Malaquias 2

Malaquias 2

Henry writes that "The Lord has been Witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, has been witness to the marriage-covenant between thee and her, for to Him you appealed concerning your sincerity in it and fidelity to it; He has been a Witness to all the violations of it, and all thy treacherous dealings in contempt of it, and is ready to judge between thee and her." MacKay - God was the "divine witness...called on to note and watch over the pledges given. It is not just to the fact that they have been entered into, but also to monitor that they were carried out. Now the LORD is indicating that the pledges given were not being fulfilled....Broken marriage vows concern not only the human partners to the bond, but God as well." Wife of your youth (first of three graphic descriptions of the wife who has been divorced) - Matthew Henry "She is the wife of thy youth, who had thy affections when they were at the strongest, was thy first choice, and with whom thou hast lived long. Let not the darling of thy youth be the scorn and loathing of thy age.'' Dealt treacherously (0898)(bagad) means they had acted deceitfully and unfaithfully, violating their marriage allegiance and thus betraying their wife and their God! Bagad means to ‘break faith’ which speaks of one who does not honour the terms of an existing agreement. She is your companion - Matthew Henry notes "She is thy companion; she has long been an equal sharer with thee in thy cares, and griefs, and joys.'' The wife is to be looked upon, not as a servant, but as a companion to the husband, with whom he should freely converse and take sweet counsel, as with a friend, and in whose company he should take delight more than in any other's; for is she not appointed to be thy companion?" Companion (02278)(chabereth from chabar) is used only here. NIV = "partner." This feminine noun, used as a synonym for wife, signifies the type of close relationship which the root verb chabar (be joined, coupled, have fellowship with) expresses. A companion is a close friend with whom interests are shared. The Septuagint translates chabereth with koinonos (see also koinonia) which describes one who participates with another in an enterprise or matter of joint concern. It is one who fellowships and shares something in common with another. He or she takes part in something with someone else. Webster's 1828 definition of companion - One who keeps company with another; one with whom a person frequently associates, and converses. One who accompanies another; as two persons meeting casually and traveling together are called companions (Ed: Think of life as a "journey")." Dear husband, in light of this definition, can you honestly say that the wife of your youth is your companion? Walter Kaiser - In that magnificent allegory on marital and conjugal fidelity in Pr 5:15–21, Solomon had similarly enjoined couples to “rejoice with the wife of your youth” (Pr 5:18). No doubt when Malachi uses the word “companion” in Mal 2:14, he is calling on the “one flesh” teaching of Ge 2:24, for the word for “companion” means “united,” or “joined together.” “Companion” implies harmony and working together to achieve life’s goals while sharing all the hardships and pain—and joys! T V Moore has a powerful, soul penetrating, conscience stirring, accusation to all men who have abandoned (or who are considering such a stupid, foolish action!) the wife of their youth - "She whom you thus wronged was the companion of those earlier and brighter days, when in the bloom of her young beauty she left her father’s house and shared your early struggles, and rejoiced in your later success; who walked arm in arm with you along the pilgrimage of life, cheering you in its trials by her gentle ministry; and now, when the bloom of her youth has faded and the friends of her youth have gone, when her father and mother whom she left for you are in the grave, then you cruelly cast her off as a worn-out, worthless thing, and insult her holiest affections by putting an idolater and a heathen in her place." (Malachi 2 Commentary 1856) Your wife by covenant - This is one of the places that leaves little doubt that God considers the union of a man and a woman to be a covenant. Marriage is also treated as a covenant in Proverbs 2:17 and Ezekiel 16:8 (cf Ge 31:50). Keep in mind that in the ancient world covenant was considered very solemn and completely binding (See Discussion of Covenant Solemn & Binding). See Related Resource: Covenant: As It Relates to Marriage Matthew Henry speaking of the marriage covenant writes "She is the wife of thy covenant, to whom thou art so firmly bound that, while she continues faithful, thou canst not be loosed from her, for it was a covenant for life. It is the wife with whom thou hast covenanted, and who has covenanted with thee; there is an oath of God between you, which is not to be trifled with, is not to be played fast and loose with.'' Married people should often call to mind their marriage-vows, and