Malachi Sermon - 4

Malachi: Priests in God’s Kingdom

Malachi 2:1-9

1. Introduction – Last week we tried to gauge the spiritual temperature of the people of Malachi’s day.

a. What we saw was a stinging indictment of both priest and people.

i. The priests were offering unacceptable sacrifices, but it was the people who were bringing those sacrifices in the first.

1. The people were guilty of half-hearted worship and God told them that no worship at all was better than what they were bringing.

a. It was a reminder and a challenge to us all that we must be prepared – body, soul, spirit and mind – to worship God with our best each and every week.

b. Our passage this morning continues God’s rebuke on the priests.

i. The priests were to administer proper public worship and teach God’s law.

1. They failed on both accounts.

a. As we saw last week, they allowed the people to bring what they had left to God as a sacrifice. The priests allowed the people to get away with half-hearted worship.

i. And this week we’ll see that they didn’t fulfill their duty of properly teaching God’s Word…and they failed in their mandate to preserve God’s truth.

c. So, here’s what we’re going to do this morning. The way I read and understand this text there are 3 sections to it.

i. In vv-5-7 God describes the ideal priest. What should a priest do? Say? How should he act?

1. In vv.8-9 God describes the priests of Malachi’s day. What are they doing, saying and acting?

a. And in vv.1-4 God describes what he’s going to do to the priests if they don’t change their attitude and actions.

ii. Now, you may notice that we’re not looking at the verses in order. Just an aside…this is not a recommended method of studying the Bible….

1. However, reading and studying the passage this way will help us gain a better understand of what’s being said, why its being said and how this passage applies to us today.

2. The Ideal Priest – So, what should a priest do? How should he act? Well, vv.5-7 spells out some pretty lofty expectations. Look at this list.

a. True instruction and no wrong found on their lips, walked with God in peace and uprightness.

i. Turned many away from iniquities.

1. A priest guards knowledge, people seek instruction from him.

a. A priest is a messenger of the Lord of hosts.

i. As I was studying this week, I thought that these 3 verses would work perfectly at a pastor’s induction service.

ii. If I ever have the privilege of preaching at one – I think I’m going to use this.

b. Let’s examine the characteristics of an ideal priest.

i. God starts off by speaking about the covenant he made with Levi.

1. Now, technically, God didn’t make a priestly covenant with the man Levi, son of Jacob, brother of Joseph…

a. God made a covenant with the tribe of Levi. And specifically, in the tribe of Levi, the priests were from the family of Aaron, brother of Moses.

i. The rest of the families in the tribe of Levi were like Temple security guards.

ii. Look at what God says about his covenant with the priests – it was one of fear…of life…of peace.

1. That if the priests feared God…and by feared, I mean revere…if they stand in aw of God’s name, character and actions – then God would grant them life and peace.

c. There’s a lot of characteristic that are laid out in vv.6-7 – it would take a long time to lay them all out in detail.

i. But we have other aspects of the passage to look at. So instead I’m going to boil all of these characteristics down to 2.

1. A good priest is both a teacher and a doer of God’s Word.

a. A priest was to show the people where they were acting contrary to God’s law – and he was charged with leading them to repentance and change through his instruction.

ii. They called their listeners to turn away from sinful self-centered behaviour.

1. They were to instruct and teach God’s law – not to foil or frustrate the pursuit of life’s pleasures, but to show their listeners the joy, life and peace that can be had by living according to God’s standards.

d. But a priest shouldn’t simply teach the Word of God, he must practice it.

i. A priest just doesn’t tell people what to do, he models it for them.

1. A priest doesn’t simply lead people to repentance, but models a life of repentance.

a. A priest doesn’t simply tell people about the joys of living out God’s design for life…he models it.

ii. We call this integrity. His words and actions match.

1. A priest is not a hypocrite who says one thing and does another.

a. A good priest carries God’s Word on his lips and in his actions.

i. A faithful priest is a teacher and doer of the God’s Word.

