Malachi 2

Malachi is a book of prophecy and although it refers directly to two of the tribes of Israel, we can easily apply what it talks about.

Today men and women cover themselves with the name of Christ but live a life that defiles His name. They get married to the first lust they can find knowing that divorce is always a quick fix just around the corner if any problems arise. They claim that we can sin all we want and the mercies of God will cover us. Wouldn’t you agree that this is true in our day?

Through Malachi, the Lord addresses these exact issues and I believe that the sternness that He uses while talking to the tribes of Israel was just as intended for us – it should make us repentant. The irony falls when we easily claim that these things are widespread in our society, but we are slow to admit that they are just as prevalent in our lives.

We all make it know in some way or another that we are believers of Christ but we don’t ever realize that at the same time we are showing people our negative actions. The Lord literally abhors this. It not only defiles us and what we stand for, but it tarnishes His name. God is so adamant about us not doing this that he says he will “rebuke your descendants”. We must remember that we are always being watched and the ways that we act reflect on those we hold claim to.

Further, divorce is common. You may be quick to dismiss this because you are unmarried, or have never been divorced, but look at what the Lord says: “So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.” So what is the “wife of your youth” I could be wrong, but I like to think that here God is referring to himself. When we first accept him into our lives we make a commitment to Him; we chose to live with Him for the rest of our lives. Multiple times in Malachi, God says that he is looking for godly offspring and if we do not stay true to our original commitment to Him not only will we be ungodly offspring, but we will bear ungodly offspring as well.

Lastly, it is so easy for us to hold so tight to mercy that we forget about how we need to act. In the last verses of this chapter God talks about how He is weary of what we keep saying: “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and He is pleased with them". We do evil and then claim that we are good and that God is pleased with us. Do you think He is pleased with us when we defile His name and forget about Him?

In closing, I want to stress that we should never dilute the effectiveness or availability of His grace and His mercy. It is always there and covers everything. At the same time, we must remember that God is a God of perfection and He calls us to that. Through Christ we are called to be perfect, and in that we must act the part. Live for Him, remain committed to Him, and honor Him. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

--Seth Gordon, Recreation Director