God's Love - Part 2

In chapter one Malachi addressed the subject of God’s compassion for Israel (verses 1-5). In verses 6-14 the priests and the people are charged with cheating, offering defective animals for sacrifices. In this chapter the unfaithfulness of the priests, the violation of the ordinance of marriage, impiety, and impenitence are addressed.The priests are charged with

profaning of the Lord’s name and violating His commands

and statues. They were not performing their duties as teachers and expositors of the law and commandments of the Lord. This responsibility of the priests remains in the hands of pastors and teachers in the church today. Those who pastor are under the authority of the Senior Pastor, Jesus Christ. The greatest teacher that has ever or will ever walk on the face of this earth. When pastors and teachers follow the example set by the priests the Lord has filed a charge of failing to perform their duties against them in the Lord’s heavenly court.

If the priests do not pay attention to what Malachi has to say to them and honor the name of the Lord of hosts He will send the curse upon them (Deuteronomy 27:15-26; 28:15-68). The inescapable result of breaking the covenant was the imposing of the curses that are spelled out in the covenant texts (Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 27:11-26; 28:15-57). Part of the curse the Lord will send upon the priests involve their offspring. They will be removed from the priest-hood. The intent of the warning of the curse was to convince the priests they must turn from their evil

ways and evil deeds and return to the Lord so that the covenant with Levi could continue.

Verse five - “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.”

This is called a covenant of life and peace because it was intended for the support of religion, which brings life and peace to the souls of men and peace to the distressed, or because life and peace were by this covenant promised to those priests that faithfully and conscientiously discharged their duty. What is here said of the covenant of priesthood is true of the covenant of grace made with all believers, as spiritual priests; it is a covenant of life and peace; it assures all believers of life and peace, ever-lasting peace, everlasting life, all happiness both in this world and in that to come.

This covenant was made with the whole tribe of Levi when they were distinguished from the rest of the tribes, were not numbered with them, but were taken from among them and appointed over the “tabernacle of testimony (Numbers 1:49-50). By virtue of this appointment the Lord says, “I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine (Numbers 3:12). This covenant was made with Aaron when he and his sons were taken to “minister as priest to” the Lord

(Exodus 28:1). In Psalm 106:16, Aaron is called, “the saint of the Lord.”

The covenant that was made with Phinehas and his family, a branch of Aaron’s, upon a particular

occasion (Numbers 25:12-13). Because of his hatred of sin (Numbers 25:7-8), Phinehas’s family was promised the high priesthood in Israel, thus bypassing the other grandsons of Aaron (Numbers 12_13). The covenant is called a “covenant of peace” because by it peace was made and kept between God and Israel. These great blessings of life and peace, contained in the covenant, God made with Levi, Aaron and Phinehas; the Lord promised life and peace to them and their posterity, entrusted them with these benefits for the use and benefit of Israel. They received these benefits so that they might give, as Christ himself did (Psalm 68:18)for all mankind.

The covenant was grounded on the tribe of Levi’s proof of their holy fear of God, and their reverence for his name, when they appeared so bravely against the worshippers of the golden calf (Exodus 32:26). For their zeal in that matter God bestowed this blessing upon them and invited them to consecrate themselves to Him. Those, and those only, who fear God’s name, can expect the benefit of the “covenant of life and grace.” Those who give proofs of their zeal for the Lord shall without fail be recompensed in the

glorious privileges of the Christian life. Some scholars don’t interpret this as grant, but as the

condition. If the Lord grants us life and peace, he expects we should honor and magnify His name.

The trust that was given to the priests by this covenant made them messengers of the Lord of hosts, the messengers of the covenant of life and peace and not mediators of it. They were messengers, or ambassadors, employed to deliver the terms of peace to Israel. The priests were the Lord’s spokesmen. It is an honor to be the servants of the Lord. To be employed as His messengers and to be sent on his errands.