Malachi Chapter Two, Truth's Erasure

 

Afterward, after giving Israel what they wanted, God chose a man whose fervor for serving God would exceed Saul’s. Saul’s outward strength belied an inward frailty. “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature…for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” 1 Samuel 16:7. Saul, placed in a position of leadership, led Israel astray by not wholly following the Lord, doing what is right in God’s eyes. Like the priests of Malachi’s time, he was less willing to give glory to God, and more willing to succumb to the pressures of those around him, 1 Samuel 15:24, John 12:43.

What is the point of all of this? The leadership God elects has the burden of responsibility of shepherding the flock wisely, with an eye to their welfare, and the other eye to God’s glory. The priests of Malachi’s time were lax in their duties, perhaps wantonly so like Eli’s sons during Samuel’s youth, 1 Samuel 2:17. Eli’s sons brought reproach upon the Lord by adding to His word whatever they wished. Saul brought reproach upon His word by taking from it and not obeying precisely what was said. Splitting hairs is a phrase not indulged in Scripture. If we do not obey what is said, we simply have not obeyed. You would search the Bible in vain to find a passage that suggests God is pleased when we more or less do what He commands. The people transgressed, and the priests were at fault. Though the people were not guiltless, those who led them into backsliding were far guiltier.

 

Thrice more a different tense of the word curse is employed. “Arar,” already discussed in Malachi 1:14, occurs twice: “I will curse your blessings…” “I have cursed them already…” The third occurrence, “I will send a curse upon you,” is an execration. Oxford defines execrate as, “feel or express great hatred for.” Expanded, the word is further defined as, “a curse dictated by violent feelings of hatred; an imprecation; an expression of utter detestation.” Execrate hails from the Latin word, “exsecrari,” meaning, “to curse.”

 

God detests covenant breaking, and worse than that, leading others into the same spiritual pitfall. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day traveled land and sea to convert a proselyte, and made such a poor soul twice as much a son of Hell as themselves. The priests in their indolence had much to answer for. Expressing great contempt for this, God threatened and carried out His threat; their blessings were cursed because they #1: brought reproach to His name, and #2: taught others to do likewise. God has already spoiled their blessings because they have not taken God’s admonition to heart. Not just through Malachi, but all of the former prophets, whose unified voice is a mighty witness to God’s desire for His people. Today if the head of the church succumbs to heresy, rest assured many of his flock will follow. Let us pray the elders of any given church body can refute and rebuke errant teaching in the church, and those who recognize the infection confront it humbly but uncompromisingly. The individual ought to commit themselves to prayer to discern if departing such a place is wise, should Biblical argumentation be dismissed, 1 Corinthians 11:18, 19. Who knows? You may be in that place as God’s servant to affect change. Just be sure to fellowship with likeminded Christians and devote yourself to prayer and the word: sure antidotes to heretical teaching.