COMMENTARY ON MALACHI
LESSON NUMBER 12
Mal 2:7 “For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 9Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept My ways, but have been partial in the law.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Malachi 2:7-9)
GOD RESPONDS TO THE FAILURE OF THE PRIESTS
INTRODUCTION
Malachi has been moved by God to write to the priests primarily, and the people secondarily. His message to the priests is not a private one, but is delivered in such a manner as to publicly expose them. For 2,500 years, men have been reading the Divine assessment of these wayward priests. It is a kind of prelude to the day of judgment, when what has been spoken in secret shall be made known (Mk 4:22), and the Lord will “make manifest the counsels of the heart” (1 Cor 4:5). The Scriptures are consistent in portraying God as assessing those who speak in His name, or profess to represent Him. Although religious institutionalism has conveniently covered up this perspective, those who expose their hearts to the Word of the Lord will find this Divine trait surfacing again and again. It is important that we duly note that God does not change. He Himself had these words written down: “I am the Lord, I change not” (Mal 3:6). That applies to his responses to unfaithfulness as well as faithfulness, and unbelief as well as faith. It is this unchanging nature of God that is the foundation of the profitability of Scripture. It is why its words have been “written for our learning” (Rom 15:4) and “admonition” (1 Cor 10:11). In the Word of God we are not being merely exposed to natural principles, moral laws, or an ancient spiritual economy. The Scriptures are the appointed means through which we are being exposed to the Divine nature. This is introduced in a general way in His dealings with Israel, and more specifically in Christ Jesus and the Gospel.
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE WHO SPEAK FOR GOD
Malachi 2:7 “For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at His mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”
Everyone who has regular access to the people of God, whether formerly under the Old Covenant, or now under the administration of the New Covenant, is responsible for conducting themselves and speaking properly. Neither the Jewish economy nor the church of the Living God was ever intended to be a kind of club. Both were intended to be a place of spiritual culturing, where a certain familiarity with God and His intentions were realized. When these things are obscured by the activities of religious leaders, a most serious circumstance exists – and God will not perpetually ignore or wink at it. This is the perspective of our text, and we do well to seriously ponder what it is saying.
THE MINISTER’S LIPS. The “lips” are the gates from which words issue. Those who speak inappropriate words are said to have “uncircumcised lips” (Ex 6:12,30). What is actually said is declared to be pronounced “from the lips” (Lev 5:4), or “uttered” with the “lips” (Num 30:6).When men speak the truth, they are said to have “the lip of truth” (Prov 12:19). As this text will powerfully affirm, God takes due note what ministers speak and do not speak to the people.
THEY SHOULD KEEP KNOWLEDGE. Other versions read, “preserve knowledge,” NASB “guard knowledge,” NRSV “safeguard knowledge,” CJB “flow with knowledge,” LIVING and “guard and keep pure the knowledge [of My law].” AMPLIFIED
This speaks of the responsibility of the priests to themselves know, and then to teach, the truth of God (Lev 10:8-11). The priests were to see to it that the people were not ignorant of what God had said. Like Ezra, they were to ensure that the law of the Lord was heard “with understanding” (Neh 8:2). When they read the Scripture they were to do so “distinctly,” then give “the sense” of it, and cause the people “to understand the reading” (Neh 8:8). Their knowledge was not worldly knowledge. It was not to be borrowed from the philosophers of the world, or from the various nations with whom they came into contact.
The responsibility of the priests was to “keep knowledge” – to see to it that truth did not fall in the street or fail (Isa 59:14-15). That means they themselves were to maintain their familiarity with what the Lord had said, then faithfully teach and proclaim it.
A New Covenant parallel is found in the activity of Paul, who confessed, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). It is also found in his admonition to Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim 4:2). The people are to be told what God requires, what He has done in Christ, and what we are made in Jesus. Nothing is to be withheld from the people for whom the Word is intended.
WHAT MEN SHOULD EXPECT FROM THE MINISTER. In the Divine economy, the people have certain expectations from those who represent the Lord: “they should seek the law at his mouth.” Other versions read, “seek instruction,” NASB “waiting for the Law from his mouth,” BBE and “seek (inquire for and require) instruction at his mouth.” AMPLIFIED
The priest’s specialty was the Law of the Lord. He was to know what it said about matters he was required to judge. He was not to promote his own opinion, or seek to do the will of the people. What the people wanted was actually of little consequence – unless their desire was to know the mind of the Lord. Then they would inquire of the priests.
Any legitimate field of knowledge requires that its leaders have an understanding of the principles and requirements of that area. What value is a pharmacist who has no understanding of medication and drugs? What would we think of a doctor who had no understanding of the human body, or of what was required for its proper care and maintenance? Yet, it is not at all uncommon to hear of ministers who have no real understanding of the Scriptures, or whose expertise is actually in some area of worldly knowledge. Is God indifferent to such a circumstance? Our text answers the question.