review them with all seriousness, as those that make conscience of performing what they promised." (Have you ever repeated your marriage vows with the wife of your youth? Have you done so before witnesses?) Covenant (01285)(berit/berith/beriyth) refers to a treaty, compact, agreement between two parties (first use God's covenant with Noah - Ge 6:18, 9:9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17). Beriyth was symbolized by two parties making a compact by passing between pieces of flesh, saying in essence, "May it happen to me what has happened to this animal if I break the covenant!" Thus covenant was not taken lightly but represented a solemn, binding arrangement between two parties, and entailed a variety of responsibilities, benefits and penalties, depending on the specific covenant. OT covenants were made between God and man (eg, God with Noah - Ge 6:18, with Abram - Ge 15:18) or between men (Abraham and Abimelech - Ge 21:27, Isaac and Abimelech - Ge 26:28, Jacob and Laban - Ge 31:44) (For summary of covenants see - Covenant in the Bible). Malachi 2:15 "But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.: (Ge 1:27 2:20-24 Mt 19:4-6 Mk 10:6-8 1Co 7:2) (Spirit: Ge 2:7 Job 27:3 Ec 12:7 Jn 20:22) (While he was seeking: Ge 24:3-7,44 26:34,35 27:46 28:2-4 Dt 7:4 Ezr 9:4 Ne 13:24 Jer 2:21 1Co 7:14 Eph 6:4 1Ti 3:4,5,11,12 Tit 1:6) (godly offspring: Ge 6:2 Ho 1:10 Ac 3:25 2Co 6:18) (take: Mal 2:14 Pr 4:23 6:25 7:25 Mt 5:28,29 15:19 Jas 1:14,15) REMAIN FAITHFUL TO THE WIFE OF YOUR YOUTH There is marked variation in the rendering of the Hebrew by the English versions. OT scholar Walter Kaiser remarks that "Mal 2:15 is regarded by many as one of the most difficult verses in the Bible!" MacKay writes that "Its general import is clear: husbands should remain true to their first wife." ESV Malachi 2:15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. NET Malachi 2:15 No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth. CSB Malachi 2:15 Didn't the one God make us with a remnant of His life-breath? And what does the One seek? A godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously against the wife of your youth. NIV Malachi 2:15 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. NKJ Malachi 2:15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. NLT Malachi 2:15 Didn't the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. RSV Malachi 2:15 Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. John MacKay summarizes the four major interpretations of this verse, in decreasing order of probability (in his estimation).. (1) The first three elliptical words ‘and not one he made’ may be understood as a rhetorical question referring to the institution of marriage related in Genesis 2. This underlies the rendering in the NIV text, Has not (the LORD) made them one? (2:15). ‘One’ in the context of marriage would remind a Jew of the words ‘they will become one flesh’ (Gen. 2:24). It was to this same text that Jesus appealed when he was in dispute with the Pharisees regarding the permissibility of divorce (Mt. 19:3–9). The strength of a similar reference here to the creation ordinance is that it suitably reinforces the argument in the context. They should not be divorcing the wife of their youth in that it is improper to sever the bond whereby God has united the two — the man and the woman — and made them one. The problem for this interpretation arises in the following words, which literally are ‘and remainder of spirit to him’. The NIV deals with this by changing one vowel of the text (there is no change in the consonants which were all that was originally written) to read ‘flesh’ instead of ‘remainder’, though the word for ‘flesh’ is different from that found in Genesis 2:24. ‘Him’ is understood of God, and the translation becomes, In flesh and spirit they are his. This makes good sense. As created by God, the man and woman are not independent of him in any aspect of their being, and so they are answerable to him for what they do in marriage. (Note an alternative without emendation suggested under the next interpretation.) And why one? Why is it the case that God has structured marriage in such a way that there is this exclusive bond between man and wife? Because he (that is, God) was seeking godly offspring. That aim would be threatened by a man having more than one wife at a time (polygamy), or by his divorcing his wife and breaking the marital bond to marry another (serial polygamy). Only when both partners remain true to the structure God has designed for marriage will it be the case that the children are provided with the environment of security and upbringing with a respect for God and his commands, which is what he wants. (2) Another possibility is to understand the mention of ‘one’ as picking up the theme of ‘one Father’ and ‘one God’ in Mal 2:10 with its implications for the oneness of the nation which should not be disrupted. ‘And not one he made’ would then assert by means of a question, ‘Did not (the LORD) make (us) one (nation)?’ ‘And remainder of spirit to him’ might then be understood of the Spirit as God’s creative power. Having formed one nation, it was not lack of power that prevented him from forming others, but rather his intention to form a single people, separated to himself from the nations of the earth. (A similar proposal could be made for the phrase in terms of interpretation (1). It was not from lack of power that God did not create other partners for Adam, but because it ran contrary to his intention.) But ‘why one?’, literally, ‘the one’, that is the one nation being talked about. ‘Because he was seeking godly offspring’, and this was more likely to be achieved if marriages were formed within the covenant nation pledged to him. In this way the nation would not in succeeding generations be tempted to be disloyal to the covenant, and so would be fit to be the one from which the Messiah might come. Marrying pagan wives imperiled this divine mission. (3) A third interpretation stems from the fact that ‘and not one he made’ is an unusual way to express a negative question in Hebrew. Understanding ‘one’ as the subject of the verb, and taking it to refer to a typical individual who was loyal to his covenant commitment, the passage may be rendered, ‘But no one has done (this), and (while) he had a remnant of the Spirit’. Those in who hearts the Spirit was active to any extent at all would not engage in such unworthy behaviour. ‘And what does the one seek? An offspring from God.’ Faithful to the covenant, he seeks the realization of the covenant promise by raising up children in the way of covenant truth. (4) The fourth interpretation is found in the NIV footnote. It too understands the initial ‘one’ as the subject and not the object of ‘make’, and takes the reference to be to Abraham. ‘But the one (who is our father) did not do this, not as long as life remained in him. And what was he seeking? An offspring from God.’ A supposed objection is being countered. In the first sentence the people argue that divorce is permissible because of the precedent set by Abraham sending away Hagar (Ge 21:8–21). To this the prophet counters with a question which shows that the parallel is not exact. That incident only happened after Isaac was born, and because Abraham did not want to compromise his covenant inheritance. The people of Malachi’s day were not concerned about their heritage, but about indulging their passions. This explanation is least likely because the introduction of Abraham as ‘one’ requires explanation (though note the possible reference in 2:10 footnote), and the argument from what he did is not immediately convincing. Abraham did not send away the wife of his youth, but a concubine who was not a covenant wife but a pagan one. (Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi Focus on the Bible Commentaries- John L. Mackay) (Digital - Wordsearch) (Digital - Logos) Regardless of how one interprets the first portion of Mal 2:15, the concluding exhortation by Malachi to his readers (especially the Hebrew married men) is crystal clear... So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless (bagad) to the wife of your youth. (ESV) Therefore - Not found in NAS but is found in other translations. A term of conclusion based on what Malachi has just stated, difficult as it was for us to interpret. Take heed (08104) (shamar) means to keep, to watch to preserve, to guard. Lxx uses phulasso (to guard) in the aorist imperative (command calling for urgent, immediate action). We see a similar charge by Solomon in Proverbs (and tragically something this wise king did not do in the area of foreign wives - 1Ki 11:1-12)... Watch over your heart with all diligence, for (term of explanation = explains why we need to guard our hearts) from it flow the springs of life. (Pr 4:23-note) Take heed to your spirit - The root of their problems with marital fidelity is a problem with their spiritual life, their hearts. "Marital problems are first solved spiritually, and then they are worked out practically and personally. If one’s spiritual relationship with God is always correct, he will never have marital problems." (KJV Bible Commentary) MacKay - If ‘spirit’ picks up the earlier mention in the verse, then it favors understanding it there also as referring to the inner consciousness of man with which he has been divinely endowed. It is in the spirit that an individual longs for God (Isa. 26:9). The man in whose spirit there is no deceit is blessed (Ps. 32:2), and so it is necessary to watch our inner attitudes and desires. It is from within that sin and uncleanness come (Mt 15:16-20). When there are so many influences seeking to divert from loyalty to God, we need to watch ourselves very carefully not to be drawn into impure practices, but rather keep ourselves in the love of God (Dt. 4:15; Josh. 23:11). (Ibid) Deal treacherously (0898)(bagad) or act deceitfully and unfaithfully, violating the marriage covenant, thereby betraying their wife and their God! The wife of your