From Covenant to Contempt

The second chapter of Malachi concludes with a strong condemnation of divorce. There is disagreement among scholars regarding the exact nature of this criticism.

Some interpret it as a metaphorical reference to the people’s spiritual estrangement from God, indicating a turning away from God’s teachings.

Meanwhile, others view it as a critique of literal divorce practices, particularly focusing on men who abandon the wives of their youth in favor of marrying Samaritan women, to reclaim property lost during the exile.

I don’t write scholarly articles, so I can embrace both of these views to apply this teaching to our lives.

Malachi is presented as a question-and-answer kind of dispute between the people and God.

The People – Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?

God – Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.

God – For the one who does this, may the Lord cut off any witness or advocate from the tents of Jacob or anyone who could bring an offering to the Lord of hosts. (See Malachi 2.10-12).

Scholars who interpret the upcoming section on divorce as symbolic of people abandoning God for a false god can readily apply this interpretation to the current passage.

When we make our needs and wants the most important thing, we risk turning God into an idol. When God doesn’t appear to give us what we want, we are tempted to turn to substitutes for God to obtain our desires.

If you have social media or watch television entertainment, you will see glaring examples of America’s idols. Money, power, beauty, and acceptance, among other things, are examples of what people dedicate their lives to.

Is it possible that when God addresses divorce, He is referring to a society that has abandoned a relationship with Him in favor of these pursuits?

The Root of Divorce

It is sad to note that people were concerned about the lack of response from God when they came to worship but had little problem divorcing the wife of their youth.

Consider this dialogue between God (through Malachi) and the people.

God – And this you do as well: You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand.

The People – Why does he not?

God – Because the Lord was a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

God – Did God not make them one, flesh with spirit in it? And what does the one desire? Godly offspring. So look to yourselves, and do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth.

God – For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and covering one’s garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless. (See Malachi 2.13-16)

“Faithless” is the keyword in God’s dialogue with the people. Three times, He claims that they’re faithless. Rather than being faithful to the wife of their youth, they turn to another woman.

Presumably, this is because they wanted to regain territory they lost through the exile and to do that, they had to marry another woman.

The next portion of the dialogue between the people and God revealed the nature of their faithlessness.

God through Malachi – You have wearied the Lord with your words.

The People – How have we wearied him?

God through Malachi – By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?” (See Malachi 2.17)

The people thought serving God was not advantageous to them. They observed the prosperity of those committing evil acts and concluded that God’s justice was absent, as these individuals went unpunished.

This led them to question the value of serving God, highlighting a fundamental cause of faithlessness.

When we judge God based on our personal desires and needs, we find it easy to abandon Him in pursuit of our own goals.

The central point in this passage is our need to be faithful to God and the relationships God has given us.

YouTube Video

Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.