- For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts… Malachi 2:7-8 – In speaking with the corrupt priests of Malachi’s day, the Lord calls them to look back at the life of Levi, the original tribal leader of the priests. Levi faithfully held the office according to the Lord. He walked in uprightness, turned people from their sin, and was a guide to those seeking godly instruction. Yet compared to this example the priests Malachi’s words to were evil, neglecting their duties as priests and being unfaithful husbands. As readers of this chapter we are being challenged by seeing the right and wrong ways those who carry the label of servant of God should live. Like Levi our heart should desire others to walk after the Lord. True words of the Lord should be heard from us and the relationships the Lord has given us should be valued by us too. Here the Lord is reminding these priests how special that title is that they carry. Know for us, carrying the title of God’s disciple and God’s child is a truly special thing too that we shouldn’t dismiss as nothing. Remember who you are in Christ and live in such a way that glorifies the Lord. Live in such a way that just as God used the example of Levi to demonstrate to others what a faithful life looks like, God could use your story too. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3320
- Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? Malachi 2:10 – To understand this we must know what this covenant is that they are profaning (breaking, setting aside). God told them to not marry outside their nation, to avoid mixing with the nations that served other gods. Yet, what we see in this chapter is the thing they were told not to do, they did. While that command isn’t for us today, God does direct and even command us to do things yet how often do we refuse to do the very thing our God told us to do? Forgive them. Give to that. Share the Gospel with them. Simple straightforward commands for God that we many times set aside when given. Let’s change our heart today. When given the opportunity today to follow God’s direction whatever it may be, purposely follow it. Let God see today that you’re more than just a follower of His by name but also with action. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 578
- And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Malachi 2:13-14 – The Lord is speaking to a portion of His people who is crying and complaining to God because God isn’t giving blessing to them anymore, even when they offer sacrifices to Him. God responds and says it’s because they have been treating their spouses with contempt. They’ve been divorcing the wives they married when they were following after God to most likely marry wives of foreign nations. We learn here that when our lives are in disobedience to the Lord, blessing does not come like we want it to or how God desires it to. When we choose sin over God, parts of the effects of that choice is a lack of godly blessings in our story. Things like peace, joy, strength…things that are directly from God…don’t flow into our story like we need them to because we’ve chosen to close our hearts to God and open them to sin. And what’s even more saddening is the innocent wives of these men being hurt by their sinfulness. Sin closes off godly blessings from coming in like they could be and it wounds the people in our life. How then have you been saying yes to sin? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2125
Daily DEVO 