Malachi 2 — The Lord Hath Been Witness
God rebukes the priests for departing from the covenant of Levi — they have caused many to stumble by their corrupt teaching. He condemns the people for treachery against one another, for marrying the daughters of foreign gods, and especially for dealing treacherously against the wives of their youth. God hates divorce. They have wearied Him with their words, saying everyone who does evil is good in His sight.
“For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away.”
— Malachi 2:16
- v.1-9 The corrupt priesthood; the covenant of Levi broken
- v.10-12 Treachery and intermarriage with idolaters
- v.13-16 Divorce and treachery against wives
- v.17 Wearying God with words
The priest's lips should keep knowledge. The teaching role of the priest. People came to him to seek the law at his mouth. He was God's messenger.
The standard for every spiritual teacher. The pastor's lips should keep accurate knowledge of God's Word, and people should be able to come to him for truth. When teachers corrupt the message, they fail their primary function.
Have we not all one father? The appeal to common origin as the basis for treating one another well. Treachery against a brother profanes the covenant relationship.
The principle reaches into the New Testament — we are members one of another (Ephesians 4:25). How believers treat one another matters to God because they share one Father. Treachery within the family of God is a profaning of the covenant.
The Lord hath been witness. Marriage is a covenant to which God Himself is witness. The men were divorcing the wives of their youth, treating the covenant as disposable.
Thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. The biblical view of marriage — companionship and covenant, witnessed by God. Treachery against a spouse is treachery against a covenant God observed and sealed.
That he might seek a godly seed. One of the primary purposes of marriage stated — the raising of godly children. The treacherous divorces were destroying the nurseries of faith.
Take heed to your spirit. The guarding of the inner life is the key to faithfulness. The man who does not watch his own spirit drifts toward treachery. Marriage is protected first in the heart.
He hateth putting away — divorce. God's strong word against the casual breaking of marriage covenants. The treacherous divorce covers violence with his garment — a violent act dressed up as respectable.
The verse must be balanced with the rest of Scripture — Jesus permitted divorce for marital unfaithfulness (Matthew 19:9), and Paul addressed abandonment (1 Corinthians 7:15). But God's heart is named clearly — He hates the breaking of the covenant. The exceptions are concessions to human sin, not God's ideal.
Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. The cynical, faithless talk of the people exhausted God's patience. They claimed evildoers were fine in God's sight and questioned whether He judged at all.
A modern-sounding complaint. Where is the God of judgment? The cynicism that says God does not care about good and evil. The next chapter (3:1) answers — the Lord is coming to His temple, and judgment is real.
Take heed to your spirit. The verse is repeated twice in this chapter as the key to faithfulness — in marriage, in friendship, in covenant. Treachery begins in an unguarded heart. Watch your own spirit. Faithfulness to your spouse, your church, your commitments is protected first in the inner life, long before it shows in action.
Christ is the faithful Bridegroom who never deals treacherously with His bride. Where the men of Malachi's day abandoned the wives of their youth, Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). The covenant-keeping faithfulness that Israel lacked is perfectly displayed in Christ's unbreakable commitment to His people. He is the husband who will never put away His bride.
The original covenant with Levi was of life and peace. The priesthood was meant to be a blessing to the nation. The contrast with the corrupt priests of Malachi's day is stark.
The reverent fear that marked the true priest — afraid before my name — had been lost. Where reverence dies, corruption follows. The priests who no longer feared God could no longer represent Him faithfully.