Malachi 2

Malachi 2:1: “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.”
Commentary: God commands his priests to be obedient to his laws and to teach others the ways of righteousness.

Malachi 2:2: “If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.”
Commentary: God warns his priests that if they do not listen to his commandments and honor his name, they will be cursed and their blessings will be taken away.

Malachi 2:3: “Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.”
Commentary: God declares that he will punish the priests by corrupting their seed and humiliating them with the dung of their own feasts.

Malachi 2:4: “And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Commentary: God reminds the priests that he has sent this commandment so that He might fulfill His covenant with Levi, the priestly tribe of Israel.

Malachi 2:5: “My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.”
Commentary: God reveals that His covenant with Levi was one of life and peace and that Levi honored God by fearing Him and His name.

Malachi 2:6: “The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.”
Commentary: God commends Levi for speaking truthfully and living righteously, and for leading others away from sin.

Malachi 2:7: “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
Commentary: God instructs the priests to keep knowledge in their lips and teach others the law, as they are the messengers of the Lord.

Malachi 2:8: “But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Commentary: God accuses the priests of leading people astray from the law and corrupting the covenant of Levi.

Malachi 2:9: “Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.”
Commentary: God humbles the priests for their partiality in the law, and makes them despised and dishonored before the people.

Malachi 2:10: “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?”
Commentary: God questions why people are acting treacherously against one another and profaning the covenant of their fathers, given that they all have the same Creator.

Malachi 2:11: “Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.”
Commentary: This verse speaks of the sin of Judah in marrying into pagan nations and forsaking the covenant of Yahweh. The Lord was greatly grieved by this act of treachery and warned Judah to repent of their sin.

Malachi 2:12: “The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.”
Commentary: This verse serves as a warning to those who would forsake the Lord and His covenant. The Lord will judge and punish anyone who does not follow His commandments and will remove them from His presence.

Malachi 2:13: “And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.”
Commentary: This verse speaks of the Lord’s disappointment in His people for their lack of reverence and obedience. The Lord is grieved by their lack of faithfulness and will no longer accept their offerings.

Malachi 2:14: “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.”
Commentary: This verse explains why the Lord will not accept their offerings. He is not only displeased with their lack of faithfulness to Him, but also with the way they have treated their wives, who are meant to be companions and partakers in the covenant.

Malachi 2:15: “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.”
Commentary: This verse reminds us that the Lord created humans for His purpose and designed them to honor Him. He desires us to be faithful to our spouses and to seek a godly seed. We must take heed to our spirit and avoid any act of treachery or unfaithfulness.

Malachi 2:16: “For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.”
Commentary: This verse speaks of the Lord’s hatred of divorce, as it is an act of violence and betraying His covenant. We must take heed to our spirit and be faithful to our spouses, as the Lord will not accept any form of unfaithfulness.

Malachi 2:17 KJV: “Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?”
Commentary: This verse warns against having a false sense of security based on the assumption that God will accept any type of behavior regardless of their wickedness. It is a reminder that God is a God of justice and He will ultimately judge all our deeds, good or bad.