Malachi 2: Standards for Faithful Priests Explained

Please read Malachi 2 

In the first chapter of Malachi, we have seen God criticize Israel for their attitudes about love and their treatment of Him in the temple.  He has been critical of the Israelites.  They began to worship out of habit and sacrifice was just a word they heard on the Sabbath. They began to let the influences of the world compromise their worship and they, like us, often stood in a precarious position with God. Malachi wrote to prepare the people for the first coming of Jesus Christ. He sought to expose their false attitudes. He wanted to revive their reverence and worship of God. The message is no different to us. Malachi is preparing us for the coming of Jesus Christ.  

Chapter 2 begins by letting us know that it is directed towards the priests.  The priests were those men who were the ministers of God who helped the people connect with Him. 

They betrayed the covenant ideal. 

The priests of Malachi’s day did not follow the covenant they had with God.  They just didn’t do it.  We see that they turned away from God and went their own way.  They caused others among them to stumble and sin.  The priests had a horrible reputation and it reflected on God.  They weren’t doing their duties and were not bringing glory and honor to God.  God saw this as a huge problem.  And He confronted them about it with a severe warning and strong language… for example “rubbing faces in feces” of the sacrifices in verse 3. 

What is this covenant with God? (see Deuteronomy 28) 

This covenant that we are looking at is no run-of-the-mill covenant; it is a very high standard. 

The first standard the priest was held to was “True instruction was in his mouth” in verse 6.  God wants His Word taught in a way that is not polluted in any fashion.  The priests were to teach the Law, as God wanted.  They were to leave out their own opinions and theories and stick to what they knew was the Word of God. 

The second priestly standard was “nothing false was found on his lips.”  This is also found in verse 6.  The priests were also the ones who would often decide arguments between neighbors or businessmen.  The priests were not to twist the Law in ways to fit the situation or to fit their own fancy.  They were to make legal decisions without prejudice. 

The third priestly standard is “He walked with me in peace and uprightness.”  The priest was to be devout in their conduct.  Their lives as well as their teachings were to be pure and holy.  We see here that God desired these men to have a relationship with Him—He wanted them to walk with Him in harmony, in peace. 

Fourthly, the priest was to be focused on labor.  Verse 6 concludes by saying, “and turned many from sin.”  The priests were to help their fellow Israelites see God and want to turn away from evil ways.  This is not always an easy task.  Israel was often worshiping other Gods or going off to some unsanctioned war or sinning in some grave manner, but it was the priests’ job to try and draw the people back to God.   

“For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge and from his mouth men should seek instruction,” is the next standard for the priests (5 of 6).  It was the duty of every priest to study the law and teach it faithfully: the knowledge of the law, the knowledge of the rituals, the knowledge of the ceremonies.  And here, the knowledge talked about is the knowledge about God that finds its expression in a moral life and spiritual aspirations.  The priest was the interpreter of the law as well and the people trusted the priests to give them the Word accurately and truthfully.   

Sixth and finally, the priest was to be honored in his office because, “he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.”  The term “messenger” is used very specifically in the New and Old Testaments.  In the OT, it was used for the prophet Haggai and the angels.  In the NT, the term messenger was applied to John the Baptist and the Messiah.  This passage establishes the importance of the priesthood and the great honor given to those who filled the office. 

NOTE: The Essenes in Jesus’ day removed themselves from Jewish society as a protest to how the priests were running things and administrating the covenant. They saw the flaws in the spiritual system as Malachi describes and they wanted more for God’s people. 

So, we have seen that…. 

We must be true to God’s Word when teaching it. 

We must be truthful in all areas of our lives. 

We must walk with God in peace and harmony. 

We must draw others back to Jesus Christ. 

We must see the Word God correctly to help others in their walk. 

We must respect one another. 

TMB BMD