Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 - PM - Jehovah Hates Unfaithfulness (Mal. 2:10-17)

Malachi 2:10–17 KJV 1900

10 Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, By profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, And an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; For Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, And hath married the daughter of a strange god. 12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, Out of the tabernacles of Jacob, And him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts. 13 And this have ye done again, Covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, Insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, Or receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, Against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: Yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: For one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: Therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. 17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, And he delighteth in them; Or, Where is the God of judgment?

Introduction:

Confession - admission of not being “ready” to preach through this passage (but not for a lack of study, but one of sobriety facing certain topics, namely, Divorce).

We will nonetheless uphold our commitment to preaching the whole counsel of God, and refuse to cower from difficult passages.

It is, however, vital that YOU understand what YOU believe, and furthermore, IT MUST BE FOUNDED ON THE WORD OF GOD as the center and basis of all our authority for both FAITH & PRACTICE.

Let us consider first the CONTEXT of this passage: Jehovah HATES unfaithfulness.

Anywhere unfaithfulness rears its ugly head, the Lord will be on guard.

Sub-intro - Jehovah has been addressing the priests up to this point, but now, He begins to address the people of Judah directly. They were unfaithful at their own homes, and it had impacted their faithfulness to the Lord’s house as well.

Unfaithfulness in God’s eyes is nothing less than treachery. Let us not narrow the meaning of unfaithfulness, however, only to reference the marital relationship, but see how it applies to other areas of our walk with the Lord. “Confidence in an unfaithful man in the time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint” - Solomon the Wise.

Notice the pretentiousness of God’s people in this passage. But consider, we are just as susceptible to the same mindset! If not careful, we will wind up with the same treacherous predisposition as they.

Remember the price that a traitor paid at the founding of our nation - i.e. Benedict Arnold.

While we might fool many, we will never fool God of our true motives.

Malachi targets mixed marriages, but in the scope is also the broader issue of idolatry. What today have we too been guilty of replacing God in our lives? How has our culture become progressively more pagan in our day? Should we expect anything less than for sinners to do what sinners do? But should we then also bear to stomach those who should know better thinking they can get away with unfaithfulness in their lives? Can we not as adults discern right from wrong any longer? Notice,

I. Abusing The Ministry God Has Provided You (Mal. 2:10-13).

A. Judah's & Israel's Unfaithfulness to His Brethren (Mal. 2:10).

Malachi 2:10 KJV 1900

10 Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, By profaning the covenant of our fathers?

1. Their Goodly Heritage (v. 10a).

Like they had become guilty to abusing their assembling together, have we too been as guilty of mistreating the wonderful privileges afforded by gathering together with our brothers and sisters in the Lord? Consider Heb. 10:25-27.

How are some ways that we can abuse the ministry that God has given us today?

It is our responsibility as Christians to gather. If we fail to worship together, you will worship something or someone else than the Lord.

Note - this is not a reference to the “Universal Fatherhood of God.” But simply, is not our God One God?

Beware the present dangers of ecumenism that denies that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father.

Let us not be unfaithful to our brethren, our church family!

2. A Grievous Hurt (v. 11b).

Malachi 2:11 KJV 1900

11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, And an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; For Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, And hath married the daughter of a strange god.

Consider also the abuse of power and authority in ministry which can destroy the faith of those to whom we are called to minister.

We have an opportunity to show our community what a genuine church should look like! Let us be faithful to our New Covenant ecclesia!

When we instead are given over to gossip and backbiting, we bring grievous hurt on those around us. It can be a matter of life and death (both spiritually or physically, emotionally).

We have a great privilege in shepherding those within our influence. Let us take great care that offence not arise with us, but rather only from the cross of Christ.

B. Judah's & Israel's Unfaithfulness to God (Mal. 2:11-13).

1. The Profanity of Their Idolatry (v. 11).

Malachi 2:11 KJV 1900

11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, And an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; For Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, And hath married the daughter of a strange god.

Abomination - Hebrew has the imagery of making God vomit (onomatopoeia).

Remember, the holy never makes the unholy holy, but vice versa.

