, the bogus weeping of the hypocrite as he attempts to dupe the
omniscient God of the universe. Here, then, is the picture: the idolaters return from
their fornications and idol worship, go to the Temple, weep and groan dramatically,
offer their sacrifices, and leave confident that they have deluded God, and that He
has forgiven them. And then, that very same evening they hurry back to embrace
and copulate with the hierodules (the Baalim priestesses, the prostitutes)."
4. Maclaren points out that their pain and suffering are a direct result of their own
folly. It is not God's will that they are in this miserable state. It is just a reaping of
what they have sown. He wrote, "The miseries and sufferings which follow our sins
are self-inflicted, and for the most part automatic. ‘Whatsoever a man soweth,
that’—and not some other crop—‘will he also reap.’ The wages of sin are paid in
ready money; and it is as just to lay them at God’s door as it would be to charge
Him with inflicting the disease which the dissolute man brings upon himself. It is no
arbitrary appointment of God’s that ‘he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh

34. reap corruption’; nor is it His will acting as that of a jealous despot which makes it
inevitably true that here and hereafter, ‘Every transgression and disobedience shall
receive its just recompense of reward...."
14. You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is
acting as the witness between you and the wife of
your youth, because you have broken faith with
her, though she is your partner, the wife of your
marriage covenant.
1. These priests have not only broken their covenant with God, they have also
broken their covenant with their marriage partner. When men treat God with no
respect it will follow that they will treat people with no respect as well, and this leads
to feeling no obligation to be faithful and loyal on any level. If you can ditch God,
what is the big deal in ditching your wife? If you lose respect for the highest
relationship in life, the next level will soon be following, and that is your
commitment to your mate. It is futile to argue that you did not promise to be her
husband for life, for the eye witness at the wedding was God, and he does not forget
a promise.
1B. Grace otes, "In verse 14, the idolatrous males of Judah ask the Eternal,
Omniscient God 'why' He is not fooled by their 'double-dipping?' Why He does not
accept their hypocritical offerings and their false tears as they feign repentance?
Answer: because He has called Himself as a "witness," which in the hiphil stem
means "to testify, to bear witness, hence to call as a witness." In other words, God
Himself has testified that they are liars, hypocrites, and adulterers; and not only to
their human wives but, more importantly, to Him. And the question that the
idolaters ask is presented as an ellipsis, which is a grammatical figure of speech
where words are omitted, and the omission is to be furnished by repeating words
from the preceding clause. Such an omission emphasizes the interrogative 'why,' in
this instance, and not the omission. Which means that the idolaters are not only
totally arrogant and hypocritical, but also totally befuddled by the fact that God has
not been hoodwinked by their lies. These apostate idolaters have no comprehension
of God, His Essence, or grace."
2. Barnes, ".. violating his own faith and her trusting love, which she had given once
for all, and could not now retract. “And she is thy companion;” she has been
another self, the companion of thy life, sharing thy sorrows, joys, hopes, fears,
interests; different in strength, yet in all, good and ill, sickness and health, thy

35. associate and companion; the help meet for the husband and provided for him by
God in Paradise; and above all, “the wife of thy covenant,” to whom thou didst
pledge thyself before God. These are so many aggravations of their sin. She was the
wife of their youth, of their covenant, their companion; and God was the Witness
and Sanctifier of their union. Marriage was instituted and consecrated by God in
Paradise. Man was to leave father and mother (if so be), but to cleave to his wife
indissolubly. For they were to be Mat_19:6, “no more twain, but one flesh.”
3. They are again in the dark concerning why God is not responding to them. He
will not accept their offerings, and they have no clue as to why it is. God seems to be
so unstable in how he responds. He will sometimes be so gracious, and at other times
he clams up and will not give us the time of day. It is God who is the mystery in their
minds, when the obvious passes over their heads that they are the problem. In I Pet.
3:7 Peter says that a husband not treating his wife with respect will hinder his
prayers. In other words their is a direct relationship between how we treat a
married partner and how God treats us. We see it here as well, for God is not going
to accept the sacrifices of those who disrespect their wives by breaking their
marriage covenant. The implication is clear that when you divorce your mate, you
also break a bond with yourself and God. The message is that it is marriage that is
next to godliness, and not cleanliness. A human broken relationship has the power
to break our relationship with God.
4. "When a Jew did this abominable thing - divorcing his wife to marry a pagan
woman, God cut him off. He no longer accepted that man's sacrifices upon His altar.
They knew that God had stopped blessing them, that He did not regard their
sacrifices. So they would cry out to the Lord and say, "Oh God! Why have you
forsaken my offering?" God's response is that it is because they have dealt
treacherously with their wives. "You made a lasting covenant with her when you
married. 'Till death do us part. And yet you broke that covenant for another woman
- and a pagan idolater at that! Since you have disregarded your covenant with your
wife, I am disregarding your covenant with me." The Lord becomes a witness
against you for your treachery. Weep all you want, but you've been cut off.
Remember that this was the last prophet that God had spoken to them until ew
Testament times. And yet many of them had not taken heed of this warning. A
predominant teaching among the Jews of Jesus' day was that you could divorce
your wife for any old thing at all. But when asked about this, Jesus made it clear:
Matt. 5:32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause
of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman
commits adultery. Divorce is only allowed in the case of adultery - marital
unfaithfulness. And that provision was only made because of the hardness of our
hearts. The apostle Paul also said that divorce was okay in the case of an
unbelieving spouse abandoning a believing spouse. Other than those two things,
there is never a Biblical excuse or approval of divorce. Author unknown
5. Calvin, ".... in order to press the matter more on the priests, he calls their

