“This is another thing you do. You are covering the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, because he no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.
And you ask, ‘Why?’
Because even though the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, you have acted treacherously against her. She was your marriage partner and your wife by covenant.
Didn’t God make them one and give them a portion of spirit? What is the one seeking? Godly offspring.
So watch yourselves carefully, so that no one acts treacherously against the wife of his youth.”
Malachi 2:13-15
Last time we saw Malachi pointing out how the people of Jacob were piercing God’s covenant and putting themselves under the authority of other gods. His prayer was those who did such would be cut off from God’s people. Today we continue on with Malachi’s accusations.
“And this is the second thing you do: You cover Yahweh’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning…”
Cover is kasah – to cover, closed, clothed, conceal, covering, engulfed, forgive, hide, keep, overwhelm, take refuge; clad self, close, conceal, cover self, flee to hide, overwhelm; properly, to plump, i.e. Fill up hollows; by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy); weeping is beki – bitterly, continual weeping, flowing, weeping, overflowing; from bakah – bewail, complain, make lamentation, more, mourn, sore, with tears; and groaning is anaqah – crying out, groaning, sighing; From ‘anaq – shrieking
This is an interesting beginning. Seems like weeping over the altar would be a positive step in repentance: lamenting, engulfed in crying out and groaning. But apparently not. Let’s lean into why.
“He no longer regards the offering nor receives it with goodwill from your hands…”
Regard here is panah – to turn; No longer is od – a going around, continuance, still, yet, again, beside; unto is el – to, into, towards; about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because, before both; the offering is minchah (bloodless and voluntary gift).
Receive is laqach – take, accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold; goodwill is ratson – goodwill, favor, acceptance, will; acceptable, delight, desire, earnestly, favor, please; and hands is yad.
He no longer turns toward your voluntary gifts nor does He delight in accepting them.
That makes sense why they are weeping at the altar. The prescribed gifts are doing nothing to earn His favor. Why not?
They wondered the same thing:
“And yet you say, ‘why?'”
why is al – hover over and what – what? how? anything
What’s hovering over us that you no longer accept our offerings?
“Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth with whom you have dealt treacherously against…”
Because is al (hover over) again. Here is what’s hovering over you…
Witness is uwd – admonish, to return, go about, repeat, do again; to duplicate, by implication, to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively, to encompass, restore, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, rob, solemnly, stand upright, give warning, call to witness. Between is bayin – an interval, space between; the wife (ishshah) youth is naur – youth, early life.
You is attah – you yourself; and treacherously is bagad from last time (act treacherously, deceitfully, faithless, unfairness, offend, depart, pillage).
I can testify the number of times you yourselves have been deceitful, faithless, and offensive toward the wife of your youth.
I find this interesting. The reason He does not accept their sacrifices is due to how they’re treating their wives. Makes me think of another verse I can consider tricky:
“In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together.
She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”
1 Peter 3:7 NLT
In both situations, the willingness of God accepting a sacrifice or prayer is based on a husband’s treatment of his wife. What do you think about this?
I think most of us know women weren’t given the same rights as men during the time which these verses were given. And even now, we can point out ways in which our society is male dominated. So why would the God of the universe be so focused on wives?
The same reason He defends orphans, widows, sojourners, and the poor. When you are given less power in a society or relationship, you have a front row seat to His goodness, justice, and power.
“Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant…”
She is hu – he, she, it; companion is chabereth – consort; from chaber – united, associate, companion, knit together; from chabar – be joined, to tie a magic knot or spell, to charm, alliance is made, attached, compact, couple together, have fellowship with; to join (literally or figuratively); specifically (by means of spells) to fascinate — charm, couple (together).
your wife (ishshah again) by covenant (berith from last time)
She is your united companion, knit together by a treaty made before God.
“But did not God make them one and give them a portion of the spirit?”
Make is asah – to accomplish; one is echad, portion is shear – rest, residue, remnant, survivors; and spirit is ruach – breath, wind, spirit; air, anger, blast, cool, courage, despondency, exposed, grief, heart, inspired, mind, motives, quick-tempered, strength, thoughts, trustworthy; From ruwach – wind; A sensible (or even violent) exhalation; life, anger; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions) — air, anger, blast, windy.
Our high school son is dealing with divorce being a common thing among the parents of his peers. And please know I have had intimate, painful conversations surrounding divorce with people in my life – this is in no way a judgment on people in excruciating situations. But when he asked me, “Isn’t it just better when two people realize they don’t really love each other any more to get divorced?” I couldn’t help but think about this oneness is in God’s Word:
“Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said,
‘This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.’
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:22-24
If God accomplishes this oneness, giving the new family a portion of ruach – wind, breath, courage, strength, and life – it makes sense we cannot separate that without tearing apart both people involved.
I like how the Message puts these next several lines:
“God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage.”
The next question feels a bit confusing: “What is the one seeking? Godly offspring.”
What is mah again (what? how? anything), seeks is baqash – aim, beg, concerned, consulted, eager, inquired, investigated, pursuit, request, search; Godly is Elohim; and offspring is zera – sowing, seed, offspring.
The aim in all this – a covenant marriage, knit together by God, given the spirit and life – is for children who look like their Father.
And what does he want from marriage? Children of God, that’s what. (MSG)
To be clear, this is God’s desire through marriage from the wife’s responsibility as well. We wives do not somehow get off the hook in all this.
And our final part from Malachi today is: “Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”
Take heed is shamar – keep, watch, preserve; attend, being careful, bodyguard, give heed, keeper, perform, preserve, protect, regard, secured, take care, take heed, waits, watch, look narrowly, observe; and spirit is ruach again.
This is bagad (treacherously), ishshah (wife), and naur (youth) again.
Bodyguard your spirit, the life and breath within you, to no longer be deceitful, faithless, or offensive toward your knit-together companion.
Good advice no matter the circumstances. But particularly when Jehovah-saboath is clearing telling you it is a reason why He no longer accepts your worship.
He is constantly at our hearts and desiring to make us more like Jesus. May we all have eyes to see and ears to hear what obedience looks like today.