HE IS THE LORD’S MESSENGER. All versions read the same: the priest is “the Lord’s messenger.” That is, he is the one through whom God delivers His word to the people. This is the precise title by which the prophet Haggai was called (Hag 1:13). Other words for “messenger” are “representative” and “ambassador.” STRONG’S The idea here is that of a representative from another country, who has understanding of the ways and intentions of that nation, and has been chosen to represent it on foreign soil. It assumes that there is a need for the people to obtain this knowledge because of their affiliation with, or responsibility to, that country.
In this text, God has chosen a people for Himself – Israel. However, that choice was not in order to assist them in realizing their own ambitions. It was rather to incorporate them in what the Lord was doing. That intention is what drove the need for, and ministry of, the priests. When there was a lack of understanding concerning God and His will, the people resorted to the priest, who was a chosen and designated specialist in that area. The words of those who represented the Lord are referred to as “the counsel of His messengers” (Isa 44:26). They are people that have been sent by the Lord (John 10:21). Furthermore we, they are obligated to deliver His message.
WHAT UNFAITHFUL MINISTERS REALLY DO
2:8 “ But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.”
This is a Divine assessment of the priests – one that would not have been known by the the people of that generation unless God had made it known to His prophet Malachi. When cold and lifeless religion is dominant, the knowledge of God cannot flourish among the people. A kind of spiritual insensitivity and disinterest is cultured that requires a prophetic shout and sternness of language to awaken the people from their lethargy – especially their leaders.
THE MINISTERS DEPARTED FROM THE WAY. Other versions read “turned aside from the way,” NASB “turned away from the path,” CJB “gone out of the way,” GENEVA “left God’s path.” NLT The word “way” speaks of direction, intention, and objective. It emphasizes reason as the motivation for requirement. The cause for the commandment is the thrust of the way. The word also speaks of the end of a matter – the outcome of it all. The “way” leads to a certain destination. To the priests of Malachi’s day, it was the blessing of God upon the people – the people whom He Himself had chosen. He did not choose them merely to let them do what they preferred in and of themselves. They were not like a people let loose to frolic in an open field without any fences or boundaries. Rather, they were like tools in the hand of the Lord – a people through whom He would work, and to whom He would make known His ways. They were particularly cultured as a people among whom the Savior would be born.
However, the priests had been drawn to other emphases, and thus left the path that expressed God’s will and led to His appointed objective. They departed because their attention was drawn to other interests and pursuits. They no longer spoke the words of the Lord with any purpose or consistency. They no longer viewed themselves as the messengers of the Lord, and gave no productive thought to their accountability to Him.
As soon as individuals begin to live primarily for themselves, they have “departed out of the way,” and are on the broad road that leads to destruction (Matt 7:13-14). It is not possible to abide in the Lord’s love (John 15:10) while rejecting His purpose and living selfishly. Such people are, in the words of the apostle, “gone out of the way” (Rom 3:12). Peter describes such as those who “have known the way of righteousness,” yet of their own will have “turned from the holy commandment” (2 Pet 2:21). Anyone who imagines that such a state is minor must consider that Peter also said of such people, “it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness.” That is, less mercy will be extended to them than to those who never have known that blessed way. Whether it is the priests of Malachi’s day, or the professed believers of our time, it is serious matter for men’s attention to be drawn to lesser things. Woe to those who are leaders within the church, yet are so characterized.
THEY HAVE CAUSED MANY TO STUMBLE. Other versions read, “to fail,” CJB “to fall,” GENEVA “to falter,” NAB “to violate the law,” NET “to lapse,” NJB “Your guidance' has caused many to stumble in sin,” LIVING and “caused many to stumble by your instruction [in the law].” AMPLIFIED
Notice how the Lord speaks of the decline of the people. It was wholly owing to the instruction given to them by the priests, who were appointed to be the messengers of God. They taught the Law in such a manner as to lead people to the wrong conclusions. Instead of alerting people to the condemning nature of sin, the people were led to the conclusion that failing to do the will of God was really not such a serious matter. Because of the teaching of the priests, the people thought nothing of bringing flawed sacrifices to the Lord – when they actually should have feared to do so. Just as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, who sat in Moses’ seat, the blind were leading the blind, and they both fell into the ditch (Matt 15:14).
I am going to wax bold and say that the moral and spiritual deficiency of the modern church is owing to what it has been taught. The fall of spiritual leaders is the direct result of the theology they have embraced. The people have been caused to stumble – not by what the world has thrown at them, but by what their leaders have fed them. As a result of that teaching, they have embraced a corrupt view of God, His love, His purpose, His attitude toward the ignorant and disobedient, and His intentions in His great salvation. This is precisely this kind of reasoning that is declared in this text.