36. attention to the fact that God is the founder of marriage. Testified has Jehovah, he
says, between thee and thy wife. He intimates in these words, that when a marriage
takes place between a man and a woman, God presides and requires a mutual
pledge from both. Hence Solomon, in Proverbs 2:17, calls marriage the covenant of
God, for it is superior to all human contracts. So also Malachi declares, that God is
as it were the stipulator, who by his authority joins the man to the woman, and
sanctions the alliance: God then has testified between thee and thy wife, as though
he had said, “Thou hast violated not only all human laws, but also the compact
which God himself has consecrated, and which ought justly to be deemed more
sacred than all other compacts: as then God has testified between thee and thy wife,
and thou now deceivest her, how darest thou to come to the altar? and how canst
thou think that God will be pleased with thy sacrifices or regard thy oblations?”
He calls her the wife of his youth, because the more filthy is the lust when husbands
cast away conjugal love as to those wives whom they have married in their youth.
The bond of marriage is indeed in all cases inviolable, even between the old, but it is
a circumstance which increases the turpitude of the deed, when any one alienates
himself from a wife whom he married when a girl and in the flower of her age: for
youth conciliates love; and we also see that when a husband and his wife have lived
together for many years, mutual love prevails between them to extreme old age,
because their hearts were united together in their youth. It is not then without
reason that this circumstance is mentioned, for the lust of the priests was the more
filthy and as it were the more monstrous, because they forsook wives whom they
ought to have regarded with the tenderest love, as they had married them when they
were young: Thou hast dealt unfaithfully with her, he says, though she was thy
consort and the wife of thy covenant."
6. Brian Bill, "When you get married, you are vowing to be forever faithful to your
spouse and you are doing so in the presence of God Almighty. It’s as if God is giving
expert eyewitness testimony, “I heard what you promised and I confirmed it. I was
there and saw it all happen. Your marriage is not just recorded by the County
Clerk, I have the record in heaven.” Married couples, settle this in your mind. God
is the witness to your vows."
Your spouse is your partner: “…though she is your partner…” Proverbs 2:17
provides a strong parallel to Malachi 2. Because God is our witness, we are not to
break the vows we made when we were younger. In describing a wayward wife,
Solomon writes: “Who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant
she made before God.” The second building block is to recognize that your spouse is
your partner."
7. Brian Bill goes on to deal with the marriage covenant. "Marriage is a binding
covenant of commitment: “the wife of your marriage covenant.” It’s important for
us to understand how Malachi’s listeners would have understood the word
“covenant.” In Old Testament times there was a ceremony used between two
nomadic tribes to promise a son or daughter in marriage. The fathers would

