Malachi 2

Notes

Ver. 2-4. I will take your earthly enjoyments from you, or render them useless or hurtful to you. I will cause to rot, or otherwise spoil, your seed-corn, will disdainfully reject your persons and services, and transfer you to foreign places, and even to ruin, in your sins. Thus shall ye be convinced that I have warned you in this manner in order that my covenant of priesthood might continue with the tribe of Levi. 5-9. To reward the piety and zeal of their ancestors, I chose them and their posterity, by a lasting covenant, to be my ministers; and they, according to the law of their office, served me with sincerity and diligence; and, by their example and instructions, turned many from their wicked courses. But ye, instead of instructing the people from my word, lead them aside by your doctrine and example, and make them to abhor my service, and thus violate the terms on which ye hold your office; I will therefore punish your impiety and partiality in your decisions, by rendering you openly contemptible. 10-12. Though, by having one father, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and one God, ye are all brethren in both a natural and spiritual relation, yet ye betray and deceive one another. Violating God's law of righteousness with your nation, ye have acted treacherously and abominably in profaning his institution of marriage and your own persons, which are devoted to God, by marrying heathen women, worshippers of idols; therefore will the Lord punish you, both priest and people. 13-16. Moreover, by your cruelty in divorcing or ill-treating your Jewish wives, ye force them to attend their sacrifices with bitter mournings, instead of praises and thanksgivings, so that I cannot but detest your oblations, having been a witness of the solemn vow which you made to them in marriage, never to neglect, reject, nor suffer any to rival them; and also of your treacherous usage of them.—Did not I, in creation, make only one wife for Adam, though I could as easily have created thousands? And for this reason, that thus an offspring might be produced in lawful wedlock, and trained up in my fear. Take heed therefore to your hearts and affections, that none of you treacherously neglect, abuse, desert, or divorce his lawful wife, or take another in her room; for I hate all such injurious divorces, whatever pretences ye may attempt to cover them with. 17. Ye have also provoked me, and wearied my patience, by your discontented murmurings at my providence, and by your declaring that wicked persons were as much regarded by me as the most pious, at least, that I was very slow and negligent in the punishing of such wretches.

Ver. 9. Partial in the law. Wrested the sense of the law for sake of bribes or partisanship. C.

Ver. 13. Again—rather, 'And this second thing have ye done.' This second crime have ye committed, having criminally divorced your Jewish wives (ver. 14), and then broken the law of God by marrying idolaters, ver. 11. C.

Ver. 15. And did he not make one? &c. Had he not all wisdom and power? and had it seemed good to him that one man should have two or more wives, could he not in power, and would he not in wisdom, have created them accordingly? C.

Ver. 16. Covereth violence with his garment. The 'garment' (see Mat. 22. 11) with which the divorcer adorns himself at his marriage with his new wife is a mere cover, beneath which the eyes of the LORD discern his cruel and unhallowed violence to her that is 'put away.' C.

Reflections.—Abandoned clergymen are generally most furious in impiety. No law can bind, no vow can hold, no motive engage, no pattern attract them to their duty; no example or denunciation of wrath deter them from sin. It is indeed very honourable to be God's messengers in promoting the salvation of mankind, and to confirm our doctrines by our holy lives. But greatly offensive and reproachful to God, and hurtful to men's souls, are ministers unfaithful and unholy. They lose their credit and comfort, and bring fearful curses upon themselves and all that they have. Yea, hateful is the conduct of professors, and especially ministers, when they profane the institutions of God, violate his laws, dishonour their character, and pour contempt on their fellow-professors, by unhallowed marriages with heathens and profane persons. But if men deal treacherously with God, no wonder they deal treacherously and abusively with their nearest relations. And scarcely anything can be more barbarous than to use wives ill. In marriages great regard ought to be paid to the raising up of a godly seed to serve the Redeemer. And every one that would act well must carefully take heed to his spirit.—No wonder that men's conduct is profane and treacherous when their principles are atheistical and blasphemous, and when they tempt God by stifling the convictions of his Word, and justify themselves by murmurs at and misrepresentations of his providence. But denials and derision of God will but issue in the destruction of presumptuous sinners.