Sermon Tone Analysis

*Malachi 6.*

We are back in the book of Malachi again *[P]*, up to chapter 2 now!

You may care to turn there in your Bibles.

Last time I used this borrowed overview *[P]* to show where we had got up to.

Verse 1 of chapter 1 was an introduction *[P]*, then (v.2-5) was an oracle, a burden or a heavy message for Judah *[P]* – it was a proclamation of יהוה’s love for them, in contrast to his hatred of Edom.

Then there was another heavy message, this was directed at the priests *[P]*, the spiritual leaders.

They had failed in their Divinely appointed task to honour the name of יהוה.

But they were leaders – and people follow them.

יהוה castigated the prophets for causing people to stumble in (2:8).

The people can only go where the leaders go – so now יהוה turns to address the people.

*[P]* The priests were unfaithful to the command, to the commission יהוה had given them, to the covenant made with them; so too were the people unfaithful.

God hates faithlessness, or unfaithfulness.

יהוה loves faithfulness because that is who He is!

He is a faithful God.

Last time I spoke about covenant – it is based on faithfulness, loyalty – a quality not much esteemed by the world, but precious in God’s sight.

I remember going to a school camp at Godley Peak Station – a high country farm at the head of Lake Tekapo.

We slept in the woolshed and various activities were organised; one of which was climbing a nearby peak.

Those of us who were less athletic messed about in a creek all afternoon – I leave you to decide who made the wiser choice.

But there were some keen trampers in our class and some who were sporty and off they set up this hill at a good pace.

My mate Philip Flanagan went too.

He was short and not that fit and was soon left behind.

Much later they began to straggle in – it turned out that not everyone made it to the top.

Some of these sporty ones gave it away and came back; but Philip soldiered on – he just kept on going, made it to the top and eventually returned, way after everyone else.

Faithfulness gets there – it doesn’t give up, it hangs in there and lasts the distance.

In both the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament – use one word for both “faith” and “faithfulness” – they make no real distinction.

If someone was faithful you could trust them, have faith in them.

But a funny thing happens – suppose I get Alex to investigate “faith” in his King James Bible – He reads all through the Old Testament, that’s quite a lot of reading, and he only finds it twice!

Now faith is an important Biblical concept!

Is there no faith in the OT? *[P]* The main Hebrew word in the Old Testament for faithful is “אֱמוּנָה” – of its 49 occurrences in the NASB it is only once translated “faith” *[P]* – and that is in [*Habakkuk 2:4*/ But the righteous will live by his faith./]

and they do that because that verse is quoted in the New Testament as “faith” – everywhere else it is “faithfulness”.

But it is the other way around in the New Testament – the Greek word for faith is “πίστις” *[P]* of its 243 occurrences in the NT only 3 times is it translated “faithfulness” *[P]*.

So “faithfulness” is found in the OT but “faith” in the NT; but the Bible makes little if any difference between the two.

And faithfulness pleases God – that is what He looks for in man and what He wants.

[*Hebrews 11:6*/ //And without faith-faithfulness it is impossible to please Him,/] Now יהוה looks for faithfulness …. [*Jeremiah 5:3*/ //Surely //יהוה// //looks for faithfulness//./]

but what did He find: let’s read: *[P]* *[Malachi 2:10-16*/ //“Do we not all have one Father?

Has not one God created us?/ (hence we are one – the issue is unity)/ Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?

/(under the same covenant, from the same family)/ Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of //יהוה// //which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.

As for the man who does this, may //יהוה// //cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who presents an offering to //יהוה// //of armies.

This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of //יהוה// //with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favour from your hand.

Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ /(you repeatedly find this questioning of יהוה in Malachi) /Because //יהוה// //has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit.

And what did that one do while He was seeking a godly offspring?

Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.

“For I hate divorce,” says //יהוה//, the God of Israel, and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says //יהוה// //of armies.

“So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”/]

I have just read a passage of God’s Word – what is He saying?

Does anything stand out to you? Do you detect some dominant theme?

….

Last time I spoke, you may not have noticed but there was a hammer on the front seat at church – John had cleated down the wire running along the front here.

I think that it is very appropriate to have here because have you noticed how יהוה likes to hammer home a point?

I have read just 7 verses – four times He speaks about “/dealing treacherously/”, four times about your “/wife/”; twice about “/profaning/”, twice about the “/covenant/” and twice about “/taking heed to your spirit/” יהוה repeats Himself because He wants to hammer His point home.

And what is repeated again and again in this passage is: *[P]* “*dealing treacherously*”!

The word is used to denote unfaithfulness in several different relationships = deal~/act treacherously, deal deceitfully, deal unfaithfully, offend.

It is the "not honouring" of an agreement.

If you don't honour God, you won't honour an agreement either.

It is used in connection with unfaithfulness in marriage and it is used to describe Israel’s unfaithfulness to יהוה [*Jeremiah 9:2*/ //Oh that I had in the desert a wayfarers’ lodging place; that I might leave my people and go from them!

For all of them are adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men./]

The problem was that they were not faithful and loyal, they betrayed their commitments.

This was seen in every area of their relationships because this treachery was in their heart and so it was manifest in every area of their lives.

It was seen in their relationship to each other.

*[P]* They were brothers!

The *treachery was against their brothers* – they were one people with one father.

They all came from Abraham, all descended from Jacob the father of the nation of Israel.

But they were not just one people naturally; they had one Father, יהוה! [*Jeremiah 31:9*/ //For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn./]

They were God’s people!

As with the priests (cf.

1:6), יהוה starts with Him being their one Father and one God (Lord).

They are united by their covenant relationship to the One True God.

Therefore there should be unity, love, cooperation, consideration among them.

But they are defrauding each other, dealing treacherously with each other.

Sadly, this is true in the church also.

We are all sons of God, Christ lives in each of us!

Even more should we be united.

Jesus prayed: [*John 17:21-23*/ //that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity./]

But we are opposed to each other, divide into factions, denominations, we get involved in doctrinal disputes.

And the record of Christian businessmen with their brothers is an object of shame – they take advantage of their brothers and deal treacherously with them!

This happened in Corinth and Paul spoke strongly against it in 1 Corinthians 6 – Christian brothers were taking each legal proceeding against each other [*1 Corinthians 6:5-8*/ //I say this to your shame.

…. brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

… Why not rather be wronged?

Why not rather be defrauded?

On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud.

You do this even to your brothers./].

They were one people, brothers, because of the covenant that יהוה had made with their fathers, the patriarchs.

Thus to deal treacherously with a fellow covenant member was to defile the covenant.

As with the priests - the issue is one of covenant (cf.

v.4 5 8).

The priests corrupted the covenant (v.8) and the people defiled it also.

We also have one Father: [*Ephesians 4:1-6*/ //Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all./]

One, one one!

Treachery destroys unity!

It breaks asunder and divides.

We too are a covenant people, fellow members in the new covenant - to defraud a fellow Christian brother, fail to honour an agreement with him, is to defile the covenant - i.e. break relationship with God! יהוה hates treachery!

The breaking of covenant agreements - this is the essence of His condemnation against the people in this passage.

Unfaithfulness to a commitment is the essence of treachery.*

*For the second time (v.11) יהוה accuses Judah of dealing treacherously, of committing an abomination!

This time the *treachery is against **יהוה**!*

*[P]* We read that the priest had profaned יהוה’s name; now the people are profaning His sanctuary.

How had they profaned it and dealt treacherously?

By “/marrying the daughter of a foreign god/” – through idolatry.

It may have even been literal, through cult prostitution associated with the Canaanite religions.