37. butcher some animals, cut the carcasses in half, and then at sundown walk barefoot
through the blood path. The slaughtered animals symbolized what would happen to
either party if they violated the terms of the agreement. This was the ceremony God
chose to use when He entered into a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15.
Abraham was asked to take a heifer, a goat, and a ram, and cut them in two,
arranging the halves opposite each other. He then fell into a deep sleep and God
Himself walked the path of blood, signifying that He would always keep His side of
the covenant.
There are nearly 300 references to the word “covenant” in the Bible. A covenant
was an exclusive, solemn and binding mutual agreement between two parties. In
Ezekiel 16:8, God compares His commitment to His people to the covenant vow that
a man makes to a woman in marriage: “…I gave you my solemn oath and entered
into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.”
In God’s eyes, marriage is a covenant of committed companionship. Unfortunately,
in our culture today, instead of pledging faithfulness to each other “till death do us
part,” many plan to remain together “as long as we both shall love.” A Hallmark
card captures this lack of commitment: “I can’t promise forever. But I can promise
you today.” Hollywood has cheapened marriage by equating love with an emotion
or a physical act. Friends, love is more than just a feeling that comes and goes. It’s a
covenant commitment. Let me share with you one of the best definitions that I’ve
ever heard: “Love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person.”
15. Has not [the LORD] made them one? In flesh
and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he
was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in
your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of
your youth.
1. God's plan for faithfulness in marriage is that their might be godly offspring, and
this is achieved by faithfulness to your mate. If you go off marrying idol worshipers,
you will be raising up children who are going to follow the ways of their mother, and
they will not be worshiping me, but the gods of their mothers. The only way to keep
a people faithful to God was for men to be faithful to the wives of their youth.
Godliness and faithfulness to marriage go hand in hand. The more you let marriage
become a minor issue that can be abused and misused, the more likely you will have
a generation of kids who will be ungodly. If dad is ungodly, and has no respect for
the will of God in marriage, his kids will feel equally free to ignore the will of God
and do their own thing, which will not be God's thing for them. Marriage
faithfulness is a key element in enhancing the will of God on earth. On the other

38. hand, unfaithfulness in marriage is a key factor in the erosion of godliness.
2. Don Horban, "He's talking very specifically to men who get tired of their wives
and trade them in on younger, newer models. A woman could never divorce her
husband. She never had any power to do so. That's why both Malachi and Jesus
only talk about men who divorce their wives. In that day, men were the initiators of
all divorce. And they could divorce for very little reason. And as time went by, a
hardness of heart would set in. People would, without any feeling of guilt
whatsoever, plan their next step in getting rid of their spouse in the same way you
would plan to change coats when you get home:" "You're just divorcing your wife
because you want to move on to greener grass!" The clue is found in the phrase "the
wife of you YOUTH" (15). She was young when I married her. Everything was in
such good shape. ow the warranty is almost up. But there are still newer editions
coming of the assembly line. And even though these men have aging bodies and
sunken chests and stretch marks, their brains haven't grown up yet - "I still deserve
the latest model!" And the Lord reminds them - "That covenant you made with that
woman years ago - you may have forgotten it, BUT I HAV 'T. I'm involved in that
marriage. I watch out for your partner's well being." In other words, when you've
made a covenant with the LORD, you don't just divorce a wife. YOU CUT
YOURSELF OF FROM GOD! o wonder they spill all those tears on the altar for
nothing. They didn't just divorce a wife - they've divorced their Creator!"
16. "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of
Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with
violence as well as with his garment," says the
LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit,
and do not break faith.
1. These men were covering the violence of putting their wives away with no more
thought than if they decided to change garments and wear something different for a
change. It was violent action, but taken lightly as if it was no big deal, and God hates
such an attitude that leads to doing an evil thing with a complacent spirit as if
nobody should be concerned. It is my life and I'll do as I please is their attitude, and
they cover up their sin with a garment of self expression and personal freedom. It is
nobodies business but my own, so all critics, including God, can keep their opinions
to themselves. This kind of coverup does not go well with God, and so avoid this
nonsense and stick with the wife of your youth.
1B. "H.A. Ironside eloquently describes this distortion of the law as "hidden

