Reality Check (Presenting Truth)

When God’s Priests compromise their charge and fail to honor God by walking in truth and teaching the people the Word of God, the people suffer and the priests blessings of peace and life are removed.

Please open your bibles to Malachi chapter 2. We will be continuing to look at God’s rebuke of the priests at the end of the new testament. I encourage you to bring a bible each week and read from it.

Stand with me as we read Malachi Chapter 2 verses 1-9.

Malachi 2:1–9 (CSB)

1 “Therefore, this decree is for you priests: 2 If you don’t listen, and if you don’t take it to heart to honor my name,” says the Lord of Armies, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart.

3 “Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread animal waste over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, and you will be taken away with it. 4 Then you will know that I sent you this decree, so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord of Armies. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity and turned many from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should desire instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Armies.

8 “You, on the other hand, have turned from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of Armies. 9 “So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping my ways but are showing partiality in your instruction.”

So far God has been focused on the priests of Isreal and their current state of business. God continues rebuking the priests in the 1st half of chapter 2 and will transition to the people for the 2nd half of the chapter. Today’s scripture will separated into three different parts.

Chapter 2 will begin with a decree that comes as a result of the charges in chapter 1.

The priests were God’s chosen messengers to the people of Israel and the second section will be God’s reminder to the priests of their role in the community of Israel.

The third section will be God’s judgment on the priests due to these charges.

Malachi 2:1-4 God’s Decree

Malachi 2:1–2 (CSB)

In chapter 1 God rebuked them for defiling his alter. They were allowing people to bring lame, blind, and damaged animals to the temple to be sacrificed to God. This was in direct violation of the commands that were given to the priests at the beginning of their service. They had taken God’s holy alter and had made it a common place to get rid of unwanted animals. Even though they were performing the actions that the old testament required they were not doing them in a way that brought God glory. They had taken God out of his own method of worship and it had become a nuisance for them and so they compromised on the requirements of the law. They modified the requirements to the wants of the people and had in the process defiled God’s alter.

Because of this he presents a decree or a verbal proclamation to them. If you don’t listen, if you don’t hear, if you don’t take to heart to honor my name. Then I will send a curse among you. He says he will curse their blessing. He even says that he has already started to curse the blessing. Blessing is something that brings prosperity of life. These can be spiritual, physical, and material. They could be from special work of God like prophets, or strength for a task to everyday provision though material needs being met. The priests were blessed with a special task and life for God. They were the only ones that had the charge to lead the people in the burning of incense (or Prayer), lead the people in Worship, teach the truth of God’s Word and bring it to the people. They ate from the offerings, they could announce the forgiveness of sin, and were respected by the Israel community. They were set aside to this great honor and blessing to do this work and carry this responsibility for God.

God is saying the he will and has already started to remove this blessing from them. This special work will be taken away and we see in the New Testament it given to those of the Way that follow Jesus as a priesthood of believers. They have come to a point that:

They do not listen or take to heart that they are to honor God and bring glory to his name.

He continues to describe the curse as:

Malachi 2:3–4 (CSB)

God is telling them that not only will this curse to remove the blessing apply to them but it will remove the blessing from their offspring as well. How will it apply to their children? We have to look at the next section. He says he will spread, waste on their faces. The word waste can be translated as refuse, dung, or offal. This is one of those verses that people look at and go, “God is really going to wipe animal dung on their face”?

Do we read this literally? Yes. We read it literally as hyperbole. Hyperbole is an exaggeration that is not to be take literally but is used to make a point. So what dose this mean then?

When animals were sacrificed there were certain parts that were unclean and would not be part of the offering. This, offal or waste, would be removed and taken outside the temple to be burned. It wasn’t part of the worship of God. He is making the point that God will do the equivalent of wiping waste on them, he will make them unclean and unworthy to be priests in the temple of God. The priests are no longer worthy to fulfill the role of priest they were only worthy to be taken out with the waste of the temple.

This is a direct statement that you are fired from this task.

As a manager, I have had to fire people who have not been doing well in their jobs. The responses can be different. Some people see it coming. I had one gentleman state that if you gave me a chance I would have turned it around. He looked at the ceiling and then said, nope, you are right my heart isn’t in it. Some are completely blindsided because they think they are doing great but their output just doesn’t meet expectations. This would have been the response of the priests. they thought they were doing well but God just told them otherwise.

They will see their ministry removed and this is how they will know Malachi is telling the truth.

What principles do we gain from this:

God will remove priests that do not bring honor or glory to his name.

Priests who do not honor God will have blessings removed by God.

This rebuke was not only presented by Malachi.

Hosea 4:6 (CSB)

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons.

God then reminds them of what is supposed to be happening.

Malachi 2:5-7 God’s Reminder To His Messengers

Malachi 2:5–7 (CSB)

5 “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity and turned many from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should desire instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Armies.

There isn’t a specific covenant described in scripture for the Levitical priests when the priests were established but their role was defined in Leviticus 8 and 9. This relationship created a covenant with the priests and God. When God says “with Levi” he is talking about the tribe of Levi not the man himself. God describes the covenant that was established. God gave them life and peace and in return the priests were called to be reverent to God and to stand in awe of him.

With this covenant, true instruction was presented to the people, only righteous words that pointed people to the Holy God. They walked with God. This is a bible way of saying a life that lived for God and with God. They walked in peace and integrity because of the life they lived.

