TEXT [Commentary]

  III.   Third Disputation: Indictment of Faithless People (2:10-16)

10 Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors?

11 Judah has been unfaithful, and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. The men of Judah have defiled the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying women who worship idols. 12 May the LORD cut off from the nation of Israel[*] every last man who has done this and yet brings an offering to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the LORD’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. 14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the LORD accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.

15 Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his.[*] And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce!”[*] says the LORD, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,[*]” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

NOTES

2:10 same God. The phrase translates “one God” (’el ’ekhad [TH410A/259, ZH446/285]), a divine title unique to Malachi in the OT. The expression is parallel to the earlier phrase “the same Father” (’ab ’ekhad [TH1/259, ZH3/285] or “one Father,” 2:10a) and serves to underscore the uniqueness of Yahweh as Creator and his exclusivity as Israel’s Father. The reference to “one God” may be an allusion to the creedal statement of Deut 6:4-5.

betray. The word bagad [TH898, ZH953] means to “act faithlessly, deal treacherously with.” The idea of “faithlessness” is the central thesis of the third disputation (note the repetition of bagad in 2:10, 11, 14, 15, 16).

2:11 a detestable thing has been done. This renders to‘ebah ne‘estah [TH8441/6213, ZH9359/6913]; the statement supports the prophet’s denunciation of divorce for the purpose of intermarriage with “women who worship idols” and helps explain why God “hates” divorce (2:16).

the LORD’s beloved sanctuary. Lit., “holiness of Yahweh” (qodesh yhwh [TH6944/3068, ZH7731/3378]). This phrase is difficult; it may refer to the Second Temple in Jerusalem as the symbol of the Lord’s holiness in postexilic Judah.

2:12 cut off. The intent of the verb here (karath [TH3772, ZH4162]), though harsh, is to blot out or destroy the evildoers (cf. NJPS, “leave no descendants”) in contrast to social banishment or religious excommunication (cf. NEB, “banish”).

2:14 faithful partner. The word for “partner” (khabereth [TH2278, ZH2500]) is unique to Malachi in the OT. The expression identifies a “marriage companion.” The connotation of the LXX translation “joint partner” (Gr., koinōnos [TG2844, ZG3128]) captures the idea of the term. The verbal root khabar II [TH2266, ZH2489] is used to signify a seam or joint in the context of building and construction, suggesting more or less a permanent bonding (cf. Exod 26:6, 9, 11).

wife of your marriage vows. Lit., “the wife of your covenant” (’esheth beritheka [TH802/1285, ZH851/1382]). According to Hugenberger (1998:27-30), the Hebrew marriage contract is a solemn covenant to which God is witness (cf. Prov 2:17).

2:16 I hate. The word “hate” (sane’ [TH8130, ZH8533]) is typically used to register God’s hostility in response to a broken covenant (cf. 1:3; Hos 9:15).

divorce. The verb “send away” (shalakh [TH7971, ZH8938]) connotes expulsion or divorce in marital contexts. Malachi attempted to correct abuses resulting from liberties taken in the application of the Mosaic divorce laws (cf. Deut 24:1-4).

cruelty. The word khamas [TH2555, ZH2805] describes acts of “violence” or “wrongdoing.” The estrangement of divorce was violence or cruelty in the sense that it was a social crime. It fractured the divinely ordained marriage covenant and deprived the woman of the dignity and protection afforded by the spousal agreement.

COMMENTARY [Text]

The shift in style from an adversarial second-person accusation (2:8-9) in the second disputation to an inclusive first-person plea (2:10) in the third disputation is striking. Malachi “the prophet” now speaks to his audience as Malachi “the fellow citizen.” Clearly the disjunction in form indicates that the topic of marriage and divorce is crucial to Malachi’s argument. In fact, this discussion of faithlessness in marriage is a prelude to the treatment of faithlessness to God in the fifth oracle. But the grammatical shift to the inclusive first person also provides an important lesson for those engaged in ministry, whether ancient Israel or the contemporary Christian church. The prophet, as God’s servant, never disassociated himself from the audience he addressed. Part of the prophetic pathos was the tension in the divine commission to both “uproot and tear down” as well as “build and plant” (Jer 1:10). As Heschel (1962:12) has noted, “the words of the prophet are stern, sour, stinging. But behind his austerity is love and compassion for mankind.” As divinely appointed “shepherds,” the prophets were to “strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees” (Isa 35:3; cf. Heb 12:12). One cannot help but project to the ministry of Jesus who “had compassion on” the crowds because “they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36).