THEY HAVE CORRUPTED THE COVENANT OF LEVI. Other versions read, “violated,” NIV “made . . . of no value,” BBE “made void,” DOUAY “broken,” GENEVA and “destroyed.” NJB This is a way of saying the priests had “defiled the priesthood,” something that also occurred during the time of Nehemiah (Neh 13:29). Men had become priests who were not carrying out the purpose of that office. The Law warned against this happening,. Of the Levitical priesthood it said, “Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him” (Lev 21:1,15).The idea here is that God will not fulfill His promises through corrupt and distorted means. He will not work for good through a distorted emphasis perpetrated by disobedient people, and no person should expect that He would do so.
Under the New Covenant, the mandate is “Feed the flock of God. . . preach the Word . . . Let all things be done unto edifying” (1 Pet 5:2; 2 Tim 4:2; 1 Cor 14:26). That also is to be done!
GOD RESPONDS TO UNFAITHFUL MINISTERS
2:9 “Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.”
Now, Malachi relates God’s response to the wayward priests. He has noted their manner, and how they have not fulfilled His purpose for their office. Patiently He has been forbearing with them, “not willing that any should perish” (2 Pet 3:9). Now, however, they have caused the people to go astray, and the Lord will not tolerate their insolence any longer.
GOD MADE THEM CONTEMPTIBLE AND BASE. Other versions read, “despised and abased,” NASB “despised and humiliated,” NIV “taken away your honor and made you low,” BBE “made you contemptible and vile,” CJB and “ignored and belittled.” NET
The Lord withdrew the respect of the office he assigned, causing the people to despise the priests rather than honor them. By this Malachi means that the priesthood itself was despised, as opposed to particular individuals. When the office of the priest was no longer the means through which God’s message was transmitted to the people, He would not allow dignity to be assigned to the office by the people. In other words, to that generation, God no longer honored the covenant made with Levi. These priests had said in their hearts, “The table of the Lord is contemptible” (1:7). Now, in response to that, God makes the priests themselves contemptible in the eyes of the people, so that their office was no longer honored.
A similar thing has happened in our day. There is now the defiling influence of flawed messages and emphases that have been uttered by professed preachers and teachers. Additionally, public religious figures have conducted their lives in a manner that contradicts the holiness God requires of His messengers. The result is that the appointed offices of evangelist and pastor/teachers have come to be despised and ridiculed before the people. Foolish things have been said, as those who were intended to be messengers of God have chosen to dabble in domestic matters, politics, and social issues. However, the low view of these offices is not merely the response of the people. As in the time of Malachi, it is God who has made the offices contemptible before men. He has taken away the dignity of noble activities because of the waywardness of those responsible to fulfill them. It has come to the point where psychological counselors and song leaders are given more respect in the professed church than those who are to be preaching the Word. Divine judgment is upon the modern church, just as surely as it was upon the priesthood of Malachi’s day.
THEY DID NOT KEEP GOD’S WAYS. God charges the priests again: “ye have not kept My ways!” Other versions read, “followed My ways,” NIV “are not following after Me,” NET and “disregard My ways.” TNK These priests had not spoken like God. They thought differently than Him, tutored the people in a manner that conflicted with the Divine character, and were not Godlike in their instruction and direction. They did not stay within the confines of the will of God, but chose to wander into the corrupt way of self-will. They were more like the heathen world than the One who appointed them to the office they occupied.
It should be obvious that those who attempt to engage in the work of the Lord must do so after His ways, or manner. God has revealed much of Himself in the Scriptures, so that we are not left in a state of ignorance concerning His person. He is a God of truth (Deut 32:4), is drawn toward those who have a contrite spirit and tremble at His word (Psa 34:18; Isa 66:2), requires absolute holiness in His people (Lev 20:7; 1 Pet 1:15-16), and does everything in strict accord with His own will and pleasure (Eph 1:9,11; Phil 2:13). He will receive neither the persons nor the work of those who contradict those ways.
THEY WERE PARTIAL IN THE LAW. Other versions read, “shown partiality,” NKJV “had respect of persons,” ASV “have given no thought to Me,” BBE “been unfair in applying My teachings,” GWN “shown favoritism,” NLT and “let your favorites break the law without rebuke.” LIVING
God had spoken particularly on this matter, and there was no valid excuse for not knowing what He had said, or acting in contradiction of it. “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor” (Lev 19:15). And again, “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto Me, and I will hear it” (Deu 1:17; 16:19). However, these priests ignored the words, and went about their duties with a mind to their own interests. Like Eli’s sons, they “took bribes and perverted judgment” 1 Sam 8:3), and were like the leaders of Amos’ day (Amos 5:12). In this, they were radically different from Samuel, also raised by Eli, who refused to do such things (1 Sam 12:3).
Anyone who has been involved in the work of the Lord is well aware of carnal favoritism and the respect of persons. The bane of the modern church and its various institutions is its endless cliques and clusters of those who love mutual admiration (Jude 1:6). Such corrupt manners are even less acceptable in this day of salvation than they were in the time of Malachi. The unacceptable nature of such living has now been made even more apparent.