youth - Second mention (see notes Mal 2:14) Malachi 2:15 Guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. - Author Phil Waugh offers this insightful summary of what is involved in a committed, Christ-centered marriage. “When a couple shares their wedding vows, they are vowing to God, each other, their families, and the community to remain steadfast in unconditional love, reconciliation, and sexual purity, while purposefully growing in their covenant marriage relationship. God’s intent is to bring wholeness to families through covenant marriage relationships.” - Today in the Word TODAY IN THE WORD - Ask almost any couple married for a long time for the secrets of their success, and they are likely to have one thing in common. Those who stay together over the years, when it’s fun and when it isn’t, never have the word divorce as part of their marital vocabulary. One Christian couple married for forty-three years put it this way: “Stick to the basics: love, perseverance, commitment. Be true to each other in everything you do and say.” Malachi 2:16 "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.": (the Lord: Dt 24:1-4 Isa 50:1 Mt 5:31,32 19:3-9 Mk 10:2-12 Lk 16:18) (covers: Pr 28:13 Isa 28:20 59:6 Mic 7:2,3) GOD'S CLEAR DECLARATION: "I HATE DIVORCE!" For I hate sending away, said Jehovah, God of Israel, And He who hath covered violence with his clothing, said Jehovah of Hosts, And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And ye do not deal treacherously. (Young's Literal Translation - Malachi 2:16) For (See discussion of the importance of pausing to ponder and query this term of explanation) - Explains how they were dealing treacherously (unfaithfully) with their wives. They were "putting them away!" I hate (08130)(sane - word study) means to abhor, detest, loathe, be hostile, have a feeling of open hostility and intense dislike. The Lxx translates sane with the Greek verb miseo which mean to hate, detest, express hostility toward. Hate means to dislike greatly; to feel extreme enmity toward; to have a great aversion to. Hate expresses an intense hostility toward. Divorce (KJV = putting away)(07971) (shalach) this verb is used almost 790x in the OT and primarily means to send forth or send away. In some uses it means to cast out someone (Lev. 18:24; 20:23; Jer. 28:16). To dissolve the marriage covenant between a husband and wife. NET Note - Though the statement "I hate divorce" may (and should) be understood as a comprehensive biblical principle, the immediate context suggests that the divorce in view is that of one Jewish person by another in order to undertake subsequent marriages. The injunction here by no means contradicts Ezra's commands to Jewish men to divorce their heathen wives (Ezra 9:1-Ezra 10:11 - Ed comment: Lxx in Ezra 10:11 = diastello = draw asunder, divide, dispose - cf Ge 30:40 "separated", Dt 10:8 "set apart", Dt 29:21 "single...out"; Ru 1:17 "parts you and me" - Lxx "divide between me and thee.") The LORD, the God of Israel - This Name is found 66x -Ex 5:1; 32:27; Josh 7:13, 19f; 8:30; 9:18f; 10:40, 42; 13:14, 33; 22:24; 24:2, 23; Judg 4:6; 5:3, 5; 6:8; 11:21, 23; Ruth 2:12; 1 Sam 10:18; 14:41; 20:12; 1 Kgs 1:30, 48; 8:15, 17, 20, 23, 25; 11:9, 31; 17:1; 2 Kgs 9:6; 10:31; 14:25; 18:5; 19:15, 20; 21:12; 1 Chr 16:36; 28:4; 2 Chr 2:12; 6:4, 7, 10, 14, 16f; 34:23; Ezra 1:3; Ps 41:13; 106:48; Isa 17:6; 24:15; 37:21; 45:3; Jer 11:3; 13:12; 25:15; 30:2; 42:9; 45:2; Mal 2:16 KJV Bible Commentary - If one would be like God, he will hate what God hates—divorce—and will not engage in it or anything that will hurt the wife of his youth. Rather, he will give all of his effort to the cultivating of the bond between him and the wife of his youth. Him who covers his garment with violence - NET Note says "garment is a metaphor for appearance and "violence" a metonymy of effect for cause. God views divorce as an act of violence against the victim." Craig Blaising - A man’s covering himself with his garment symbolizes marriage (cf. Ru 3:9; Ezek. 16:8). But covering himself with violence describes violating the marriage relationship, which is what divorce does. Walter Kaiser - It is important to note that Dt 24:1 does not contradict this verse. Dt 24:1 should not be read as approving of divorce; rather, it should be read as discouraging divorce by calling for the husband to provide his wife some protection by declaring in writing his intentions to divorce. A written declaration would make impossible any devious schemes of wife-swapping—wherein the wife’s marital status would depend on the whims of her husband—that could have occurred under the prior system, which required only the husband’s thrice uttered oral statement of divorce witnessed only by the husband and wife. Of course, Jesus harkened back to the normality of Genesis 2:24 when He spoke in Matthew 19:3–8 on the subject of divorce. His reference to covering one’s garment with violence (v. 16c) recalls the story of Ruth, in which Boaz spread a garment over Ruth (Ruth 