Malahija 2:2 Komentar

There are two great ordinances which divine wisdom has instituted, the wretched profanation of both of which is complained of and sharply reproved in this chapter. I. The ordinance of the ministry, which is peculiar to the church, and is designed for the maintaining and keeping up of that; this was profaned by those who were themselves dignified with the honour of it and entrusted with the business of it. The priests profaned the holy things of God; this they are here charged with; their sin is aggravated, and they are severely threatened for it (Mal 2:1-9). II. The ordinance of marriage, which is common to the world of mankind, and was instituted for the maintaining and keeping up of that; this was profaned both by the priests and by the people, in marrying strangers (Mal 2:11, Mal 2:12), treating their wives unkindly (Mal 2:13), putting them away (Mal 2:16), and herein dealing treacherously (Mal 2:10, Mal 2:14, Mal 2:15). And that which was at the bottom of this and other instances of profaneness and downright atheism, thinking God altogether such a one as themselves, which was, in effect, to say, There is no God (Mal 2:17). And these reproofs to them are warnings to us.

INTRODUCTION TO MALACHI 2 This chapter contains a reproof both of priests and people for their sins. It begins with the priests, Mal 2:1 and threatens, in case they attend not to glorify the name of the Lord, they and their blessings should be cursed, their seed corrupted, dung spread upon them, and they took away with it, Mal 2:2 and the end of this commandment being sent them, of giving glory to the name of God, was that the covenant might appear to be with Levi, or him that was typified by him, Mal 2:4 of which covenant some account is given, with the reason why the blessings of it were given to him, with whom it was, Mal 2:5 who is described by the true doctrine he preached; by the purity of his lips; by the peaceableness and righteousness of his walk and conversation; and by his usefulness and success in turning many from sin, Mal 2:6 and it being part of the priest's office to preserve true knowledge, and communicate it, it is the duty of the people to seek to him for it; since he is the messenger of the Lord, Mal 2:7 but as for the priests of those times the prophet respects, they were apostates from the way of the Lord; made others to stumble at the law, and corrupted the covenant; and therefore became contemptible, base, and mean, in the sight of the people, Mal 2:8 who are next reproved for their marrying with those of other nations, idolatrous persons; and using polygamy and divorces, which were a profanation of the covenant of their fathers; a piece of perfidy and treachery among themselves; an abomination to the Lord; a profanation of his holiness; and led to idolatry, Mal 2:10 wherefore they are threatened to be cut off from the tabernacles of Jacob, and their sacrifices to be rejected; insomuch that the altar is represented as covered with weeping and tears, because disregarded, Mal 2:12. The reason of which was, because marrying more wives than one, and these strange women, was dealing treacherously with their lawful wives; was contrary to the first creation of man, and the end of it; and therefore such practices ought to be avoided; and the rather, since putting away was hateful to the Lord, Mal 2:14 and the chapter is concluded with a charge against them, that they wearied the Lord with their wicked words; affirming that the Lord took delight in the men that did evil; and that there were no judgment, truth, nor righteousness, in him, Mal 2:17.

If ye will not hear,.... The commandment enjoined them; or the Gospel preached to them by Christ, and his apostles: and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, saith the Lord of hosts; which they had despised and profaned before; if they did not take care of his worship and service, and honour the Messiah sent unto them, in whom the name of the Lord was: I will even send a curse upon you; both upon priests and people; those that bring the bad offerings, and those that receive them, as Kimchi; though Abarbinel restrains it to the priests: and I will curse your blessings, either with which the priests blessed the people; or with which both they and the people were blessed; namely, their temporal blessings, such as their corn, and wine, and oil: and what wicked men have of this world, they have it with a curse, and not a blessing, as the righteous have; and therefore a little which they have, is better than much enjoyed by the wicked, Psa 37:16, yea, I have cursed them already; that is, from the time they began to despise his name, and not give him the glory due unto him, as Kimchi and Abarbinel explain it: because ye do not lay it to heart; to glorify God.

In which place, dearest brother, we must consider, for the sake of the faith and the religion of the sacerdotal office which we discharge, whether the account can be satisfactory in the day of judgment for a priest of God, who maintains, and approves, and acquiesces in the baptism of blasphemers, when the Lord threatens, and says, "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you: if ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord Almighty, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings." Does he give glory to God, who communicates with the baptism of Marcion? Does he give glory to God, who judges that remission of sins is granted among those who blaspheme against God? Does he give glory to God, who affirms that sons are born to God without, of an adulterer and a harlot? Does he give glory to God, who does not hold the unity and truth that arise from the divine law, but maintains heresies against the Church? Does he give glory to God, who, a friend of heretics and an enemy to Christians, thinks that the priests of God, who support the truth of Christ and the unity of the Church, are to be excommunicated? If glory is thus given to God, if the fear and the discipline of God is thus preserved by His worshippers and His priests, let us cast away our arms; let us give ourselves up to captivity; let us deliver to the devil the ordination of the Gospel, the appointment of Christ, the majesty of God; let the sacraments of the divine warfare be loosed; let the standards of the heavenly camp be betrayed; and let the Church succumb and yield to heretics, light to darkness, faith to perfidy, hope to despair, reason to error, immortality to death, love to hatred, truth to falsehood, Christ to Antichrist!