1. This is the ideal…what a priest ought to be.

3. Priest’s in Malachi’s Day – But this is not how the priests in Malachi’s day acted.

a. God says to them, “Here the standard…here’s the ideal…here’s where you should be…but here’s you!”

i. After describing the words and actions of the ideal priest – God’s beings in v.8…

1. “But you have turned aside…”

a. The priests were to speak truth, they were to guard knowledge, they were to give wise counsel.

i. They were to lead people out of their sin…

1. But the priests in Malachi’s day did just the opposite.

b. They caused people to stumble. They lead people in to sin.

i. They were to be sept apart by God for God’s work.

1. They were to model the life and joy and freedom, peace and righteousness of living in covenant with God…

a. But the priests in Malachi’s day corrupted the covenant.

c. They were to model the Word of God, but God charges them as hypocrites – they aren’t doing what the say…

i. But God also charges them as heretics…they aren’t preserving knowledge or guarding truth or leading people away from iniquities.

1. God charges them with partiality – having one set of rules for some people, and another set for others.

a. Usually the rich played by a different set of rules than the poor.

d. Partiality occurs when religious officials fear people more than they fear God.

i. Remember the covenant God made with the priest was to be one of fear and awe and reverence…

1. Well, when one reveres people more than God…when one cares about comforts of people more than God…then partiality happens.

4. God’s Response – And finally we’ll swing all the way back to the beginning of the chapter and look at vv1-4.

a. Well, actually God’s response started back in v.9.

i. The priests were to be set apart from the rest of society…they were to visibly display the holiness of God…but God calls them despised and abased.

1. But before we dive into look at the punishment God will hand out…I want us to look at the grace and mercy of God.

a. Even though the priests are accepting unacceptable sacrificed.

i. Even though they are causing people to stumble and not living up to their high calling….

ii. God still gives them the opportunity to repent. He doesn’t strike them dead with lightning from heaven…instead he warns them.

1. V.2 has a couple conditional statements. A couple if/then statements.

a. If you will not listen…if you will not take it to heart.

iii. The implication being…there’s still a chance to repent. There’s still a chance that they won’t experience God’s punishment.

1. There’s an either/or choice here.

a. Either they repent, they listen and they take it to heart…

i. Or God will pour out the punishment described here.

b. And what is that punishment? Well, God uses the word ‘curse’ repeatedly in this section.

i. One of the main jobs of the priests was to blessing the people.

1. They were to assure the people of God’s blessing in their lives – assure them that God is with them…

a. But they were also tasked with speaking blessings over the people.

ii. This is clear in the Benediction of Numbers 6:24-25…the Lord bless you and keep you.

c. But God tells the spiritual leaders of Israel in Malachi’s day…if they don’t turn their teaching and action around, that blessing will become a curse.

1. And then we come to words so shocking, so disgusting, so unsettling, that its hard to believe they come from God’s mouth.

a. I will spread dung on your faces.

ii. There’s no getting around it – no way to reinterpret it to lessen the blow…it’s a gross image – let’s just acknowledge it.

1. And honestly, if we explore the image, its actually worse then what we might originally think.

d. In the book of Leviticus – it is laid out just how an animal is prepared for sacrifice.

i. Without going into too much gory detail, the animal’s blood was drained, but also before it was sacrificed, its internal organs were removed…stomach, intestines…and all the contents thereof.

1. These parts were unworthy to be sacrificed…they were unclean.

a. These entrails and waste was gathered up and disposed of outside of the city walls.

ii. Well – it was this waste, this muck, this dung – that god says he will smear on the priests faces.

1. It’s a striking image. A clear and public display of their rejection.

a. Those who by virtue of their office were supposed to be visually set apart as holy and clean…

i. Would be utterly defiled by God and would suffer the same fate as the unclean sacrificial waste – removal and disposal outside the camp.

e. So, what’s this passage all about?

i. God is warning his priests about the consequences coming their way…consequences for defiling God’s name.

