Malachi 2

Malachi 2:1

C. Condemnation of the Priests (2:1-9)The priests are solemnly warned of dreadful judgment if they do not repent and change their ways. They are reminded that the priests of old were faithful to God’s covenant with Levi, but now the priests had become utterly corrupt, and so God had made them contemptible and base before all the people.

Malachi 2:10

D. Divorce and Mixed Marriages (2:10-16)2:10-12 Next the subject of divorce and marriage to idolatrous heathen wives is dealt with. The people of Judah had dealt treacherously by marrying foreigners, thus destroying their national solidarity. Those who entered mixed marriages would be cut off. 2:13-16 The people wept at the altar because the Lord no longer accepted their offerings with favor. And why not? Because the LORD had been a witness at their marriages, which they were now breaking so readily. He had intended them to be one pure people, producing godly offspring and separated from the corruptions of the heathen. God . . . hates unscriptural divorce and its resulting violence. The link between divorce and violence is explained by Baldwin as follows: He sees divorce to be like covering one’s garment with violence, a figurative expression for all kinds of gross injustice which, like the blood of a murdered victim, leave their mark for all to see.

Malachi 2:17

E. Denial of God’s Holiness and Justice (2:17)They had wearied the LORD by saying that He did not care about the behavior of everyone who did evil. Hypocritically, they challenged Him to intervene, saying, “Where is the God of justice?”