Theological Commentary: Click Here
Godlessness. This passage can easily be summed up in this
word. The people coming back from exile
have fallen into godlessness. This is a
shame, because you would assume that people coming back from exile would be close
to God. Unfortunately, we all have
rebellion within. There is no
circumstance that will keep us completely pure.
Malachi
attacks two dynamics in the lives of the returning exiles. The first is that of the priests. The priests aren’t teaching. There is no transformation
in the people. The priests should be
teaching and the people should be seeking instruction. However, this isn’t happening. The people have turned away from such a
pattern.
The other
dynamic of life that Malachi attacks is marriage. Malachi clearly understands that marriage
should be according to God’s desires.
However, the people aren’t taking marriage seriously. They are divorcing one another. They are marrying foreigners and following
foreign gods. They are walking away from
godliness.
Malachi is
afraid that two of the primary pillars that support a healthy community are
being eroded away. If the family falls,
society has a difficult time standing, much less functioning. If the family falls and the society turns its
back on God, the society falls completely.
Malachi is fearful that as the people return from exile, they will
return only to create a society predisposed to failure. Malachi desires to avoid this reality.
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