Malachi 2:10-17 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Malachi 2:10-17. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Malachi 2:10 (NIV)
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?
On verse 10: In this passage God identifies three ways that the Jews “broke faith” with one another. By carrying on these three sinful practices, the Jews were hurting one another, discouraging each other’s faith in God, threatening their unity as God followers, profaning the covenant their ancestors had made with God, and setting a bad example for the generations that followed them. Let’s take a look at each of these three practices, which are even more common today than they were in Malachi’s time.
Malachi 2:11-12 (NIV)
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.
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.
On verses 11-12: According to verses 11-12, the first way the Jewish men broke faith with one another was by marrying women who did not share the same faith as them and who followed other religions (“marrying women who worship a foreign god” – v11). If we were to look at this from a completely me-centered human perspective, then we would protest, “What’s so wrong about that? Can’t a person love and marry anyone they want?” But if God and His Word are to take centre stage in our lives, and if our hearts are really set on honouring God and living for His glory, then we would realize that there are good reasons why God, in both the Old Testament and the New, sternly warns His people not to yoke themselves to partners who carry on a different faith. It’s because practically speaking two people who are not aligned in their core beliefs and values will have a very difficult time walking in the same direction for the long-term. In addition, when a Christian marries someone who does not follow Christ, the Christian will at many points feel held back in their faith; at worst the Christian can lose their faith entirely.
Not only that, marrying non-believers sets the wrong example for other believers. It discourages them from obeying God’s Word. It causes them to question God’s Word, to trust in themselves and to think, “well if that person did it, why can’t I?” In this way God says that those who marry non-believers have “desecrated the sanctuary” (v11), for they are hurting not just themselves but their faith community as well.
Keep in mind that the situation God’s Word is speaking of here is where someone who is already a believer goes against God’s Word and marries someone who is not. If you have done so, then confess your sin to God and trust that God will work it out ultimately for good, since it’s too late to divorce. Pray for your unbelieving spouse and children every day and ask the Lord for a mercy-filled miracle.
Malachi 2:13-16 (NIV)
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.
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.
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.
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.
On verses 13-16: The second way the Jewish men broke faith with one another was that they were quick to divorce their wives. God always intended that marriage be a lifelong covenant. Marriage was always meant to be “till death do us part”.
It’s no secret the tremendous damage that divorce does not only on the two parties divorcing but even more on their children who never asked for such pain and trouble. It’s no wonder Jesus only allowed for divorce in circumstances where one party had already broken their marital vow by being unfaithful (Matthew 5:32 and 19:9).
When we break faith through divorce without a Biblical reason, not only do we break faith with the person we married; we also go back on our vow to God. If you have gone through a divorce yourself, don’t run away from God. But look to Him for mercy and restoration.
Malachi 2:17 (NIV)
17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. “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?”
On verse 17: The third way the Jews broke faith was that they charged God with being an unjust God who approves of evil. They would also deny His existence (“Where is the God of justice?”) In so doing they “wearied the Lord with [their] words”.
What can we learn from this? When we yoke ourselves to non-believers in marriage, when we are quick to divorce and break the marriage covenant we made, and when we charge God as evil or unjust, we break faith with God and with one another.
God does not look at these sinful practices lightly. He calls them all unfaithfulness. For in carrying on these practices, we end up not only disobeying God’s Word, but also hurting one another, discouraging each other’s faith in God, threatening our unity as His church family, giving God a bad name, and setting a bad example for the generations that follow after us.
The reason God commands us not to sin is not to spoil our fun but to protect us and preserve our long-term joy and peace. So for the good of ourselves and our community, as well as for the glory of God, may we be careful not to break faith with God in these three ways that Malachi identifies.
Father, thank You for Your commands, which You give for our protection because You know best. Your commands are not prison bars. They are like guardrails on a highway, keeping us from falling off a cliff and hurting others in the process. Thank You for Your mercy which covers us in all our failing. May we be careful to obey Your commands, especially as they relate to marriage and divorce, and may we never charge You with wrongdoing. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
