Malachi 2:10-16 - An Unfaithful People, a Faithful God (Rev. Erik Veerman)

Malachi 2:10-16

We are continuing in the book of Malachi. This morning we’ll be covering chapter 2 verses10-16. Please turn there. You can find it on page 954 in the pew Bible.

This is our fourth of eight sermons in Malachi. It’s a short book. It only has 4 chapters, but as you have seen already, it packs a punch.

Malachi’s prophecy began with a reminder of God’s electing love for Israel. But then God turns to the ways in which they have been unfaithful in response.

The overall theme of the book is God’s faithfulness and Israel’s unfaithfulness.

And we will see that clearly in our text this morning. The people were demonstrating a lack of faith in God because of unfaithfulness in their marriages.

Reading of Malachi 2:10-16

Prayer

There is one relationship in life that is more important than any other. This relationship requires dedication. It’s a relationship built on forgiveness. It’s one where if you are not seeking to honor the one with whom you are in this relationship with, then you will struggle. Your path will be filled with difficulty. This relationship is that important.

I’m talking about your relationship with the Lord.

Some of you probably thought that I was going to say, “your relationship with your spouse.” Right? After all, a marriage relationship is critically important. But your relationship with the Lord is more important.

It’s tempting to see our text this morning as only applying to marriage. After all, it has plenty to say about marriage, and we’re going to get there. However, this passage is ultimately about your faith in the creator God. So, whether you are married or not, you are directed to draw near to the Lord by faith.

I don’t know if you noticed it, but the word “faithless” is used here 5 times. Look at verse 10. After asking a couple of rhetorical questions, which we’ll get to, it says, “why then are we faithless to one another.” Then immediately in verse 11. “Judah has been faithless.” Judah was the southern kingdom which was exiled, some of whom had returned. So in other words, God was calling them faithless. Now go down to verse 14. In the middle there it says, “…the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless.” That is repeated at the end of 15. “Let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.” In those instances, it is faithless to their spouse. And finally, this passage ends with this, “so guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

So, faithless. Their faithless actions and faithlessness in their marriages, displayed a faithlessness before God.

To give a little structure this morning, we’ll consider this in 4 points.

1. Faithless before a Faithful God (2:10–11a)

2. Faithless with a Faithless Bride (2:11b–12)

3. Faithless to a Faithful Bride (2:13–16)

4. Faithful despite a Faithless Bride

Those may be hard to remember, but they are printed there on page 4.

1. Faithless before a Faithful God (2:10–11a)

So again, #1, Faithless before a faithful God. Verse 10 and the first half of verse 11 begin by emphasizing their covenant relationship with God and therefore with one another.

The two questions there in 10 direct them to God. Malachi asks “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?”

They already know the answer. Yes, he is God their Father. Yes, they are his children. And yes, he is their creator. Those questions are to remind them of who God is;  who they are; and the centrality of his relationship with them. You see, before God speaks into the tangled mess of their marriage relationships, he first directs them to himself.

He also directs them to one another.

That is because their faithless actions not only reflected their faithlessness before God. But it also reflected on their faithlessness with one another. In other words, because they were in a covenant relationship with God together, anyone who broke that covenant with God, was being faithlessness toward one another. And anyone breaking the covenant with one another, was being faithless before God.

By the way, we are going to get very practical in just a couple of minutes. But before we get there, it’s critical to first understand why breaking the covenant was an act of faithlessness.

It says that by their actions, they were “profaning the covenant.” That’s  a strong statement

Let me say a couple things about it:

·      The reference to covenant here includes the promises that God made to Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. God established a relationship with them as his people. He called them to be his. He gave them his law. He promised them a kingdom and that they would be a people as numerous as the sands of the sea. They were set apart by the God of all creation. It was a beautiful thing.

·      But they “profaned” the covenant relationship. They profaned it because they were dishonoring God by violating the relationship that he had established with them. They had been breaking his commands. Rather than acting in faith, some had been rejecting the covenant promises that God had given them. So, it was serious. That’s why it says in 11 that they had been faithless. They had been faithless to God and faithless to one another.

Now, I want to say one more thing before we get to the heart of this passage about marriage. In the middle of verse 11 it says that they profaned the “sanctuary of the Lord.” At the heart of the word translated “sanctuary” is the word set apart. Some believe this is a reference to God’s covenant people. They were profaning one another. And I think that’s right. It goes along with two things. First, verse 10 had just said that they were faithless to one another. And second, immediately after saying they had profaned the sanctuary, it says, “which he loves.” Remember from the opening verses of chapter 1. God loves his people.

In summary, their sin broke faith with God and with one another.

Sometimes we don’t think about that. Our sin is not only a sin against God it is sin against the covenant community. No matter our sin, it affects the community, sometimes in a more direct way, which we will see here, or sometimes indirectly. Either way, it was breaking fellowship with God and with one another.

Ok, then, but what was it? What sin had they committed which was an abomination to God and which was faithless to one another?

Well, they had been violating God’s sacred establishment of covenant marriage. They were violating it in two ways: First, many had been marrying people outside of the covenant. And second, many had been unlawfully divorcing their spouses.

