Malachi 3:5-8
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Malachi 3:5,6
"'So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify
against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers
of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens
of justice, but do not fear me,' says the Lord Almighty."
First, it is important to note that the 'evils' listed in verse 5 and 6
do not compose a list of sins for which apostates will be cast into the
Lake of Fire. These are not 'unforgivable sins,' nor is this list in any
way comprehensive. Rather, the list is one of 'social sins' that characterize
the apostates of Jewish society in Malachi's day. Too, it is necessary
to remember that verses 5 and 6 are still answering the question posed in
Mal. 2:17, "Where is the God of justice?"
And in verse 5, God states that He will administer justice, not only to
the apostates of Malachi's time, but also to those apostates extant at the
Second Advent of the future. In the latter case, the sins listed are incompatible
with the perfect social environment of the Millennium; they will not be
allowed to exist. And the word for judgment is MISHPAT,which justice "is
primarily an attribute of God, all true MISHPAT finding its source in God
himself and therefore carrying with it his demand. God, who is the Lord,
can demand and He does demand." [129] Thus, all "justice"
stems from, and has its foundation in, who and what God is. God does not
have or merely administer justice, God is justice. Therefore, the question
as propounded in Mal. 2:17, "Where is the God of justice?" is
another display of the raffish heedlessness and blasphemy of the apostates.
They have ignored a crucial factor in the situation: the judgment of God
remains the definitive verdict of His justice, i.e., that which He is, justice
itself.
The word for "testify" is 'UD, which means "to call as a
witness." Here, then, is the God who is justice, calling Himself
as a witness. [130] In other words, there is no refutation and no appeal.
Before the list of apostate 'social sins' is examined, it is indispensable
to notice that which they 'do not': they do "not fear God." And
the word for "fear" is xry, yr', which means "reverence not
merely standing in awe of God but also obeying his commandments." [131]
And Robert Thieme defines the word as "occupation with Christ."
[132] In other words, the term designates spiritual apostasy, an apostasy
which is the direct result of failure to reverence God and His word. And
the product of this apostasy? The list of 'social sins' about to be examined.
Thus, failure to know and understand God's word results not only in personal
apostasy and personal sin, but also in civil degeneration.
The sorcerers, that is, "those who seek to delude and pervert the mind"
through demonism. The adulterers; and the term refers not only to physical
fornication by a married man with a woman other than his legal wife, but
to spiritual adultery, i.e., spiritual fornication with false gods or idols.
fbw, which means "to seven," i.e., to swear an oath on the perfect
name of God. And these apostates were guilty of doing this deliberately
and falsely. This was a " distortion of common law." [133] Those
who are "oppressors" of "widows and orphans," i.e.,
the helpless in any society. And the word connotes treatment "with
violence and injustice; it seems to include both senses of oppression and
fraud." [134]
These foreigners were being dispossessed of civil rights by the apostates.
And this was particularly reprehensible on the part of the Jews, as Israel
was not to oppress the ger, the foreigners, because they themselves had
been oppressed, as in Egypt, and as an ethnic group knew the anguish of
the oppressed soul. Indeed, Israel was commanded to love the ger (Leviticus
19:34). Additionally, and primarily, Israel was to evangelize these foreigners,
not subject them to injustice and persecution.
And these words were spoken by "the Lord Almighty," Jehovah Tsaba'oth,
the Lord or Yahweh of hosts. "This title is often used in the minor
prophets, and with especial reference to God's majesty, sometimes also with
reference to His care for Israel." [135] For Psalm 46:7 states, "The
Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah."
Thus, this use of the name of God links Israel intimately and specially
with their God, the God that favored them. But for God to be their God,
they must believe in Him, and if they believe in Him, they will desire to
know His word and keep His commandments.
The Concept of Selah
In Psalm 46:7, vide supra, the term "selah" occurs. This term
deserves further discussion. It is a musical designation, and is used 73
times in the Psalms. And its only other usage, outside of the Psalms, is
in Habakkuk 3:3,9,13. The precise provenance of the word is hidden; however,
it is presumed to mean "silence, pause." [136] And according to
Wilson, it was used to direct the choir to be silent or pause, while the
orchestra played an interlude or opus. Furthermore, Wilson reports that
Gesenius ascribed imperativity to the word. Thus, in essence, it may be
a musical tag whose sole function is to command a pause.