Because of true instruction, a life in peace with God, and a life conformed to a high moral standard many were turned from their iniquity. Iniquity is another word for sin.

And the reason for people to turn from their sin, because the priests guard knowledge and the people have a desire to gain this instruction from them because they were God’s messengers. The priests were responsible for teaching the knowledge of God to the people. Only the priests had the sacred scriptures and kept a close watch on them. There was only one place to get your questions answered about God and that was the priests.

The priests had a responsibility to God and the people had a responsibility to get knowledge from them.

What principles do we gain from this:

Life and peace come from God and requires reverence.

A priest that speaks truth, lives in peace with God, has a life conformed to a high moral standard (walk with him) will lead people from sin.

God desires true instruction to come from true priests.

Only instruction of God’s Word will turn people to God.

Priests are God’s messengers and they should guard knowledge for the people.

The people should desire knowledge from these messengers.

Malachi 2:8-9 God’s Judgment

After Malachi reminds the priests of what they are supposed to be he states:

Malachi 2:8–9 (CSB)

God tells them that their failures have lead many to stumble. This is the opposite causing people to Walk with God. Their weak teaching and partiality has moved people away from God. It is very simple that without correct reverence to God’s word and our callings we will not only lead people astray but will also lead them to destruction.

What does partiality look like:

Only teaching part of the truth

Teaching false truth

Teaching the word differently to different people. IE modifying the word based on class, authority, gender, race, or any other distinction of man.

There is only one Word, from one God, with one interpretation, for one purpose, to bring Glory to God.

The result of this is God’s active punishment of making these leaders humiliated and despised among the people.

What are the principles for this section:

Priests that speak the Word of God with partiality will cause people to stumble.

God will make priests who teach this way, despised and humiliated before the people.

Conclusion

What is the application for you today?

The priests of the old testament came from the tribe of Levi but what about today. What does this look like to us?

1 Peter 2:9 (CSB)

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

For those that follow the Way, that are born again believers we have a high priest that is Jesus and all believers are a royal priesthood. This means that the principles that God gave to the priests of the old testament apply to us today. We are to lead people in prayer, worship, and teaching of God’s Word. We lead our families, other believers and lead them from sin by our walk with God.

However, even though we are all called to lead people in prayer, worship, and teaching, God has appointed special offices in the church that are separated to a higher calling than the general priesthood. These are the elders, pastors, and deacons. The elders and pastors, especially teaching pastors, are the ones who God has given the higher responsibility of guarding the knowledge and sharing that knowledge with the people. They are the ones that have been set aside in study and knowledge to fulfill this role in the church. The Timothys of the church.

Both the laity of the church and the elders of the church must take these roles seriously as we have seen God does not take our neglect lightly. How do we do that?

First we must recognize that we are no better than these priests that we read about today. All men come to God with nothing but our hearts that desire nothing for God. We as sinners will struggle with the exact same temptations that these men did. We must start at the same place all men do who follow God, repentant and reverent to the Holy God.

No matter if we don’t know Christ as our savior or we do and have been saved for a short or long time, we must be in the word, seeking true knowledge from elders diligently holding to the truth, elders that God has blessed with the ability and time to study the word and guard the truth. And laity that does not take prayer, worship, or teaching lightly. Seeking the knowledge from those that “walk with God” and have peace and life.

Without the realization that without God’s grace, Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and his Holy Spirit we are destined to stay as lost or we will follow blindly by the false teaching of the many ministers that have gone the way of partiality in their teaching. We will not be able to figure it out on our own.

There have been men through the centuries that have given their lives to guarding the Word of God and we must look to them and their contemporary equals to hear true instruction.

We must be careful. We have access to millions of “priests” how many of them can you confidently defend that they are of the covenant of Levi or are they wayward teachers sending people deeper into their sin. They are dangerous because they make people believe they are on the right path when they are destined for pain, and curse. They mold the teaching to the people. There was one preacher that said that he would not teach on sin from the stage because it makes people feel bad. There are others that teach you will be rich if you give so much of your money to the church. There are others that never open the bible to teach anything. That means you must know the word of God well enough to discern false teaching.

This should be a church that must be focused on God’s Word and the obedience to the Word first and foremost. Don’t think you have this all figured out. That is a lie from satan and false teachers. We should be constantly learning. We should be coming together in prayer, worship, and study of God’s Word.

I love the verse:

Ezra 7:10 (CSB)

10 Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

This should be all of our hearts no matter what people he has put in your care, for child, the bachelorette, the young couple, the mother and father, the small group teacher, the preacher or elder.

God does all of this through us with reverence and awe of the One True Holy God, giving him Glory for everything.

What is your next step?

Are you exploring who Jesus is and having questions?

Have you come to a point that you realize you are a sinner in need of a savior and would like someone to discuss this with?

Are you a believer who has been spiritually baptised?

Are you a believer in need of repentance and need to approach your savior?

Are you a Christian that is starting to believe that you may have been under false teaching and need someone to help you sort out your doctrines?

We all have steps today, what are yours.

Today as we close the sermon we will be having two men who will be coming forward to take a step of obedience to Christ and be baptised. I will pray and our worship team will come and lead you in worship while we prepare for baptism.

Pray.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 CSB

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

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