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 of the priests was prominent, but in this one (2:1-9) their teaching ministry is.
2:1-2 Malachi announced an admonition to the priests from the Lord. If they did not pay attention to the prophet's rebuke and sincerely desired to honor Yahweh's name, the Lord would curse them (cf. Deut. 27:15-26; 28:15-68). He would cut off their blessings. This may include their income from the people as well as spiritual blessings. In fact, He had already begun to do so.
"The inevitable result of covenant unfaithfulness was the imposition of the curses that were always spelled out in covenant texts (cf. Lev. 26:14-39; Deut. 27:11-26; 28:15-57)."21
2:3 Part of this curse involved rebuking the priests' offspring (Heb. zera', physical descendants) and spreading (Heb. zarah) refuse from their feasts on their faces (cf. Zech. 3:3-4).22This play on words communicates a double curse (cf. v. 2). Their descendants would not continue because the priests would cease to bear any or many children, and their inferior sacrifices would render them unclean. They would not, then, be able to continue to function in their office.
2:4 When these things happened, the priests would know that this warning had indeed come from the Lord. Its intent was to purify the priests so God's covenant with Levi could continue (cf. 3:3).23God had promised a continuing line of priests from Levi's branch of the Chosen People (Deut. 33:8-11; cf. Exod. 32:25-29; Num. 25:10-13; Jer. 33:21-22).
2:5 The Lord's covenant with Levi was a covenant of grant. In this type of covenant one individual, and perhaps his descendants, received a promise of continuing blessing for a special service rendered (Num. 18:7-8, 19-21; cf. Num. 25:10-13). The special service that Levi and his descendants rendered to God involved serving as His priests. The covenant that God made with Levi and his descendants resulted in life and peace for them. God gave them these blessings because they respected Yahweh and feared His name.
2:6 Also in contrast to the present priests, Levi and his descendants had given the Israelites true instruction rather than perverted teaching (cf. Heb. 13:17; James 3:1). Levi, who here represents his faithful descendants, walked with the Lord in peace (Heb. shalom) and uprightness, and he turned many away from iniquity.
2:7 Priests should speak true knowledge and should be reliable sources of instruction (Heb. torah) because they are messengers of Yahweh. Levi contrasts with the priests of Malachi's day, and Malachi ("my messenger") also contrasts with the priests of his day. Ezra was the great example of a faithful priest in post-exilic Judaism (cf. Ezra 7:10, 25; Neh. 8:9).
2:8 The priests of Malachi's day had deviated from the straight path of truth and had caused many people who followed them to stumble through their instruction (Heb. torah).
The definite article on . . . (tora), instruction,' suggests that here it is not just any teaching in general but indeed theinstruction, namely, the Torah, the law of Moses. The defection of the priests is all the more serious, then, for they are actually creating obstacles to the people's access to the Word of God itself. To cause the people to stumble in the Torah' is to so mislead them in its meaning that they fail to understand and keep its requirements. There can be no more serious indictment against the man of God."24
The unfaithful priests had corrupted the Lord's covenant with Levi in the sense that they had put its continuance in jeopardy by their evil conduct.
"To have an ill-prepared minister, an incompetent pastor, a hireling for a shepherd was bad enough; much worse was it to have a deceiver, a schemer, a wolf in sheep's clothing for a leader."25
2:9 Since the priests had despised the Lord, the Lord had made them despised in the eyes of the people. They did not obey His will but had told the people what they wanted to hear. Their penalty should have been death (Num. 18:32).