2. Faithless with a Faithless Bride (2:11b–12)

Which brings us to points 2 and 3 about those two things. About unholy marriage and unlawful divorce.

Point 2 is this: Faithless with a Faithless Bride. They were being covenantally unfaithful because they were marrying outside of the faith. Right there at the end of 11. They had “married the daughter of a foreign God.” Verse 12 points the finger at some men who were doing this

When the exiles were in Babylon, all around them were not just Babylonians but also other nations that Babylon had conquered and brought to Babylon. The temptation was to intermarry with those outside of God’s covenant people. But even when they were back in Jerusalem, there were now people from other kingdoms. Part of the temptation was marrying into the people group who was in control in order to improve their plight. Now, whether it was just an attraction to someone outside of the covenant community or whether it was for economic gain, either way, it was an abomination, as God says.

And let me be very clear. This is not about race. There is nothing in the Bible that prohibits marriage between people from different ethnic backgrounds or people groups. Rather, this is about marrying outside of God’s covenant community. That is very clear at the end of verse 11, “the daughter of a foreign God.” Plus, we have several examples of women who were originally outside of God’s covenant community, but who became part of the covenant, and then married an Israelite. Think of Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite woman who was joined the covenant community and then married Boaz. Rahab is another example. She was a Cannanite, whom God spared from the destruction of Jericho because of her faith. She married Salmon.

The admonition for us is to only marry someone who shares our faith in Christ.

Let me take a moment to speak to those of you who are not married – young and old. Not everyone is called to be married. The apostle Paul wasn’t married, and he makes it clear that there are blessings to being single. But many of you have the desire to be married. Younger kids, I want to make sure you are listening as well. Marriage may be far from your mind right now. You may be thinking “eww, marriage.”  But that will likely change. So, listen as well.

If you decide to get married, the most important thing is to marry someone who shares your faith in Christ. It’s God’s command to marry in the Lord.

The world says that love is not a choice. It says that when love finds you, no matter with whom, you cannot say “no.”

But don’t buy the lie. Don’t mix up attraction with love. Love is a choice. Yes, you should be attracted to someone you want to marry, but that person needs to share your faith and commitment to your Lord and Savior. There is no such thing as missionary dating. Do you hear me? You are playing with fire if you are dating someone who you think you can win over to Christ. It’s the Holy Spirit job to change someone’s heart. Don’t go there.

The most important relationship you have is with the Lord and if you can’t share that with your spouse, it is difficult and comes with consequences.

I know several godly people who are married to unbelievers, and they would confirm that struggle. Sometimes that happens because one spouse comes to faith in Christ after getting married. Praise the Lord. If that happens, the struggle is still there. If you are in that situation, stay married. As the Scriptures say, so that you may win over your spouse.

But sometimes someone young in his or her faith marries an unbeliever. It’s only later that the person realizes the sin of it and how difficult it is. God forgives and he helps. If that is you, stay married and continue to pray for your unbelieving spouse to believe. And we will pray along with you.

But for those of you who are not married, I plead with you, if you marry, marry a Godly man or woman who loves the Lord and his Word. Not just someone who says they are a Christian, but someone who demonstrates their faith and Love for the Lord.

These verses are saying that marrying outside of God’s covenant community demonstrates faithlessness. The consequences are difficult.

3. Faithless to a Faithful Bride (2:13–16)

Which brings us to the other thing that they were doing. Many were unlawfully divorcing their spouses.

This is point 3. Faithless to a Faithful Bride. As we already saw, twice it mentions unfaithfulness to the wife of their youth. These men had made a covenant commitment to these women, yet they were walking away from their marriages. We’re not told, but perhaps some of them were the ones who then married outside of the covenant community.

Before I go on, I want to be sensitive to the burdens and pain in this room from past marriages. Some of you have endured difficult marriages that have failed. Perhaps your marriage failed because of your own sin or perhaps your spouse’s or perhaps both of you. Whatever the situation, it’s hard and there’s often relational fallout beyond the breaking of that marriage covenant. But I want you to know that God is merciful and forgiving. As you look back and either recognize your own complicity or you feel the hurt of being sinned against, know that God forgives and ministers his grace.

To be sure, God’s mercy and forgiveness is never to be a justification for an unbiblical divorce. The Scriptures are clear about divorce. Jesus spoke of divorce being permissible when sexual infidelity has occurred. Elsewhere abandonment is included. I would include abuse as a form of abandonment. These grievous sins are the only grounds for divorce.

What was happening in Jerusalem is that marriages were being annulled because a spouse no longer cared to be married. And because of it, God no longer heard them or received their offerings, verse 13. They were weeping because of God not receiving them. It was not a godly grief that led to repentance, but rather just a groaning because of the consequences.

In verse 14, they ask, “why has he not?” Why does God no longer accept us?

By the way, this is the Malachi pattern, remember. They were reaping the consequences of their sin but didn’t acknowledge their sin. And so the hammer drops again. Two weeks ago the hammer dropped on their polluted offerings. Last week it dropped on the corrupt priests. And here, it’s back to the people, some of whom were faithless by divorcing their spouses without warrant.

