Live Honorable
Malachi 2:1-2, 8-16 August 19, 2007
Introduction
Honorable living may be defined differently by people but the
vast majority appreciate and honorable life. Most individual
Baptist believe an honorable lifestyle must be associated with a belief
of God's Word. The
Bible definitely tells us to Live Honorable.
1.
God's Priest Called To Live Honorably By . . Standing For God's Word.
2:1-2, 8-9
A. The . . Clarity Of The Call. 2:1
1 "Therefore, this decree is for you priests:
B. The . . Curse Of The Call. 2:2a
2 If you don't listen, and if you don't take it to heart to honor My
name," says the LORD of Hosts, "I
will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings.
C. The . . Confirmation Of The Call. 2:2b
". . . In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not
taking it to heart.
D. The . . Contradiction Of The Call. 2:8
8 "You, on the other hand, have turned from the way. You have caused
many to stumble by your instruction. You have violated the covenant
of Levi," says the LORD of Hosts.
E. The . . Consequences Of The Call. 2:9
9 "So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the
people because you are not keeping My ways but are showing
partiality in your instruction."
The message in our text begins clearly addressed to the priest.
They were supposed to stand as an
example of God's Word. God promises a curse upon their blessings if
they do not change their ways. The
confirmation of what God promised came from the already existing curse
due to the priest ministering without
obedience. The lifestyle of the priest actually contradicted the
covenant God initiated. All of this
disobedience produced undesirable consequences. What a shame to receive
the curse of the Lord even though
He promised, and desires to give His blessing.
2. God's People Called To . .
Set An Example From God's Word. 2:10-12
A. The People Called To Set A Positive
Example Of . . Dependence 2:10a
10 Don't all of us have one Father? Didn't one God create us?
B. The People Called To Set A Positive Example Of . .
Discipline. 2:10b - 11a
". . . Why then do we act treacherously against one another,
profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11
Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable thing has been done in
Israel and in Jerusalem.
C. The People Set A Negative Example Of . . Deprecation.
2:11b - 13
". . . For Judah has profaned the LORD's sanctuary, which He loves, and
has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 To the man who
does this, may the LORD cut off any descendants from the tents of
Jacob, even if they present an offering to the LORD of Hosts. 13 And
this is another thing you do: you cover the LORD's altar with tears,
with weeping and groaning, because He no longer respects your offerings
or receives them gladly from your hands. The way of the priest affects
the lifestyle of the people. Their disobedience followed that of the
priest.
God calls the people to remember they all have
the same creator. If a group of people recognize their common
dependence upon the Creator it will affect their lifestyle. I heard
someone say if you teach people they came
from an evolution of animal life they will act like a bunch of donkeys.
Do you see the evidence of such
behavior? The disciple of the people in relationship to God needed
great improvement, and definitely affected
their interaction with their fellow citizens. All of this disobedience
caused a depreciation in the appreciation
for the Word and ways of God. The people did things detestable to the
Lord; their tears upon the altar did not
impress the Lord because He knew their other actions profaned the house
of God.
3. God's People
Called To . . Stick With Commitments From God's Word. 2:14-16
A. The
People Called To Stick With Their Commitments . . Witnessed By The
Lord. 2:14
14 Yet you ask, "For what reason?" Because the LORD has been a witness
between you and the wife of your youth. You have acted
treacherously against her, though she was your marriage partner and
your wife by covenant.
B. The People Called To Stick With Their
Commitments . . Watched Over By The Lord. 2:15
15 Didn't the one God make us with a remnant of His
life-breath? And what does the One seek? A godly offspring. So
watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously against the
wife of your youth.
C. The People Called To Stick With Their
Commitments . . Watched Over By The Husband. 2:16
16 "If he hates and divorces his wife," says the LORD God of
Israel, "he covers his garment with injustice," says the LORD of
Hosts. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act
treacherously.
I am very pleased to know several Christians who
have or will celebrate fifty years of marriage. Check
around your neighbored and see if there are such married people. If you
find those people they will usually be
church people. People who stick to their commitments usually base they
lifestyle in God's Word. In the text
these people did not follow God's word and it affected their lifestyle.
Note the witness, and watchfulness of
God, He is well aware of their conduct. The sixteenth verse is
translated differently by the translators of the
HCSB. I personally do not like this particular translation, even though
I agree the HEBREW is not easy to
translate. But why translate differently than the, NKJV, NAS, NIV? Our
translation does put the translation of
these versions in the footnotes. I would prefer they made their
translation like the footnotes, and put their
personal translation in the footnotes. However we translate we need to Live
Honorable. Amen? Amen!
