1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

2If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

3Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

4And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.

5My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

6The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

7For 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.

10Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

11Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

12The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts.

13And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

14Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

15And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

17Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

COMMENTARY by Dr. Dave Burnette

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Malachi

Date Penned: (430 BC)

Overview: Confront Sinners to Restoration with God (c 1-4)

Theme: The Sinful Priests (c 1-2)

Message: God Warns His Priests (v 1-17)

Malachi 2 Commentary

(2:1) God warned the priests that if they did not "give glory" to his name, he would punish them. Like these priests, we too are called to give glory to God's name. He would punish them. Like these priests , we too are called to give glory to God's mane - to worship him. Worshipping God means acknowledging him from who he is - the Almighty Creator of the universe who alone is perfect and who reaches down to sinful mankind with perfect love. According to this definition, are giving glory to God's name?

(2:2) The priests didn't take seriously ("lay it to heart") God's priority, even though he had reminded them through his Word many times. How do you find out what is important to God? Begin by loving him with all your heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6) This means listening to what he says in his Word and then setting your heart, mind, and will on doing what he says. When we love God, his Word is a shining light that guides our daily activities. The priests in Malachi's day had stopped loving God, and thus they did not know nor care what he wanted.

(2:4-6) Levi "walked with God...and did turn many away from iniquity" He was the ancestor of the tribe of Levites, the tribe set apart for service to God (Numbers 1) The Levites became God's ministers, first in the Tabernacle, then in the Temple in these verses, God was addressing the priests who were from this tribe, saying they should listen to the laws He gave their ancestor Levi, and follow his example.

(2:7-8) Malichi was angry at the priests because though they were to be God's "messengers" they did not know Gods Word, and this lack of knowledge caused them to lead God's people astray. Their ignorance was willful and inexcusable. Pastors and leaders of God's people must know God's Word - what it says, what it means, and how it applies to daily life. How much time do you spend in God's Word?

(2:9) The priests had allowed influential and favored people to break the law. They were so dependent on these people for support that they could not afford to confront them when they did wrong. In your Church are certain people allowed to do wrong without criticism? There should be no double standard based on wealth or position. Let your standards be those presented in God's Word. Playing favorites is contemptible in God's sight (James 2)

(2:10) The people were being unfaithful. Though not openly saying they rejected God, they were living as if he did not exist. Men were marrying heathen women who worshiped idols. Divorce was common, occurring for no reason other than a desire for change. People acted as if they could do anything without being punished. And they wondered why God refused to accept their offerings and bless them. We cannot successfully separate our dealings with God from the rest of our lives. He must be Lord of all.

(2:11-13) After the Temple had been rebuilt and the walls completed, the people were excited to see past prophecies coming true. But as time passed, the prophecies about the destruction of God's enemies and a coming Messiah were not fulfilled. The people became discouraged, and they grew complacent about obeying all of God's laws. This complacency gradually led to blatant sin, such as marriage to those who worshiped idols. Esera and Nehemiah also confronted this problem years earlier (Ezra 9)(Nehemiah 13)

(2:14) The people were complaining about their adverse circumstances when they had only themselves to blame. People often try to avoid guilt feelings by shifting the blame. This doesn't solve the problem, however when you face problems, look first at yourself. If you change your attitude or behaviour, would the problem be solved?

(2:15) Divorce in these times was practiced exclusively by men, They broke faith with their wives and ignored the bonding between a husband and a wife that God instills (2 become 1 person) and his purpose for them (raising children who love the Lord (Godly seed") Not only were men breaking faith with their wives, they were ignoring the bonding relationship and spiritual purpose of being united with God.

(2:16) "Take heed to your spirit" means to have the same commitment to marriage that God has to his promises with his people. We need passion in the marriage relationship to keep the commitment and intimacy satisfying, but this passion should be focused exclusively on our spouse.

(2:17) God was tired of the way the people twisted his truths. He would punish those who insisted that, because God was silent, he approved of their actions or at least would never punish them, God would also punish those who casually professed a counterfeit faith while acting sinfully.

LIFE APPLICATION by Dr. Dave Burnette

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue the book of Malachi with Chapter 2. In our text today we see God warning His Priests as they failed to listen to the Word of God as did the people. In making application we see a common practice today. People failing to read, listen, and heed the Word of God and as a consequence suffering defeat. How about you? Do you respond to the Word of God? Let us learn from our text today and the example of Israel who failed to listen to God's Word and as a result missed the Blessings of God and suffered the errors of their ways.