39. violence. Divorces were granted on most trifling and absurd pretences, and
meantime all their lawlessness was covered with a cloak of extreme punctiliousness
in outward religious observances."
2. Barnes, "He hateth putting away - o
He had allowed it “for the hardness of their
hearts,” yet only in the one case of some extreme bodily foulness discovered upon
marriage, and which the woman, knowing the law, concealed at her own peril. ot
subsequent illness or any consequences of it, however loathsome (as leprosy), were a
ground of divorce, but only this concealed foulness, which the husband “found”
upon marriage. The capricious tyrannical divorce, God saith, “He hateth:” a word
aturally used only as to sin, and so stamping such divorce as sin."
3. Gill, "The Jews were very much inclined to divorce their wives upon very trivial
occasions; if they did not dress their food well, were not of good behaviour, or not so
modest as became the daughters of Israel; if they did not find favour with their
husbands; and, especially, if they had entertained a hatred of them: so says R.
Judah" "Aben Ezra seems to have hit the sense of these words, when he makes this
to be the object of God's hatred, as well as the former; his note is, "the Lord hateth
him that putteth away his wife that is pure, and he hates him that covereth; or God
sees his violence which is done in secret."
4. Feinberg, ""The hatred of God is also expressed against the one who covers his
garment with violence. The reference is to the old custom of putting a garment over
a woman to claim her as wife. ( ote particularly Deu 22:30; Ruth 3:9; and Eze
16:8.) Instead of spreading their garment to protect their wives, they covered their
garment with violence toward their wives. The garment symbolized wedded trust
and protection. Again they are warned to take heed to themselves in this vital
matter."
5. "God hates divorce because it misrepresents His love for you and me. The love of
Christ is not fickle; His love will not grow cold. God will never divorce Himself from
those He loves; His love will be faithful until the very end. God’s desire is to pass on
the message of His love from generation to generation. Thefaithful love of a mother
and father towards each other is a living testimony of the eternal love of God. When
mom and dad love each other it gives their children an assurance of God’s unfailing
love for them. Divorce is EVER good for children. Divorce brings fear,
heartbreak, misery, mistrust, uncertainty, and so much more into the lives of
children. Painful emotions which God never intended for children to have to carry
are thrust upon children often leaving an open wound filled with infection affecting
relationships of future generations. God has a simple prescription for healthy
children and healthy relationships. Husbands and wives (a.k.a. moms and dads) who
are faithful to God and each other."Author unknown
6. Divorce is not the only thing God hates. Sometimes we single out divorce and
forget what God said in Proverbs 6:16-19: “There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed

40. innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into
evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among
brothers."
8. Dr. C. David White helps us see another side to divorce that modifies the hatred
of God for it. He wrote, "God hates” the causes and the results of divorce. Because
He loves people. The Bible recognizes the fact of divorce, but it does not always
condemn divorce. God hates divorce could not mean that it is always wrong because
God Himself was involved in a divorce. JER 3:8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate
of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries…“The person who will
have nothing to do with the divorced person can’t have anything to do with God. He
is a divorced person!” (Jay Adams) Condemning divorce is not as simple as it may
seem. Attitude toward divorce is important. It will determine my relationship with a
growing number of people. I need to hate what God hates about divorce while
recognizing that sometime divorce is necessary."
Several Biblical Truths Should Determine My Attitude…Divorce Within Biblical
Guidelines Is ot Wrong (Jer. 3:8)
1. Desertion by an unbeliever.
1 COR 7:13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to
live with her, she must not divorce him.
1 COR 7:15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is
not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. ( IV)
2. Death of spouse.
1 COR 7:39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her
husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the
Lord. ( IV)
3. Sexual infidelity.
MAT 19:9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital
unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." ( IV)
God Will ot Excuse Wrong Divorce, But He Can Forgive It. We cannot wink at
divorce, nor can we simple denounce it. Both are extreme and are not based on the
Bible. God's view of marriage and divorce tells us these things…
1. If you divorced for Biblical reasons you are free. Don’t let Satan bring you into
condemnation.
2. Did you get a divorce before you knew Christ? (2 Corinthians 5:17)
3. If you divorced as a Christian you must recognize and confess your divorce as a
sin, ask God for forgiveness and trust His great mercy."
17. You have wearied the LORD with your words.

