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Texts -- Malachi 2:1-10 (NET)

Context
The Sacrilege of the Priestly Message
2:1 “Now , you priests , this commandment is for you. 2:2 If you do not listen and take seriously the need to honor my name ,” says the Lord who rules over all , “I will send judgment on you and turn your blessings into curses – indeed , I have already done so because you are not taking it to heart . 2:3 I am about to discipline your children and will spread offal on your faces , the very offal produced at your festivals , and you will be carried away along with it. 2:4 Then you will know that I sent this commandment to you so that my covenant may continue to be with Levi ,” says the Lord who rules over all . 2:5 “My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace . I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe , and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me . 2:6 He taught what was true ; sinful words were not found on his lips . He walked with me in peace and integrity , and he turned many people away from sin . 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all . 2:8 You , however, have turned from the way . You have caused many to violate the law ; you have corrupted the covenant with Levi ,” says the Lord who rules over all . 2:9 “Therefore , I have caused you to be ignored and belittled before all people to the extent to which you are not following after me and are showing partiality in your instruction .”
The Rebellion of the People
2:10 Do we not all have one father ? Did not one God create us? Why do we betray one another , in this way making light of the covenant of our ancestors ?

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • This general assembly took place in late November or early December of 458 B.C. The people who were guilty agreed to divorce their foreign wives and to do this in various local towns that were convenient to their homes in the...
  • Nehemiah confronted this problem as Ezra had several years earlier (Ezra 9-10). The text records only Nehemiah's words to the people, but since we know what kind of person he was we can safely assume that he followed up his w...
  • "Haggai and Zechariah . . . are noteworthy for the chronological precision with which they related their lives and ministries to their historical milieu. This is not the case at all with Malachi. In fact, one of the major pro...
  • Malachi's style is quite different from that of any other writing prophet. Instead of delivering messages to his audience, he charged them with various sins, six times in all. His was a very confrontational style of address. ...
  • Malachi prophesied during the times of Nehemiah. The dates of Nehemiah's ministry were about 445-420 B.C. Possibly Malachi ministered during the time when Nehemiah returned to Babylon following the completion of Jerusalem's w...
  • I. Heading 1:1II. Oracle one: Yahweh's love for Israel 1:2-5III. Oracle two: The priests' illicit practices and indifferent attitudes 1:6-2:9A. The priests' sins 1:6-141. Disrespectful service 1:6-72. Disqualified sacrifices ...
  • This title verse explains what follows as the oracle of Yahweh's word that He sent to Israel through Malachi. The Hebrew word massa', translated "oracle,"occurs 27 times in the Prophets (e.g., Isa. 13:1 Nah. 1:1; Hab. 1:1; Ze...
  • The revelation that Yahweh gave Malachi for Israel consisted of six "heavy"messages. The first one reminded God's people of His love for them and of their ungratefulness.1:2a The Lord's first word to His people was short and ...
  • Whereas the emphasis in Malachi's argument shifts at this point somewhat from the sins of the priests to their possible fate, there is a continuing emphasis on their sins. In the preceding section (1:6-14) the cultic activity...
  • "The style of the third oracle differs from the others. Instead of an initial statement or charge followed by a question of feigned innocence, this oracle begins with three questions asked by the prophet. However, as at the b...
  • That another oracle is in view is clear from the question and answer format that begins this pericope, as it does the others. Verse 17 contains the question and answer, and the discussion follows in 3:1-6. The Israelites' cha...
  • 1:8-9 Zechariah was serving God faithfully by discharging some temple function as a member of his priestly division. There were so many priests then that the great privilege of offering incense on the golden incense altar in ...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools : for they consider not that they do evil. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to u...
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