Malachi 2

The Explanation

Malachi is a prophet who lives long after the great kings of Israel. The temple has been rebuilt, but something is wrong on the inside. The priests, the men who work in the temple and teach people about God, are not doing their job well. And God speaks to them through Malachi. It is a hard message.

God says: "If you will not listen, I will curse your blessings." That sounds strange. Normally God gives blessings, good things. But now He says: what I meant as a gift, I will turn around, because you do not take Me seriously. He even says something shocking. He will spread the dung of their sacrificial animals on their faces. That is not a joke. God shows how disgusting He finds it that the priests act holy on the outside while their hearts are elsewhere.

Then God looks back. Long ago He made a covenant with Levi, the ancestor of the priests. A covenant is a solemn promise between two people. Levi had respect for God. He spoke the truth. He helped others walk the right path. But these priests do the opposite. They twist God's law and treat some people better than others.

After that Malachi talks to the whole people. "Don't we all have one father? Hasn't one God created us?" But brothers are cheating brothers. Men are leaving the wives they married when they were young, to marry women who serve other gods. God saw those weddings. He was the witness. And now He sees the tears of the abandoned wives falling on His altar.

At the end the people complain: "Where is the God of justice? Look, bad people are doing well." God is tired of that talk. He hears it.

What Does This Mean?

This chapter shows that God takes it seriously how we treat each other and Him. The priests thought: as long as we bring sacrifices, it is fine. But God looks at their hearts, their words, their marriages, their honesty. You cannot serve God on Sunday and lie the rest of the week. God sees everything as one whole.

And God gets angry when someone with a task, like a priest or a teacher, misleads others. Verse 7 says the priest's lips should keep knowledge. If you have been given something to pass on, you are responsible for what you do with it.

The Common Thread

The priests in Malachi failed. But God's promise about a covenant of "life and peace" (verse 5) does not disappear. Centuries later Jesus comes. He is called our High Priest in the New Testament. He does what the priests of Malachi did not do: He speaks the truth, He walks with God in peace, and He turns many people away from wrong paths. Where they broke the covenant, He makes a new one, with His own life.

And that question at the end, "Where is the God of justice?", gets an answer too. He came. Not in the way people expected, but He came.

For You

Malachi 2 asks a question that also fits you: does what you say match what you do? At school you can tell a friend how much you like her, and behind her back say something else. At home you can say "yes Mom" and then do the opposite. God calls that dealing treacherously. That is a serious word, but it is honest.

And there is something else. God pays attention to how people treat each other in families. He saw the tears of those women. He sees things at home that no one else sees. If things are difficult in your home, or if you see something that is not right, know this: God sees it too. He does not look away.

You do not have to be a priest to speak of God. When you tell the truth, when you keep a promise, when you stand up for someone others laugh at, you are doing what verse 6 says. You turn someone away from a wrong path.

Talk About It

Why do you think God gets more angry with the priests than with other people in this chapter?

Have you ever noticed that what someone says and what someone does do not match? What does that do to you?

Praying Together

Lord God, You see everything. You see what I say and what I do when no one is watching. Help me to be honest. Thank You that Jesus is a better priest and never fails. Amen.