41. "How have we wearied him?" you ask. By saying,
"All who do evil are good in the eyes of the
LORD, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is
the God of justice?"
1. God can actually get wearied even though he is all powerful, for the stupid words
of men who have no clue about what pleases God try to pursuade him to accept evil
people and their corrupted sacrifices. They are actually saying that the rich who
bribe them to overlook their sin for a price are the ones God loves, for they are
prospering. They would not be doing so well if God was not pleased with them. So
based on the success of their schemes they could declare that the bad guys were
really the good guys. They declare these scoundrels as the Lord's favored, and how
can you deny it, for if they were evil they would be judged and be poor, but they are
rich and live in luxury, and where is the Lord's justice if we are wrong? If the God
of justice does not support our scheme of things, it would not be working as well as
it is working. If you want to condemn us, we ask, "Where is the God of justice to
support your complaint?" People argue this way all the time. If God does not judge
us for what we do, you have no right to do so either. It is an argument based on a
fallacy that says God judges sin immediately, and that is not the case. He is
longsuffering and puts up with man's folly for a long time before his wrath falls. ot
being judged is no basis for saying God is okey with any behavior. This fallacy make
it easy to declare all who do evil to be good. God gets wearied with such stupid logic.
1B. These people got wearied with their worship, and we all do from time to time get
wearied with study and even listening to the teaching of God's Word. We find the
preacher boring, or the passage of Scripture too hard to grasp, and thus, boring
also. We get wearied with spiritual things, but we seldom to never think that God
might get wearied with us and our complaints and foolish actions and words. Just as
mom and dad get wearied with the foolishness and disobedience of children, so God
gets wearied with his children and their sinful actions. Isaiah 43:24 says, "You have
not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied (yaga) me with your
offenses." His patience was running out just as any parent experiences. This does
not means he gets literally worn out, for he is all powerful and never gets weak.
Isaiah 40:28 says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the
everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or
weary (yaga), and his understanding no one can fathom." God does not get weary in
the sense of physically tired, but he does get emotionally weary in putting up with
the rebellious acts and attitudes of his people. God is a person and not a machine,
and so he can get emotionally weary and tired of putting up with nonsense.
1C. L. M. Browder put together this list. "There are many ways in which we weary
God:

42. (1.) Carelessness. Worldliness, love of self, and vanity [idleness], and folly
[foolishness].
(2.) Opposition. Dislike of God, his law, his gospel.
(3.) ot teachable. Foolishness, hardness of heart, perversity [self-willed,
headstrong].
(4.) Unbelief. Distrust of God, rejection of his love.
(5.) Lack of zeal [no enthusiasm, no eagerness]. "This did I for you, what do you do
for me."
(6.) Inconsistency. Life and belief system differ. A Christian in name and no more.
1D. Browder goes on, "In many such ways we weary God continually; we disturb,
grieve, and resist the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because of this wearying He
might refuse to be treated so by us any longer. But He has long patience, He bears
much before He intervenes in his wrath [anger, fury]. God waits, and pities, and
pleads, and reasons with us to the last, knowing the fearful consequences we may
bear from wearying him. The prophet's words, "Oh that you had hearkened
[listened] to my commandments," expresses this feeling; and our Lord's tears over
Jerusalem hints to God's unspeakable patience, and of the exhaustion of it at last.
Here are some ways of wearying, to which the prophet points."Browder goes on to
show how they wearied God with their words, for words are powerful for both
praise and criticism, and for hypocrisy, and God gets sick of many of our words
when they are hollow and fake. They pretended to be shocked at God's criticism,
and denied to his face that they were guilty. They accused him of false accusation
against them. They wearied him by making no distinction between what was good
and what was evil. It was all the same to them, and this irked God to his heart. They
doubted if God cared one way of the other about good and evil, and this made God
determined to make his concern clear on this matter by judgment.
2. Barnes, "Ye have wearied the Lord with your words - o “By your blasphemous
words, full of unbelief and mistrust, you have in a manner wearied God. He speaks
of God, after the manner of men, as a man afflicted by the ills of others. Whence
also the Lord says in Isaiah Isa_1:14, “I am weary to bear them,” and Isa_43:24,
“thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins; thou hast wearied Me with thine
iniquities."
3. Clarke, "All these things show that this people were horribly corrupt. The priests
were bad; the prophets were bad; the Levites were bad; and no wonder that the
people were irreligious, profane, profligate, and cruel."
4. Henry, "They thought to evade the convictions of the word, and to justify
themselves by cavilling with God's proceedings; but their defence was their offence,
and their vindication of themselves was the aggravation of their crime; they
affronted the Lord with their words, and repeated them so often, and persisted so
long in their contradictions, that they even wearied him; see Isa_7:13. They made