3:9; cf. Deut. 22:30; Ezek. 16:8), thereby indicating his intentions to claim her as his wife. The act of spreading a garment over another person had the same idiomatic meaning as our word “bed” has for conjugal relations today. But when the garment was covered with violence the idiom spoke instead of acting unfaithfully and unjustly towards one’s conjugal promises. Feinberg - Polygamy and divorce are not conducive to nurturing children in the fear of God. And ultimately these practices were not helpful to obtain the godly seed in the stock of the promised Messiah. The purpose of God in a godly seed was being counteracted and set aside by their intermarriage and divorce. In view of all this, Malachi warns them to take heed diligently to themselves that they refrain from such godless deeds. In short, God declares unequivocally that He hates divorce, the putting away of wives. This verse is not at variance with Deuteronomy 24:1, where divorce is allowed. This was countenanced because of the hardness of their hearts. (See Mt 19:3-8) The hatred of God is also expressed against the one who covers his garment with violence. The reference is to the old custom of putting a garment over a woman to claim her as wife. (Note particularly Dt 22:30; Ruth 3:9; and Eze 16:8.) Instead of spreading their garment to protect their wives, they covered their garment with violence toward their wives. The garment symbolized wedded trust and protection. Again they are warned to take heed to themselves in this vital matter. ILLUSTRATIONS ON DIVORCE DIVORCE - According to researcher George Barna, the ratio of Christians who have been divorced is higher than the percentage of non-Christians. In his sample of almost 4000 adults, Christians led non-Christians in divorce by a margin of 3 percentage points, 27% to 24%. Perhaps the number of non-Christians that live together, without the benefit of marriage, and the number of Christians that find their faith after divorce should be taken into account. Nevertheless, the numbers are frightening. (REV Magazine, May-June, 2000 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson) DIVORCE - Best-selling author and marriage and family therapist Michelle Weiner-Davis perceptively states in Divorce Busting that "you can't make a person want the marriage to work if he or she is determined to get out…. You may be doing everything [almost] right and it still doesn't work." (Divorce Busting (New York: Summit Books, 1992), p. 230. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson) For more information on Divorce Busting, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671797255/freshministry DIVORCE - Conventional wisdom has taught for years that divorce is the best option for a bad marriage, but a study recently conducted by the University of Chicago is shattering that myth. Linda Waite, lead author of the report said, “Staying married is not just for the children’s sake. Some divorce is necessary, but results like these suggest the benefits for divorce have been oversold.” The primary conclusion of the study was that divorce did not increase the level of happiness of individuals in troubled marriages. There was “about the same proportion of couples who avoided divorcing despite an unhappy marriage ended up happy five years later as those who split up.” Has divorce been oversold in our culture? I’d agree with the author of the study. What hasn’t been oversold though is the concept of keeping wedding vows. (llustration by Jim L. Wilson) DIVORCE - Divorce has always been relatively easy for a Moslem male, all he had to do was tell his wife “I divorce you” three times and it was done. But now it’s gotten a lot easier. An Islamic court recently ruled that men could now divorce their wives by sending them a text message over their cellular phones. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad commented on the ruling by saying, “I think if people want to divorce their wives, they should resort to a much more personal approach.” (Newsweek, August 11, 2003, p. 21 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson) I’d agree that a personal approach is better than an impersonal one, but would prefer men not stop there but also take a spiritual approach. Marriage should never be taken lightly and marriage vows should be honored at all costs. Even though divorce isn’t as simple in non-Islamic countries as “sending a text message” it is easy enough. Divorce should be the last resort, not the first option. DIVORCE- Jessica Squier of Montrose, PA has an opinion on divorce that deserves a hearing. She said, "I'm sick of seeing selfish parents trying to reason that divorce is for 'everyone's good.' The best thing to do for your child is to work out your problems in the marriage. We kids become very insecure when our world is shaken. And even though it may not show up on the outside when our parents break up, it leaves a scar. Trust me I'm 14 and I know." (Reader's Digest, April 2002, p 16 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson) DIVORCE - John Steinbeck got his first divorce when he was 38 after falling in love with Gwen Conger, a 20-year-old singer. He invited Conger to his house, sat her down in a room with his wife and said, "I want you two gals to talk this out, and the one who feels she really wants me the most, gets me." Steinbeck then left the room. Conger got him. When they divorced 9 years later, Steinbeck said, "Well there goes that experiment." (Biography Magazine, Feb 2002, p. 85. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson) With such a cavalier attitude about marriage, no wonder his relationships headed toward divorce. Andrew Comes - Divorce is always a bombshell. However much it has been anticipated and even thought through, it almost invariably turns out to be much harder for both partners than either ever imagined. Dorothy Dix - So many people who think divorce a panacea for every ill find out when they try it that the remedy is worse than the disease. Terence Kelshaw - Divorce tells us the truth about man. It tells us nothing about marriage. Lawrence S. Kubie - Divorce is always a tragedy no matter how civilized the handling of it may be. It is always a confession of human failure, even when it is the better of sorry alternatives. Martin Luther - I have such hatred of divorce that I prefer bigamy to divorce. William Secker - Marriages are styled matches, yet amongst those many that are married, how few there are that are matched! Husbands and wives are like locks and keys, that rather break than open, except the wards be answerable Story from Pastor Brian Bill - A man and a woman who had been married for more than 60 years kept no secrets from each other and shared everything. Well, almost everything. The wife kept a hidden shoebox on her closet shelf and had told her husband never to open it or ask her about it. For more than six decades, he had never thought about the box, but one day, his sweet wife got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the harried husband took down the shoebox and took it to his bride’s bedside. She agreed that it was time for him to know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted doilies and a stack of money totaling $25,000. When he asked for an explanation, his wonderful wife replied, “Before we got married, my grandmother told me that the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She mentioned that if I ever got angry with you I should just keep quiet and crochet a doily.” The man was so moved that he had to fight back tears. Only two precious doilies were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all their years of living and loving! He almost burst with happiness. “Honey,” he said, “that explains the doilies, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?” “Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling all the other doilies.” That reminds me of the man who said that he and his wife of 50 years had only been in one fight in their marriage. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the fight started on their wedding day and never ended! Last week we focused on six ways to guard our marriages so that we don’t end up as a statistic. Let me list them quickly by way of review: Take responsibility to grow spiritually Stay committed no matter what Set up some practical hedges Commit to communicate Think the best of your spouse Be a servant Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied Him?" In that you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them," or, "Where is the God of justice?": (wearied: Ps 95:9,10 Isa 1:14 7:13 43:24 Jer 15:6 Eze 16:43 Am 2:13) (How have we wearied You: Mal 2:14. 1:6,7. 3:8) (Everyone: Mal 3:13-15 Job 34:5-9,17,36 36:17 Ps 73:3-15 Mt 11:18,19) (Where: Dt 32:4 1Sa 2:3 Ps 10:11-13 Ec 8:11 Isa 5:18,19 30:18 Eze 8:12 Eze 9:9 Zep 1:12 2Pe 3:3,4) THE PEOPLE COMPLAIN GOD ANSWERS Malachi 2:17-3:6 As you are aware, chapter breaks are not inspired and here we encounter an example of a poor chapter break. Most commentator's take Malachi 2:17 as the beginning of the next section, for the first six verse of Malachi 3 (through Mal 3:6) serve to answer the false charges in Malachi 2:17. Paul Apple sums up the "big idea" in this section - "God promises to demonstrate His justice and purify His people when He sends His special Messenger of the covenant to establish righteous worship." (Ref) Pulpit Commentary - This is the introduction to the new section. The prophet makes his charge. The faithless multitude have, as it were, worn out God’s patience by their murmuring and discontent. Because their expectations of prosperity and glory were not at once fulfilled, they called in question God’s justice and holiness, and even the future judgment. (Malachi 2 Commentary) While one might use this section to preach a sermon on why do the evil prosper (eg, Cole's sermon - What to Do When Evil Prevails), that is not really the primary intent of this passage. Verhoef explains that "The reproach of the people must not be interpreted