Illustration of Holiness - Glass in the Cupboard must be clean to be used!

If you are the Lord’s, then He, by your faith, has washed you with the water of His Word, and thereby seeks to use you as you allow His will to prevail in your walk with Him.

See Psalm 15

2. The Punishment for Their Idolatry (v. 12).

Malachi 2:12 KJV 1900

12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, Out of the tabernacles of Jacob, And him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.

“Cut off” is the same root as to “cut a covenant”

From the least to the greatest - no respecter of persons is God.

Your unwillingness to remain separate from the world will have a generational impact for the negative.

“Generational sin can stop with me!” ~ Dr. Jim Schettler. These words were a great encouragement of hope to a young man who grew up in a generation of divorce throughout his family on every side.

Reality - Cut Off! God will find someone else to serve Him in holiness if you refuse His goodness.

3. Their Pretense in Their Idolatry (v. 13).

Malachi 2:13 KJV 1900

13 And this have ye done again, Covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, Insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, Or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

The lie of Satan for us who now live under grace is that we have exhausted that from our Lord, but the truth of God’s Word for us is that 1 Jn. 1:9 is STILL in the Bible and STILL as effective to the penitent today, but we must come without pretence.

James 1:16–25 KJV 1900

16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Salvation is deliverance! James reminds his readers (saved believers who are sinning in their assembly) that God can still save, “From temporal judgment or loss of future reward.” ~ Dr. Neal Huddleston

Let’s do all with humility to avoid, “A little bloodshed behind God’s woodshed.” ~ Dr. Chuck Cofty.

To whom much is given, much is required. The question remains yet, how much is too much? Should we persist in unfaithfulness, John reminds us that there “is a sin unto death” we pray not for it.

Set aside all pretence, and come humbly to Him before whom all things are naked and opened, He who discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12-13).

Illustration: The Purpose of Christ’s Parables - to reveal spiritual truth to His genuine disciples, but also to blind the haughty eyes of the unbelieving religious elite of His day.

Hardness of heart (from failing to deal with sin) lays the foundations of this type of pretence.

II. Abusing the Marriage God Has Put Together (Mal. 2:14-17).

A. Judah's & Israel's Unfaithfulness to His Wife (Mal. 2:14-16).

1. The Revealing of Judah's & Israel's Unfaithfulness (v. 14).

Malachi 2:14 KJV 1900

14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, Against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: Yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

The principles behind the Lord’s challenge here can help anyone, married or not.

Judah was unfaithful to her spouse.

Notice the Lord’s sarcasm in “Yet ye say...”

2. The Reproving of Judah's/Israel's Unfaithfulness (v. 15).

Malachi 2:15 KJV 1900

15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

3. God's Repulsion of Judah's/Israel's Unfaithfulness (v. 16).

Malachi 2:16 KJV 1900

16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: For one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: Therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

Heb. Lit. - “If he hateth her, put her away.”

Custom - “covereth violence with his garment”

Notice the Hebrew Parallelism

Notice the Inclusio (“Therefore take heed to your spirit” 2x’s)

Synthetic idea - The Lord made ONE! They had sought to put that asunder.

What they are doing is repulsive to God. God hates divorce. Notice,

B. Jehovah's Weariness of Judah's & Israel's Wickedness (Mal. 2:17).

Malachi 2:17 KJV 1900

17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, And he delighteth in them; Or, Where is the God of judgment?

Has the Lord Jesus been sickened by the pretense that attends church more faithfully than a great majority of His people do?

“The devil is the most faithful church attender of anyone.” ~ Unknown

Jesus encourages those who follow Him, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments...” “His commandments are not grievous.”

The higher we aspire in following the Lord, the less we demand for ourselves.

Is thy heart right with God?

Conclusion:

In summary -

Unfaithfulness to church begins with unfaithfulness at home.

Polished pretense is a sorry substitute for the real power of God in both your private and public life.

Guard your spirit against a traitors disposition.

You can fool your family, and you can fool your pastor, but you cannot fool God.

Mixed spiritual marriages lead to messed up spiritual mindsets.