Malachi 2:7-14

(V7) The priest is a messenger of the Lord and his job was to preserve knowledge

**Major theme is how the priest failed in their responsibility to God and the people

A) The priest left the path of God

B) Their instructions have caused many people to stumble into sin

The priests were shepherds for the people, given by God

God is grieved and angry because the priest misled the people and now they are living sin

1.1 (V9) Their consequence was they were despised and humiliated

2. (V11) Judah defiled the Lord’s sanctuary by marrying foreign women

A) The problem was not that they were foreign, but they divorced their wives to marry women who worshiped idols

B) The women influenced the men in a negative way and their hearts became cold towards the Lord

The dangers of an ungodly intermarriage are well documented in the Old and New Testaments.

Israel married women from Moab and brought the curse of God upon the people (Numbers 25).

Solomon married foreign women who took his heart away from God (1 Kings 11:1-10).

Ahab married Jezebel – a foreign woman given over to pagan gods – who led Israel into new depths of depravity (1 Kings 16:29-33).

Paul says that believers and unbelievers should not be joined together (2 Corinthians 6:11-18).

Possibly the most important decision you make (other than faith in Christ) is who you will marry

C) Your spouse will have a huge influence over you as well as your children