But they had made a covenant with their spouse. The Lord was a witness to that covenant commitment. And look at verse 15. “Did he [that is, God] not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?” They were united to one another in marriage. It’s a reference back to Genesis 1. God was actively present in bringing about that oneness. So by abandoning their marriage, they were abandoning God. And not only that, they were abandoning God’s call for them to raise their children to know the Lord. As the middle of 15 says, God desires “Godly offspring.” It would be a downward spiral of faithless future generations.

Now, not every husband or wife was walking away from their marriage. But even some who were still married were considering divorce.

We know that because it says, “guard yourself in your spirit and let none of you BE faithless.” The verse before said some of them “have been faithless.” In other words, for the ones who were still in their covenant marriage, they were to guard their hearts and minds against going down the path of divorce. And, actually, did you notice that the phrase, “guard yourself in your spirit” is used twice. Once in verse 15 and second in verse 16.

Ok, let me now speak to those who are married. Some of your marriages are struggling. And I probably only know the half of it. Every marriage has its ups and downs, but some marriages have acute struggles for a variety of reasons. And it is hard. What is supposed to be the most intimate relationship on earth, is sometimes fraught with tension and mistrust and heartache because of current sin or past sin... which can lead to more sin and cause more tension and more mistrust and more heartache.

If that is you, I want to say two things:

1. As it says here, “guard yourself in your spirit.” Do not let yourself wander to thoughts of divorce. Don’t let go of the covenant that you made to your spouse. Pursue your spouse again. Recommit yourself to your marriage. There’s a warning here of faithlessness if you pursue unbiblical divorce. So, guard your thoughts and your heart.

2. Number 2. There is help and there is hope. There is not a single elder here unwilling to help if your marriage is struggling. Please reach out. I will meet with you and pray with you, multiple times if necessary. We can also find help outside of our church if you would be more comfortable with that. But please reach out. If you do not think your marriage needs help, but your spouse does, let me encourage you to honor and listen to your spouse. Set aside whatever is preventing you from getting help.

And do not lose hope. We serve a God who is in the business of forgiving and reconciling. The forgiveness and reconciliation that he gives you, individually, is the basis for forgiveness and reconciliation in you marriage.

4. Faithful despite a Faithless Bride

Which is a nice transition to point 4. Faithful despite a Faithless Bride

I’m not talking about a marriage between a man and a woman here. I am talking about the marriage between Christ and his church. Despite the unfaithfulness of God’s people, his bride, God has remained faithful.

The marriage paradigm is the pattern that God uses all throughout Scripture to convey his faithfulness despite our unfaithfulness.

And this goes all the way back to the garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, when they ate of the forbidden fruit, their sin was spiritual adultery. They had been in a covenant relationship with God. He promised them life, but they turned against his promise of blessing and instead ate that which was forbidden.

That spiritual adultery theme continues throughout the Scriptures. God’s people were betrothed to God, but they forsook his name and committed spiritual adultery against him by going after other so-called gods from the surrounding nations.

But as we read in Hosea 2 earlier in the service, despite the people’s unfaithfulness, God promised that he would be faithful. He promised to be their husband who would protect and lead them in righteousness and justice. They would once again be called his people and they would call him their God. This is the pattern over and over in the Old Testament. The people forgot the Lord. They acted in adulterous ways like the people here in Jerusalem. Yet God was merciful… and just like here, he called them back to himself.

And the climax of this marriage paradigm in Scripture… is found in Christ. He not only sought his bride, the church, but as we read earlier in Ephesians 5, he died for her. There is no greater love. He sanctifies and cleanses her. By giving his church his righteousness, Christ presents her pure and spotless. SO not only is he faithful despite her unfaithfulness, he makes her faithful.

And he nourishes and cherishes her and leads her. And all of that will come to full fruition when he returns for the consummation of the great spiritual wedding. He will usher his people, his bride, into the wedding supper of the Lamb forever.

Beloved, this is the reason that marriage is sacred. Marriage on earth is patterned after the union between God and his people. It is why a Christian should only marry a Christian. It is why God hates divorce. It is why those who are married should fight for their marriage and not against it. It is why in a marriage relationship you should love and forgive just as Christ loved you and forgave you. It is why a husband has been called to be the spiritual leader in his marriage and home. It is a sacrificial leading. Again, as Ephesians 5 said, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and died for her.

The people in Jerusalem didn’t have this full picture, yet. They didn’t yet know of what was to come. But as we will find out in these next 2 chapters, God is going to lift the curtain and give them a glimpse of what was soon to come for them. In the meantime, they were to return in faith to God by returning in faithfulness to their covenant marriages.

For those who desire one day to be married, seek Godly spouses by faith in Christ. And for those who are married, pursue and love our spouses because God has pursued and loved you. For all of us, may we see the beauty and wonder of our bridegroom, Christ. And because of his love and faithfulness to us, may we seek to be faithful in return to him.