(Chapter 2, verses 1, 2.) Woe to the deceitful one who has a male in his flock and makes a vow, sacrificing something weak to the Lord. For I am a great king, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is feared among the nations. + And now, to you, O priests, I give this command: If you will not listen and if you will not set it on your heart to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send poverty upon you and curse your blessings, yes, I have cursed them, because you have not set it on your heart. LXX: And cursed is the one who is powerful and has a male in his flock, and his vow is upon him, and he sacrifices a weakling to the Lord. For I am a great King, says the Lord Almighty, and my name is renowned among the nations. And now I have this command for you, O priests. If you do not listen and if you do not set your heart to give glory to my name, says the Lord Almighty, I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. This which is written, and I will scatter your blessing, is added in the Septuagint, and is not found in Hebrew. Whatever the human mind can find to excuse its sin and defend itself with false satisfaction, this divine word, foreseeing it, rebukes and condemns. And the meaning is, because you offer the blind and the lame and the sick, and this is not from your own, but from robberies and spoils and the tears of the miserable, and moreover you say, we offer what we have from labor and poverty: therefore I say generally, that your own conscience may accuse you. Certainly you hide poverty and the injustice of captivity, and the weakness of your family affairs: listen to what I say: Cursed is the deceitful one who has a male in his flock, and making a vow he sacrifices an inferior one to the Lord. If you do not have a male, the curse does not harm you. By saying this, he shows that they have what is best and offer what is worst. Therefore, priests, this commandment is for you, you have done what is wicked in contempt of me. But because I prefer the repentance of a sinner to death, I say even now: If you refuse to listen and understand, so as to give glory to my name, which is terrible among the nations, I will send a true plague to you, so that you will not lie; but, compelled by the lack of all things, you will say that you do not possess the best things to offer. And I will curse, he says, your blessings, that is, those things which you now possess through my blessings; whatever is blessed by you will be cursed by me. And I will curse them, implied by your blessings; for you did not want to understand what is being said; for it is said: you have not set it upon your heart. We can receive the curse and deception of the Jewish people, who, although they had in their flock the male Lord Savior, and the spotless Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1), and being warned by the prophecy of all the prophets, to sacrifice and accept the ram, which was caught by its horns in the thicket of Sabec (Genesis 22), they did not want to do this; but instead, they sacrifice the weak to the Lord, crucifying the Savior, and choosing Barabbas, the author of robbery and sedition (John 18), who is interpreted according to mystical understanding as referring to the devil: and for those despising and preferring the devil to the Savior, the name of Christ is horrible among the nations, who have received the passion of the Lord and fearfully honor Him. It can also be said about us: If we, created by God, wise and possessing a nature suitable for sacred disciplines, neglect our own skill and give ourselves to vices and excesses, and having power, we sacrifice the weak to the Lord. However, our prayer is weak and tainted, when it is corrupted by anger, envy, enmities, and other disturbances of the soul: if we offer a gift at the altar and remember that our brother has something against us, we do not proceed and make amends to him (Matthew 5:23). And so the Apostle commands: 'I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger and dispute' (I Tim. II, 8). And the shepherd is the one who knows our thoughts and the senses of our virtues, as it is said in the one hundred and second Psalm (Verse 1): 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless his holy name'. If he governs his flock well, he fulfills that blessing: 'Blessed shall be the offspring of your cattle and the produce of your ground' (Deut. XXVIII, 4). But if he who naturally possesses masculinity, that is, strength, rigidity, and robustness, sacrifices lightness or excessive femininity and lasciviousness, or if he is weakened and corrupted by various disturbances of the soul, he will feel within himself that which is written: The powerful endure torments powerfully (Wisdom 6:7). And: To whom much is given, much will be demanded from him (Luke 8). Therefore, it is specifically said to priests that if they refuse to listen and hold it in their hearts, so as to give glory to the name of the Lord through good conduct (Romans 2); but on the contrary, his name is cursed among the nations because of them, he will send upon them poverty of all good things, and will turn their blessings into a curse. Those who abuse their health for pleasure, and turn their wealth into luxury, and tarnish their good reputation with impure conduct, they change the blessings of God into curses. Indeed, it is specifically the priests who are commanded, and their blessings are turned into curses when they do not bless the saints with true heartfelt affection, like Isaac with Jacob, and Jacob with the patriarchs, and Moses with the twelve tribes (Genesis 27 and 49, and Deuteronomy 23), but they deceive the hearts of the innocent with sweet words and blessings (Romans 16), and those who act wickedly are blessed by them, and they flatter sinners as long as they are rich and indulge in their vices, of whom it is said: My people, those who call you blessed are leading you astray and causing you to stumble in your paths (Isaiah 3:11).

REPROOF OF THE PRIESTS FOR VIOLATING THE COVENANT; AND THE PEOPLE ALSO FOR MIXED MARRIAGES AND UNFAITHFULNESS. (Mal. 2:1-17) for you--The priests in particular are reproved, as their part was to have led the people aright, and reproved sin, whereas they encouraged and led them into sin. Ministers cannot sin or suffer alone. They drag down others with them if they fall [MOORE].

lay . . . to heart--My commands. send a curse--rather, as Hebrew, "the curse"; namely, that denounced in Deu 27:15-26; Deu. 28:15-68. curse your blessings--turn the blessings you enjoy into curses (Psa 106:15). cursed them--Hebrew, them severally; that is, I have cursed each one of your blessings.