2.12.17 ~ “Spiritual Monogamy,” Malachi 2:3-12.

Bible Text: Malachi 2:3-12 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Malachi

We ended last week with 2:1-2, where God declared curses on the priests
because of their failure to bring acceptable sacrifices and offerings to His alter. Read Malachi 2:3… God declares that He will spread refuse [vomit] upon the
faces of these unfaithful priests. God is so disgusted with the priests that He likens them to the rancid internal waste products of the animals (Leviticus 4:11-12, offal = the entrails, guts, the waste contained in the intestines), all this was to be taken outside the camp and burned.
The removal of the offal to outside the camp is of interest to us, because it is symbolic of removing sin from the people (Hebrews 13:10-13). Animals offered on the Day of Atonement were not eaten, but were burned up “outside the camp.”
The Day of Atonement happened one day each year, every year, for the sins of the people of Israel. But for Christians, Jesus was the once for all and final sacrifice for sin. The sacrificial death of Christ, through which He offered His own blood, was in a way the final Day of Atonement, at which time all sin was paid for by God’s One and Only Son, the Lamb of God (Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:1-18). Jesus’ blood was shed and His body was crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem.
Read Malachi 2:4-5… God wants the priests to repent and to do what is right, but if they don’t, they will reap the consequences of their disobedience.
God had a special relationship with the Levites having made a covenant with Levi (son of Jacob through Leah). Of all the Levites, only Aaron’s sons were priests – to offer sacrifices – the rest of the Levites were set apart to help the priests, for serving God by doing all the work associated with the tabernacle.
Because of this covenant, the Levites were exempt from serving as soldiers (Numbers 1:45-54); and this covenant was to be kept in order that the people would revere God’s name, in so doing they would receive a life of peace, as we previously read in Malachi 2:5.
Read Malachi 2:6-7… Aaron feared and revered God, and so he had given proper instruction and he had been a good example before the people. He called the people to obey God’s commands, and in so doing he “turned many from sin.”
Leaders are to lead by serving, teach by modeling. Priests were the servants of God in Israel and they were to teach the Law of Moses to the nation; but the priests betrayed God and the result was that Israel failed to bring honor and glory to God.
Read Malachi 2:8-9… Priests are to live by and to proclaim God’s instruction (all Christians are priests, last week 1Peter 2:9-12). Priests in Israel were special representatives of God, responsible to obey, teach and honor God’s Law, just as Christians are to do, for we are (2Corinthians 5:20) God’s ambassadors, proclaiming Christ to all people, to all nations.
But, instead of bringing honor to God, the priests dishonored Him; they turned away from His instruction and were violating the Levitical covenant; and their bad example before the people “caused many to stumble.”
This was not a new problem in Israel however; in fact, 300 years earlier Hosea (God’s prophet) spoke a strong warning and rebuke in a similar situation (see Hosea 4:6-9 – contemporary of Isaiah & Micah, 700 BC).
The priests of Malachi’s day had greatly departed from God’s holy standard. Because of their sinful example before the people, God’s judgment upon the priests would be witnessed by Israel, in order that Israel might turn back to God in reverence and fear.
Read Malachi 2:10-12… God is not happy with the performance of the priests who were to represent Him! God is the Father over all creation, yet He is singled out here as the Father of Israel, His covenant people.
Even so, the priests had not obeyed God; they interpreted the law falsely, showing favoritism or partiality in matters of the law, for their own benefit.
God now speaks to Israel through Malachi, declaring that they have profaned the covenant God made with them that they should not marry outside of the nation of Israel, for this led to spiritual adultery, to foreign gods being worshipped in Israel.
God alone is to be worshipped, the Israelites’ were intermarrying with non- Jews, bringing foreign God’s into the homes of God’s people; yet, no one was being punished; this was a detestable thing in the eyes of God, deserving capital punishment; for it was spiritual adultery and idolatry – both punishable by death!
Often, what would happen is that pagan women would seduce their Jewish husbands into idolatry; the intermarrying of Jews with non-Jews contaminated God’s temple and profaned the covenant He had with Israel.
This warning and instruction to Israel, to remain spiritually monogamous, clearly applies to Christians, for we are the spiritual children/people of God.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, commanding them not to become intimately involved with unbelievers’ belief systems or their behaviors for Paul understood the danger and destruction of spiritual adultery (see 2Corinthians 6:14-18). Belial or Beliar (v. 15) means both worthless and wicked – the antithesis is Christ, who is both Preeminent and Holy.
To be unequally yoked with unbelievers applies not only to marriage but to business, religious practice, any intimate personal relationship with unbelievers.
When we allow godless, worldly relationships and entanglements to be formed, we give an opening to the devil, the world, and the flesh to influence our mind and heart away from God, and that is dangerous (see 1John 2:15-17; 4:1-6).
The Israelites were commanded not to marry non-Jews, just as Christians are commanded not to marry non-Christians.
God’s people are not to be intimately involved with anyone or anything that does not revere and honor God; for to do so is a detestable thing in the eyes of the Lord and will only lead to heartache, hardship, discipline and an absence of God’s blessings and protection.
When we disobey God’s instruction we can expect God’s discipline and punishment for our willful sin.
God will not accept any marriage or relationship among His people that doesn’t conform to His clearly stated will; to do so is to raise a fist to God — just as the priests were doing by offering unacceptable sacrifices to God, profaning God’s Law. and making excuses the whole while (see Malachi 1:11-13).
I have heard many excuses from Christians who knowingly get intimately involved with non-believers:
“But we really love each other! Maybe he/she will come to the Lord later on, after we are married.”
”God wouldn’t punish me for marrying someone I love, just because they aren’t a Christian, would He?”
“It’s just a business partnership, what does it matter if my business partner is an atheist?”
God is righteous, holy and sovereign, and He urges us to know and to do His will and to submit to His authority, not because He wants to limit our fun or create hardships for us, but because His way is the right, true, good, acceptable and everlasting way.
God’s love for all people is expressed throughout the Scriptures. God demonstrates His grace and mercy by offering His own Son, so that anyone who trusts and believes in Him receives forgiveness for sins and eternal life, having been spiritually born into the family of God, with the Sovereign LORD God, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, becoming our Eternal Father (see John 1:12; 3:16; 1John 3:1, 7, 10, 23-24; also Matthew 12:46-50; John 6:38-40).
God loved Israel and so He urged them through Malachi to do what He commanded. God unconditionally loves you and every genuine Believer and follower of Christ; and so He urges us to stay true to Him and to His Truth, not with rituals and ceremonies, but with our very life (see Romans 12:1-2).
God is a righteous, holy and jealous God and He will not bless our relationships with any other person, thing, philosophy, belief system, or any other relationship where He is not the first and foremost object of worship.
If you belong to God through Christ, you ought to live as one of God’s children (see Ephesians 5:1-2). I urge you today, just as Malachi, 2500 years ago, urged the priests and the people of Israel, to set your heart to honor God in all that you do, being faithful to Him and to Him alone, confessing your sins, that He might cleanse, restore, strengthen, and bless you, abundantly!
And all God’s people said, Amen!
Pastor Mike