Robert Thieme defines the word as "the demarcation of grace. The choir
rests (from effort), and the orchestra plays on," [137] that is, God's
grace continues. And Martin Luther states that the selah instructs us "to
pause and carefully reflect on the words of the Psalm, for they require
a peaceful and meditative soul, which can apprehend and receive what the
Holy Spirit there cogitates and propounds." [138]
Malachi 3:7
"'Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away
from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return
to you,' says the Lord Almighty. 'But you ask: 'How are we to return?'"
The "time of your forefathers" is a direct reference to the Jews
that were restored to Jerusalem in the year 516 BC. These Israelites returned
to God, their God and, in the analogy preceding, their spiritual wife, subsequent
to the Babylonian captivity of 586 BC. And "ever since" that generation,
the Jews of 516 BC, subsequent generations had lapsed from a consciousness
of God.
The indictment is that they have "turned away," SUR, which means
"to turn away from God, to depart, i.e. to fall away from his worship,
to apostatize; to depart from the law or the divine precepts."[139]
Thus, the unbelievers have turned away from the gospel as it was presented
in the Old Testament, i.e., the offerings, the Tabernacle or Temple, and
the priesthood; and the believers have turned away from comprehending God's
Word, specifically, "my decrees." And the Hebrew term for "decrees"
is CHAQAQ, "the statutes," which is a direct reference to the
'ordinances' or Codex II, the spiritual code, of the Law. And this Codex
had "not been kept", SHAMAR.
"Return to me, and I will return to you" is the next clause, and
the primary term herein is SHUB,which means "to return." And in
its first use, as concerns the return of the people to God, the verb is
in the qal imperative. This is a command from God. Thus, the unbelievers
should listen to the gospel and accept it; the believers should confess
their sins and re-discover God's word and law. [140] The second instance
of the verb is in the qal imperfect, which declares an incomplete action,
i.e., God will always return to his people. [141]
And this is the lexical statement of God's grace and God's love; God will
never not eagerly return to His own.
The interrogative, "How shall we return?" denotes not the arrogant
self-sufficiency of Malachi 2:17. And this is important: the priests and
the people are, in this question, beginning to realize that they have been
in apostasy. Here, then, is the efficacy of Malachi's ministry to the Jews
of 420 BC. For in their apostasy and spiritual ignorance they are asking,
"How, in what way, can we demonstrate our return?" In other words,
the question demands an example or illustration of what they can do to manifest
their return. [142]
And the answer, found in verse 8 of Malachi 3, commences with civil and
social responsibility; i.e., they must start slowly, as they are spiritually
immature through neglect, and work backwards from the sins described in
verse 5. Thus, spiritual maturity does not eventuate instantaneously or
in one single event. Spiritual maturity is a slow, gradual accretion.
And it is to be remembered that the upcoming subject of "tithing,"
used very specifically in verse 8 as to the maintenance of the priests,
was an obligation or levy upon both believers and unbelievers in Israel.
Malachi 3:8
"'Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob
you?' In tithes and offerings.'"
The word for "rob" is QABA, which means "to defraud."
And the term describes not a criminal action, but a religious embezzlement.
Yet, says God, "you have defrauded me." And the verb is in the
qal active participle in this instance, which means that the people regularly
have defrauded God.
And of what have they continually defrauded God? Of tithes and offerings.
MA'ASER is the term for "tithes," and the word means "ten,
to take the tenth part of anything, to tithe." [143] And here, the
word refers specifically to the levy for the maintenance of the Levites,
according to Lev. 27:3-33 and Numbers 18:21. Thus, the believers in Israel
at this time were, because of apostasy, and the disdain they felt for the
priests (Mal. 2:9), circumventing the levy; and the believers, because they
saw no need for the Levitical priesthood, were avoiding the levy.
Indeed, blessings as a result of an intimate relationship with God were
the concomitant of the priesthood. For the Levites taught the word of God
to the people; they were God's appointed instruments, along with the prophets,
for doing so. If the priesthood did not exist, no relationship with God
was possible, no knowledge of God was possible, and thus no blessings were
possible.
Thus it is clear that there were two reasons for the misconduct of the priests:
1) their own spiritual apostasy and unbelief and, 2) the levy was not being
paid; thus, the priests and the Levites (singers, musicians, etc.) were,
literally, almost starving to death. And one method of supporting themselves
was substituting diseased and sick animals for healthy ones, selling the
healthy animals for funds to survive. For the priests and Levites, if they
functioned properly, did not have the time to 'work for a living.' This
was the reason for the tithe as pictured here.