1. For leading people astray, for accepting unacceptable sacrifices.

a. God pains a picture of what they need to be living up to.

i. Here’s the standard guys…and then warns of what will happen if they don’t.

ii. Quite honestly, it’s a reminder that no human can ever truly and fully live up to these standards.

1. Well, only 1 human could perfectly guard knowledge, only 1 human could perfectly give wise counsel…

a. Only one human can give true instruction and have no wrong on his lips.

i. This passage was a reminder to the priests of Malachi’s day that they needed a priest greater than they could ever be…

iii. And it reminds us today that we have a great high priest – Jesus.

1. Who lived the life we couldn’t live. He died the death we should have died…and because he was rejected by humanity our behalf, we can have new life in him, with all the benefits and privileges thereof.

5. For us Today – But what else does this passage do for us? What can we learn from it?

a. Well, I believe there’s a warning in here for pastors – or anyone who teaches God’s Word…

i. But there’s also a word in here for people…non-pastors. Pastors are people too!

b. This passage reminds us of the high calling of teaching God’s Word.

i. Instruction must be true – it must lead people out of their sin.

1. Instruction and teaching God’s Word must never lose sight of the awe of God.

ii. it’s a great privilege to stand up here week after week and preach to you.

1. It something I take very seriously. I try to handle God’s Word with great care.

c. It’s the task of a preacher and teacher to teach the Bible – not to give opinions on the Bible.

i. Not to only focus on one or two topics from the Bible…but to teach the whole Bible…the whole counsel of God….and to teach what the Bible actually says.

1. This is why, for the most part, we study books of the Bible, or large sections of the Bible.

ii. I take a text, I wrestle with a text, translate, interpret that text…and from that text reveal to you the glory of God, the work of God, and the glorious news of Jesus…and as a result I try to lead you into a greater understanding of those glorious truths…

1. To lead you into a greater understanding and appreciation of who God is, what he’s done for you, and how you should act as a result.

a. A Scripture is practical and applicable to life today, no matter if we’re studying Colossians, Revelation, Esther or Malachi.

d. And when we go through books or sections of the Bible, oftentimes we are going to come across hard words…

i. Like last week. And I’ll be honest with you, there’s a real temptation to fudge the words…a temptation to soften the blow.

1. It would have been really easy to say last week – Oh God is always pleased with our worship…we have nothing to worry about.

a. But would that have done us any good?

i. If I fudged the words, softened the blow…would we have been challenged? Convicted? Would we have ever confessed our sin of half-hearted worship to one another? Probably not…

1. And we would have carried on as normal…maybe falling deeper and deeper into a spiritual malaise.

ii. But I didn’t fudge the words, I didn’t soften the blow and we were challenged and convicted…we confessed…we leaned into the uncomfortableness of the situation…and I believe we are better for it.

1. Understand that when I preach a difficult passage, or teach a hard concept, it is not out of spite or vengeance or anger…

a. It is done out of a love for you…and a desire to see you challenged and a desire to see you grow.

i. There will be plenty more hard passages that we’ll look at, but understand where it is coming from.

2. I’m not trying to be mean, but faithful to God and his Word – and when we lean into uncomfortable passages, the Holy Spirit can move, challenged, convict and comfort us.

e. But this passage isn’t only for pastor.

i. Because through all history there has always been a sense in which all of God’s people are his priests.

1. Israel was called to be a nation of priests, to make YHWH known to the nations around them.

a. Peter writes that the church is a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own possession…so that we can declare the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

f. Today we call this the priesthood of all believers. You may not have a pulpit or a podcast, but as a Christian, as a priest in the kingdom of God…

i. You are called to mediate the Good News of salvation to those around you.

1. You are called in your everyday life to know God’s Word and let that Word permeate your conversations.

g. So all of us, me as a pastor, you as non-pastors…all of us as priests of God…we must guard knowledge…truth must be on our lips – and we must all be ready to declare the excellencies of God…who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.