in a positive sense. The contents of their words were different from that of Asaph (Ps. 73:1 answered in Ps 73:17, cf Ps 73:25-26), Habakkuk (Hab 1:2-4, 12-17), or “the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne” (Rev. 6:9, 10). Their “words” were not intended to remind the Lord of His promises (Isa. 62:6, 7). They lack the character of true piety and devotion." OUR SINS "WEARY" GOD WHO DOES NOT GROW WEARY OR TIRED! You have wearied the LORD - "You" refers to the community of Israel as a whole. Israel in her manifold rebellions had became weary of following the Lord, Isaiah recording "you have not called on Me, O Jacob, but you have become weary of Me, O Israel" (Isa 43:22) and in turn they had “wearied” Him again Isaiah recording "You have bought Me no sweet cane with money. Neither have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices. Rather you have burdened Me with your sins. You have wearied Me with your iniquities. (Isa 43:24). The nations in their rebellions weary themselves against the Lord, Habakkuk asking "Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts that peoples toil for fire, and nations grow weary for nothing?" (Hab. 2:13). This begs the question - have I wearied the Holy One with my repeated rebellious acts against Him? Have you ever thought of your sins as something that could "weary" the all powerful God? It would do us good to remember that we are no different from Israel in respect to our depravity inherited from Adam, and that our sins might have the same impact on God as their sins did! Praise God for the Cross of Christ and the blood of Christ which offers the assurance of God's compassion when we forsake our iniquities (Pr 28:13-note). Praise God for the privilege of daily confession of our "wearying" sins (1John 1:9-note). Wearied (03021)(yaga) primarily means to work until one is tired or exhausted, and so to become weary with work or to grow tired, in the sense of physically exhausted. The majority of the OT uses of yaga are translated in the Septuagint (Lxx) with the verb kopiao (see below). To be wearied means to have one’s patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted. To be or become in need of a state of rest, caused by either physical or emotional needs (Eccl 10:15). The Hebrew word for "Wearied usually refers to the exhaustion that comes from hard work. Isaiah reminds us "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable." (Isa 40:28) And so it is indeed a travesty that He Who does not become weary like men is now wearied by persistent unbelief and sin. Here are some passages that allude to God's weariness with His chosen people ... Isa 1:14-note “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing them. Isa 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. Jer 15:6 “You who have forsaken Me,” declares the LORD, “You keep going backward. So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am tired of relenting! Amos 2:13 (for context go back and read Amos 2:1-12 - this is Jehovah speaking) “Behold, I am weighted down beneath you as a wagon is weighted down when filled with sheaves. APPLICATION: Have I wearied or tired the LORD with my persistent sins, some secret sin I'm unwilling to release or some sin which so easily entangles me and trips me up, preventing me from running the race of holiness for His glory (cf Heb 12:1-note)? It's a question we all do well to pause and ponder! Verhoef - The Hiphil of yāga, “make weary,” is also found in Isa 43:23-24, where it is parallel to the Hiphil of āḇad, “compel to labor as a slave,” “cause to serve,” “burden someone with something”: “You have burdened [db] me with your sins and wearied [yg] me with your offenses” (Isa 43:24). Here the perfect tense has the meaning of a present tense, and indicates that the conduct of the people was not only a fact of history but continued until the present day. The Lxx translates yaga in Malachi 2:17 with paroxuno which means to provoke, irritate, prick, exasperate and the present tense speaks of this as His continual attitude. Paroxuno is in the present tense indicating that they were continuing to weary Him right up to the time of the writing of the prophecy of Malachi. TWOT - The root is used to convey two basic thrusts:1) an emphasis on the toil of work, and 2) the weariness that results from labor. God meant that toil should result in the benefits of the end product. This is especially true in farming (Josh 24:13). However, whenever Israel “toiled” in idolatry and “grew weary” of God’s ways (Isa 57:10; Mal 2:17), she reaped the product of her labor: God’s judgment. Baker - Yaga indicates putting forth great effort and exertion to accomplish something (Josh. 7:3), especially in battle (2Sa 23:10), so that one becomes enervated or exhausted. It takes on the idea of putting forth effort to continue to function in the face of great obstacles (Job 9:29). It indicates the loss of energy or spirit from one’s hopeless responses to illness (Ps. 6:6; 69:3) or adversity (Jer. 