The Sacrilege of the Priestly Message, 1-9
2:1 “Now, you priests, this commandment is for you. 2:2 If you do not listen and take seriously the need to honor my name,” says the LORD who rules over all, “I will send judgment on you and turn your blessings into curses—indeed, I have already done so because you are not taking it to heart. 2:3 I am about to discipline your children and will spread offal on your faces, the very offal produced at your festivals, and you will be carried away along with it. 2:4 Then you will know that I sent this commandment to you so that my covenant may continue to be with Levi,” says the LORD who rules over all. 2:5 “My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me. 2:6 He taught what was true; sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin. 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the LORD who rules over all. 2:8 You, however, have turned from the way. You have caused many to violate the law; you have corrupted the covenant with Levi,” says the LORD who rules over all. 2:9 “Therefore, I have caused you to be ignored and belittled before all people to the extent to which you are not following after me and are showing partiality in your instruction.”
The Rebellion of the People, 10-16
2:10 Do we not all have one father? Did not one God create us? Why do we betray one another, in this way making light of the covenant of our ancestors? 2:11 Judah has become disloyal, and unspeakable sins have been committed in Israel and Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the holy things that the LORD loves and has turned to a foreign god! 2:12 May the LORD cut off from the community of Jacob every last person who does this, as well as the person who presents improper offerings to the LORD who rules over all!
2:13 You also do this: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears as you weep and groan, because he no longer pays any attention to the offering nor accepts it favorably from you. 2:14 Yet you ask, “Why?” The LORD is testifying against you on behalf of the wife you married when you were young, to whom you have become unfaithful even though she is your companion and wife by law. 2:15 No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth. 2:16 “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and the one who is guilty of violence,” says the LORD who rules over all. “Pay attention to your conscience, and do not be unfaithful.”
“I hate divorce” – Also CEB, GNT, NASB, NLT, NRSV.
NIV (2011), however, reads:
‘The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the LORD Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.’
CSB and ESV are similar.
There are several ways of understanding this verse.
(a) As a blanket condemnation of divorce.
Hill comments:
‘Since divorce is an act of violence against a marriage partner, God hates divorce and the damage created by fractured marital relationships (v. 16). The prophet recognized that loyalty to the marriage covenant both fulfilled God’s creation mandate for the man-woman relationship and contributed to the stabilization of society. Later, Jesus affirms the Genesis ideal for marriage (cf. Gen. 2:24) and offers a strict interpretation of the Mosaic laws regarding divorce (Matt. 19:1–12; cf. Deut. 24:1–4).’
Taylor and Clendenen (NAC) have a lengthy discussion of this passage. They argue that
‘The traditional interpretation of v. 16 as a general condemnation of divorce, reflected in the NIV translation (and in most translations; e.g., KJV, NRSV, NASB, NJB, NCV, NLT) is strained when compared to Moses’ permission for divorce in Deut 24:1–4 (see also Lev 22:13; Num 30:9; Deut 22:13–19, 28–29). It also appears to conflict with Ezra’s insistence on marital dissolution in Ezra 10:5, 11 and with Jesus’ allowance for divorce in Matt 19:9.’
These commentators conclude that the text is ‘unjustifiable divorce’,
‘that is, for reasons other than “something indecent” in the wife (Deut 24:1). This would include divorce for personal convenience or advantage or for any other reasons related to self-satisfaction.’
(b) More specifically, as a condemnation of those who had divorced their Jewish wives and married foreign ones. Mal 2:11 is taken to support this view.
(c) More specifically still, as a condemnation of a priest called Manasseh, for his divorce and remarriage.
Marg Mowezka cites George Athas, who understands the first part of the verse as saying: “For he who divorced and expelled his wife” with he referring to a specific individual. The verse, then, would not be a general statement about divorce, but rather the inditment of an individual.
Apparently. the background to this verse is the divorce and remarriage (to Nicaso, daughter of Sanballat II, governor of Samaria) of Manasseh, a priest.
Whereas polygamy was tolerated for the laity, it was forbidden for priests (Lev 21:7-15). In the words of Athas:
‘The scandal surrounding Manasseh implies that he was already married, which made Nicaso his second wife, thereby compromising his own sacral status.’
Patterson (Cornerstone) writes:
‘What does Malachi have to say to the Christian church about marriage and divorce? First, the prophet calls us to return to “first things” by reminding us of the Genesis ideal—the man and the woman united as one before God (Gen 2:23–24). Second, Malachi exhorts us to teach that marriage is a covenant bond for life, not a contract of convenience for short-term mutual benefit. Third, the prophet challenges us to censure easy divorce. Lastly, and most important, Malachi encourages us to model faithfulness and loyalty in our marriages by guarding our hearts and always remaining loyal to our spouses (2:16). Perhaps you have seen the billboard message: “I loved the wedding, how about inviting me to the marriage?—God.” I think Malachi would approve of this “billboard theology” because the best theology is practical theology. What could be more practical than inviting God our Father to partner with us in our marriage relationships?’