43. him weary of doing them good as he had done, and stopped the current of his
favours; or they represented him as weary of governing the world, and willing to
quit it and lay aside the care of it. ote, It is a wearisome thing, even to God himself,
to hear people insist upon their own justification in their corrupt and wicked
practices, and plead their atheistical principles in vindication of them. But, as if God
by his prophet had done them wrong, see how impudently they ask, Wherein have
we wearied him? What are those vexatious words whereby we have wearied him?
4B. ote, Sinful words are more offensive to the God of heaven than they are
commonly thought to be. But God has his proofs ready; two things they had said, at
least in their hearts (and thoughts are words to God), with which they had wearied
him: - 1. They had denied him to be a holy God, and had asserted that concerning
him which is directly contrary to the doctrine of his holiness. As he is a holy God, he
hates sin, is of purer eyes than to behold it, and cannot endure to look upon it,
Hab_1:13. He is not a God that has pleasure in wickedness, Psa_5:4. And yet they
had the impudence to say, in direct contradiction to this, Every one that does evil is
good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them. This wicked inference they
drew, without any reason, from the prosperity of sinners in their sinful courses (see
Mal_3:15), as if God's love or hatred were to be known by that which is before us,
and those must be concluded good in the sight of the Lord who are rich in the world.
Or this they said because they wished it might be so; they were resolved to do evil,
and yet to think themselves good in the sight of the Lord, and to believe that he
delighted in them, notwithstanding; and therefore, under pretence of making God
not so severe as he was commonly represented, they said as they would have it, and
thought he was altogether such a one as themselves."
4C. ote, Those who think God a friend to sin affront him and deceive themselves.
They had denied him to be the righteous governor of the world. If he did not delight
in sin and sinners, yet it would serve their turn to believe that he would never
punish it or them. They said, “Where is the God of judgment? That God who, we
have been so often told, would call us to an account, and reckon with us for what we
have said and done - where is he? He has forsaken the earth, and takes no notice of
what is said and done there; he has said that he will come to judgment; but where is
the promise of his coming? We may do what we please; he sees us not, nor will
regard us.” It is such a challenge to the Judge of the whole earth as bids defiance to
his justice, and, in effect, dares him to do his worst. Such scoffers as these there were
in the latter days of the Jewish church, and such there shall be in the latter days of
the Christian church; but their unbelief shall not make the promise of God of no
effect; for the day of the Lord will come. Behold, the Judge stands before the door;
the God of judgment is at hand."
5. Roper, "Two philosophies prevailed in Israel at that time. One was relativism:
they called good evil, and evil good, and said God smiled on both. This belief
maintains that it does not matter whether a person's actions are righteous or
not. Whatever a person chooses to do, whatever turns him on, whatever feels good,

44. is right; God smiles on our actions, good and bad. Good and bad were relative terms
to the Jews. The second philosophy the Jews were holding had to do with an attitude
of pessimism. "Where is the God of justice?" the Israelites asked. Inevitably,
when law and order break down, people become disillusioned and cynical about life.
"Where is the God of justice?" They do not see justice in the land and so they
believe that God has abandoned the land and is not acting justly toward them."
5B. Roper continues, "They want justice, but do not realize that justice means their
own damnation. Roper wrote, "One of my favorite books by C.S. Lewis is Till We
Have Faces. There is a great line in the section where the old queen is about to die.
She is going off to meet the gods. She is told, as she dies, "Do not expect justice from
the gods." She says, "Oh, then, are the gods not just?" The answer is, "Oh, no, my
child; what would become of us if they were?" If God suddenly decided to act in
justice instead of mercy, every time I drove forty miles an hour down Middlefield
Road, my right foot would shrivel up. Every time I said something cutting and
caustic, my tongue would drop off. But God is not dealing with us according to
justice; he is dealing with us according to mercy. Our problem is, we are too
selective in our concept of justice."
5C. Roper goes on, "Malachi gets very specific. If you want to stop injustice in the
land, then stop being unjust yourself. Wherever you are oppressing people, stop it.
Wherever you are being unrighteous in a relationship to a neighbor or a friend or a
husband or a wife or a child, stop it, C.S. Lewis says that of all the people in the
world, there is really only one you can do very much about, and that is you. I am not
really responsible for anyone else's moral actions; I am responsible for my own. And
if I want to set things right in my nation, if I want to stay the hand of God in
judgment of my nation, Malachi says I should stop being unjust."
6. Grace otes, "...they believe that "all who do evil are pleasing in the eyes of the
Lord." Here, then, is evidence that the idolaters believe that the sacrifice of trivial
animals absolves them of responsibilty for their actions. In other words, the
idolaters have deluded even themselves, to the point that they believe untruth to be
truth; this is pure sophistry and irrationality. The effect, then, is that through
sophistry "the sceptics are accusing God of calling evil good." The prophet Isaiah
bespoke their fate when he said, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who
put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter." [Isa. 5:20]
7. The Word of God declares what's right
And what is pleasing in His sight;
It also shows that deep within
What we call good may be a sin. —Hess