Malachi
Chapter 2
This warning is also for you, priests. If you do not listen to it
or concern yourself with glorifying my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send a curse on you and even curse your blessings.
I will curse you, for none of you takes his ministry seriously. Right now, I am going to break your arm, throw dung in your face, the very dung of your animals, and sweep you away with them.
And you will realize that it was I who threatened to put an end to my Covenant with Levi, your ancestor, says the Lord.
My covenant with him spoke of life and peace, and I gave him these; it also emphasized respect, and he honored me and reverenced my name.
His mouth taught the true doctrine, and nothing evil came from his lips; he walked in harmony with me, being peaceful and upright, and he brought many people back from their wickedness.
The lips of the priest speak of knowledge, and the law must be found in his mouth since he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
But you, says the Lord of hosts, have strayed from my way, and caused many to stumble because of your teaching. You have broken my covenant with Levi.
Therefore, I let all the people despise you and consider you unworthy, because you do not follow my ways; and you show partiality in your judgments.
Justice and Loyalty
Do we not all share the same father? Has the same God not created us all? Why, then, does each of us betray his brother and break the Covenant of our ancestors?
Judah has been unfaithful; a serious sin has been committed in Israel and Jerusalem: the people of Judah have defiled the Lord’s sacred inheritance by loving and marrying daughters of a foreign god.
Let anyone who does this be cut off from the homeland of Jacob; let no one defend him in court or present an offering for him to the Lord.
You also commit another wrongdoing. As the Lord refuses to accept your offerings and does not regard them, you come weeping and wailing, covering the altar with tears.
And then you ask: “Why?” It is because the Lord has seen how you dealt with your first wife, the wife of your youth. You betrayed her, even though she was your companion, with whom you made a covenant.
Has not God made a single being and given him breath? And what does he seek but a family, given by God? Do not betray, then, the wife of your youth.
I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and those who are actually covering their violence. Be very careful, and do not betray.
Judgment of Purification
You irritate the Lord with your speeches, and you dare say: “How did we irritate him?” You irritate Him whenever you say that the Lord favors those who do evil and allows everything to go smoothly for them; or when you ask: “Where is the God who does justice?”
Commentaries
Cultic Offenses.
Worship is the highest form of relationship with God, who deserves the best, not leftovers or impurity (cf. Lv 22:21-25). The prophet Malachi condemns unworthy sacrifices and shows that God accepts sincere offerings from other nations. This vision foreshadows the Eucharist, as stated by the Council of Trent, which references verses 10-11 in the third Eucharistic prayer of the Holy Mass. Through Jesus, God gave himself completely on the cross for us. And we, what do we offer to God?
Justice and Loyalty.
Marriage is often used in the Bible to symbolize the covenant between God and His people (cf. Hos 2:19-20; Jr 3:14; Rev 19:7). Marital fidelity mirrors the faithfulness of the people to that covenant. Although, in some cases, mixed marriages are tolerated—as with Moses (Nm 12:1)—and even celebrated—as with Boaz (Ruth 4:13)—the prophet Malachi highlights the importance of shared faith between spouses. The example of Boaz and Ruth is validated as Ruth adopts the faith of Israel (Rut 1:16-18).
Judgment of Purification.
The people weary the Lord with empty words. The post-exilic community overwhelms him with mechanical worship, lacking in loyalty and genuine commitment. Jesus also denounces this same hypocrisy (Mt 6:7). However, in this context, the chapter of hope opens: the promise of renewal and purification for the people. Who will be the messenger that the Lord sends? The Hebrew structure of Malachi 3:1 indicates that it is the Lord himself who will come to his Temple. It is important to distinguish him from “Elijah,” the precursor who will prepare the way for his arrival (3:23).