The word for "offering" confirms that the financial and physical
maintenance of the priests was being neglected. In the Hebrew, the term
is TERUMA, which refers to "a term for sacrificial portions designated
for the officiating priest (Lev. 10:14,15; Num. 6:20; Lev. 7:14). The portion
of the accompanying cereal offering assigned to the officiating priest."
[144] And the cereal or meal offering was a voluntary, bloodless (Lev. 2:1-16)
offering given by believers to God as a memorial to His glory and grace.
Thus, this offering was over and above the levied amount of 10 percent.
Neither the levy nor the offering were being given. Thus, both unbelievers
and believers were guilty of "defrauding God."
The Principle of Malachi 3:8
Within present day Judaism, this passage has been taken to heart. For Judaic
Rabbis are the highest paid members of any clergy. Starting salary for Rabbis
is 62,000 dollars per year, in addition to housing, medical, health, etc.
The Roman Catholic Church pays its priests 12,000 dollars per year. However,
this in addition to housing, food, utilities, medical, health, retirement,
life insurance, car and insurance, clothing, maid service, cook, clerical
expenses, etc. In other words, everything else is taken care of.
Within Protestant denominations, the financial maintenance of the clergy
varies from the paltry to the magnificent. But whatever the amount, the
'Church' is commanded to provide for needs, necessities and maintenance
of the clergy. And failure to do so results in the "execration"
or curse of Malachi 3:9.
The application, then, is this: within religious circles, no matter what
the denomination, the needs of the clergy are to be provided for, without
exception, without mitigation. And not to do so is "to defraud God."
For the Bible states that even the ox is not to be muzzled while he draws
the mill. So even the ox is to be allowed to eat and drink as he works for
the benefit of others. Indeed, in his epistles to the Corinthians, the Apostle
Paul tongue-lashes the Church at Corinth for its dereliction in this regard.
It is interesting to observe the impetus behind such direct command from
God. Unfortunately, like the work of certain other professions, such as
homemaker, the spiritual work of the clergy has no cash-generating capacity;
that is, there is no method to quantify the 'production' of the clergy.
And without a doubt, not only the blessings provided to individuals by God,
but the blessings imparted to a national economy by God, exist. Yet, they
too, defy being quantified.
According to the economic experts, this source of blessing is of no account.
But without them (blessings from God) the nation is deprived of economic
yield of any type, not to mention a stabilized and moral nation within which
to conduct business. Nevertheless, though, this 'invisible labor' which
results in direct blessings from God is considered to be zero in cash value.
Therefore, the experts overseeing a country's economic development omit
this factor. And the reasons lie in the spiritually ignorant data bases
they use for such management, and in the clergy's invisibility.
Yet when national economic disaster becomes a reality, people turn to God
for help; prayer is utilized nation-wide and departure from God, sanity,
and spiritual principles are cited as explanations for the moral and economic
decline of a nation.
In other words, cash-value is the measuring stick. But how does one measure
morality, honest business practices, and the spiritual impact of believers
upon the bottom line of gross national product? One doesn't; there is no
way to quantify these imperceptible conditions. So they are left out of
the equation. And this is why God specifically commanded the support of
the clergy. For without God, and knowledge of God, the loss in economic,
civil and social domains would certainly be measurable, and quantifiable.
Indeed, the very existence of a nation depends upon such unquantifiable
data.
Notes:
[129] Harris, Archer, Waltke, Eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament;
vol. ii, page 949.
[130] Wilson, William. Ibid.; page 486.
[131] Redditt, Paul. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; page 168.
[132] Thieme, Robert. Malachi; from notes.
[133] ibid
[134] Wilson, William. Ibid.; page 296.
[135] Girdlestone, Robert B. Synonyms of the Old Testament; page 40.
[136] Wilson, William. Old Testament Word Studies; page 379.
[137] Robert Thieme. David; from notes.
[138] Wilson, William. Old Testament Word Studies; page 379.
[139] Wilson, William. Old Testament Word Studies; page 458.
[140] Thieme, Robert. Malachi; from notes.
[141] ibid.
[142] Thieme, Robert; Lightfoot, John. Taken from the works of both theologians;
and their conclusion is supported lexically and contextually.
[143] Wilson, William. Ibid.; page 448.
[144] Harris, Archer, Waltke, Eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
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