Need for Just Leaders

March 29, 2020 Background Scripture: Malachi 2, 3 Lesson Passage: Malachi 2:1 – 9; 3:5, 6 Malachi is a fitting end to the writings of the Old Testament and the preparation for the New Covenant. In this prophecy, God summarizes Israel’s response to the covenant He made with them. God remained faithful but Israel continued to backslide. The leaders of Israel were to blame for much of it. The people took their cue from their leaders. Corrupt and unrighteous leaders cannot lead righteous people. People follow the examples that leaders demonstrate much more than they follow instructions. Leadership is more than instructions in righteous; it is also providing examples of how to live out those instructions. It is because of this that God directly addressed the priests of Israel. First and foremost, the priests failed to teach the precepts of God to the people impartially. The word of God must be taught just as God has given it. The priests were not doing that. Then God addressed His people for breaking covenants even among themselves. God pointed towards divorce among His people as a clear example of it. The covenant of marriage was given to mankind as a covenant of commitment. Over time, we have conveniently fashioned it into an agreement revolving around romance and physical attraction. No marriage is likely to survive with guidelines such as that. God intended for marriage to be a covenant ended only by physical death. The marriage of a man and a woman was the basis God used to fill the earth with people. Marriage provided the environment for healthy families to rear healthy children who would be taught to reverence God even as their parents did. With the breakdown of marriages among God’s people, God’s plan was abandoned. God’s response was clear, “I hate divorce.” So, God reiterated the commitment that was supposed to be the basis of the marriage covenant. God also rebuked the people for refusing to honor His call for them to provide material support for His house of prayer. He called it robbery for His people to receive His blessings but not acknowledge it by bringing tithes and offerings to His house. They had become arrogant against the Lord. God called their actions robbery. God’s answer to these and other issues that are identified in this prophecy is that He would come and fix things Himself. Since the leaders He had set aside to lead the people were not just, God was coming to put things back on track. He was going to send John the Baptist as His personal messenger to prepare the people to receive Him. The Lord was coming to personally rebuke the priests. He was going to start with the leaders, but He was not going to stop there. He made it clear that He was eavesdropping on conversations that people were having with each other. He would know who was righteous and who was not by those conversations. The righteous He would claim as His own and the unrighteous He would reject. After this, God’s people would also judge even as He judges. They would distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. Robert C. Hudson March 21, 2020