The image of God as Father is rather rare in the Old Testament (2:10). Malachi earlier appealed metaphorically to God as “father” in the second oracle when he addressed the issue of unworthy animal sacrifices (1:6). The Song of Moses also identifies God as the Father who created and established Israel (Deut 32:6). The point of the figure of speech is that “Yahweh cares for the people and is responsible for their existence” (TDOT 1.17).

The prophet recognized that Yahweh held claim over the Israelites both as Creator and as Father in that he made them and “adopted” them through the covenant of the Israelite ancestors (2:10). Thus Malachi helped lay the theological foundation for understanding God as Father, which is developed more fully in the New Testament as a result of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Christian is invited to share the Son’s relationship to God the Father by virtue of “adoption” into God’s family through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:5). Jesus demonstrated this practically to his followers in the Lord’s Prayer, which begins with the words “Our Father” (Matt 6:9). Paul extended the understanding of that familial relationship when he encouraged the children of God to address God as “Abba” (or “dear Father,” or even “Daddy,” Rom 8:15).

Malachi’s lofty view of marriage deserves careful consideration in a society where pre- and post-nuptial agreements and “no-fault” divorce have made a mockery of the traditional wedding “vows.” The prophet’s use of the expression “faithful partner” (2:14) calls attention to the essential characteristic of the marriage relationship—faithfulness. The root word used here for the marriage “partner” has associations with a “seam” or a “joint” in architectural and building contexts and conveys the idea of a permanent bonding (cf. Paul’s use of kollaomai [TG2853, ZG3140] [lit., “to glue, cement”] in his commentary on the biblical concept of “one flesh,” 1 Cor 6:16-17). Beyond this, Garland (1987:420) has commented that the term suggests that the wife is not a piece of property to be discarded at will but that she holds the status of an “equal . . . as a covenant partner.”

The prophet’s understanding of marriage as a covenant (“wife of your marriage vows,” 2:14 [lit., “wife of your covenant”]) further underscores the sanctity of the husband–wife relationship (cf. Hugenberger 1998:27-47). The subsequent stress placed on the “oneness” created by the marriage relationship suggests that Malachi offers a commentary of sorts on the Genesis ideal: “a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one” (Gen 2:24). Since God himself serves as a witness both to the pledge of marriage and the betrayal of divorce (2:14), the institution of marriage is a solemn and sacred covenant under his sovereign purview. Here the message of Malachi “shows an acute awareness that the terms of the covenant [of marriage] bound them in loyalty to each other as well as to God” (Mason 1977:149).

This explains why God hates divorce and why the prophet has such harsh words for those who “overwhelm” a spouse with the cruelty of divorce (2:16). The verb “hate” appropriately describes Yahweh’s hostility to a broken covenant relationship because God’s relationship with his people was to be characterized by faithfulness—and he expected no less from Israel (Exod 34:6; Deut 7:9; cf. Ps 101:3; Jer 3:6-10).

What does Malachi have to say to the Christian church about marriage and divorce? First, the prophet calls us to return to “first things” by reminding us of the Genesis ideal—the man and the woman united as one before God (Gen 2:23-24). Second, Malachi exhorts us to teach that marriage is a covenant bond for life, not a contract of convenience for short-term mutual benefit. Third, the prophet challenges us to censure easy divorce. Lastly, and most important, Malachi encourages us to model faithfulness and loyalty in our marriages by guarding our hearts and always remaining loyal to our spouses (2:16). Perhaps you have seen the billboard message: “I loved the wedding, how about inviting me to the marriage? —God.” I think Malachi would approve of this “billboard theology” because the best theology is practical theology. What could be more practical than inviting God our Father to partner with us in our marriage relationships?