45:3). Wise persons are told not to use up their energy just to acquire wealth (Pr 23:4). A foolish person’s labor is so poorly structured that it weakens him or her excessively (Eccl. 10:15). Yaga - 26x - Josh 7:3; 24:13; 2 Sam 23:10; Job 9:29; Ps 6:6; 69:3; Pr 23:4; Eccl 10:15; Isa 40:28-31-note; 43:22, 23, 24; 47:12, 15; 49:4; 57:10; 62:8; 65:23; Jer 45:3; 51:58; Lam 5:5; Hab 2:13; Mal 2:17 Usage: become weary(1), get tired(1), labor(1), labored(4), tired(3), toil(4), toiled(1), wearied(4), wearies(1), weary(5), worn(1). Here are some representative uses... Ps 6:6 I am weary (Lxx = kopiao) with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. Comment: Kopiao (from kopos = labor, fatigue used in secular Greek of “a beating,” “weariness” as though one had been beaten) was the proper word for physical tiredness induced by work, exertion or heat. Kopiao means to to exhibit great effort and exertion, to the point of sweat and exhaustion. To physically become worn out, weary or faint. To engage in hard work with the implication of difficulty and trouble. Ps 69:3 I am weary (Lxx = kopiao) with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired (Heb = yaga; Lxx = kopiao). His understanding is inscrutable. 29 He gives strength to the weary (different word - yaeph), And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired (Heb = yaga; Lxx = kopiao), And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired (Heb = yaga; Lxx = kopiao), They will walk and not become weary. (See commentary on Isaiah 40:31) The Israelites had wearied God their acts of rebelliousness and their words, specifically their frontal attack on God characterized by a series of false charges: (1) God considers evil doers good; (2) God actually delights in evil doers; (3) Where is the God of justice regarding these evil doers? Preacher's Homiletic Commentary - Wearying God. Spoken after the manner of men. God is said to be tired, fatigued—1. With their formal worship. 2. With their blasphemous words; and 3. with the justification of themselves in sin. God is infinitely patient with our infirmities and prayers, but wearied with our sins and impenitent hearts. “Thou hast made me to serve (burdened, overcome by labour) with thy sins, thou hast wearied (disgusted) me with thine iniquities” (Is. 43:23, 24). (Notes) Yet you say - The Israelites respond with amazement to Malachi's accusation that they had wearied God. Sin is deceptive and when one is deceived it does not even know it. So we should not be surprised at their surprise! Pulpit Commentary - These words are directed against the spirit of scepticism and discontent which prevailed amongst the Israelites in the time of the prophets, and they lead us to offer two remarks on the words of skepticism. I. THEY ARE WORDS OF COMPLAINT AGAINST GOD. II. THEY ARE WORDS UNGRATEFUL TO THE EAR OF GOD. “I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” Every idle word. Not merely the profane and impious language of the scoffer and blasphemer, but every idle word—words that have little or no meaning, the most airy words of wit and humour spoken in jest, not to delude or pain, but simply to please. Biblical Illustrator - Where is the God of judgment? A startling question! Times of abounding wickedness have been times of unbelief. Evil hinders the manifestation of God in the world. His laws seem to have no executive force; His righteousness is obscured; His very existence is questioned. (W. Osborne Lilley) (The Biblical illustrator; or, Anecdotes, similes, etc...) Biblical Illustrator - God is a God of judgment -There was lately a judge in England, whom I need not be afraid to name as the honour of his robe and profession, namely, Judge Doddridge, whom they commonly called “the sleeping judge.” Indeed, he had an affected drowsy posture on the Bench, inasmuch that many persons unacquainted with his custom, and having cases of concernment to be tried before him, have even given up all for lost, expecting no justice from a dormant judge; when he all the while did only retire himself within himself, the more seriously to consult with his own soul about the validity of what was alleged and proved unto him, as appeared afterwards by those oracles of law which he pronounced. Wicked men, in like manner, erroneously suppose God to be a sleeping God,. . . but in due time He will assuredly confute their mistake. (Thos. Fuller.) (The Biblical illustrator; or, Anecdotes, similes, etc...) The sin of confusing moral distinctions. Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD - Verhoef explains that Israel had been clearly "prohibited to do evil in the eyes of the Lord and to provoke him to anger (Dt. 4:25; 9:18); they were charged to do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight (Dt. 6:18; 12:28). On the basis of their own “experiences” the speakers have come to the blasphemous conclusion that God now has contradicted His own injunction: in His eyes, that is, according to His perception and evaluation, it is good to do evil!" John