My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, and I gave them to him that he might fear Me; so he feared Me and was reverent before My name” (Malachi 2:5).
In Malachi 2, God uses the image of marital unfaithfulness and marriage to people who worship other gods to illustrate what the Israelites were doing with God. They had left Him in search of pleasure. The prophet wrote, ‘The Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14). The relationship that God wants to establish with you is symbolized by the intimate relationship of a couple, full of joy, between the divine Husband and His beautiful, spotless wife, the church.
Allow Him to restore that relationship of love and forgiveness with you.
There are strong warnings in the book of Malachi against the priests who were not making God or the priestly inheritance that they had received from the tribe of Levi (see Numbers 25:10—13) priorities in their life. They had been chosen by God to serve as priests because of the faithfulness of their tribe during a serious crisis (see Exodus 32:25—29 and SDA Bible Commentary vol. 4, p. 1127). But sadly, they corrupted the priestly laws and they became a terrible example for the rest of the Israelites.
During the twenty-six centuries that have passed since the words of the prophet Malachi, the history of humanity has seen how, again and again, religious leaders of all denominations have fallen into scandals, have strayed from God, and have become devastating examples for simple believers. Their lust for power, money, disorderly sexuality, deceit, and political maneuvering has been a stumbling stone for the faith of millions of people. That is why the words of Malachi are still as pertinent today as they were for his original audience.
“Those who trusted in the false shepherds had the word of God to search for themselves, and they find that God will judge every man who has had the truth and turned from the light because it involved self-denial and the cross. Rocks and mountains cannot screen them from the indignation of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.”—Maranatha, p. 290, October 9.
Let Malachi’s message encourage to study the Word of God, so that you
will be able to distinguish fake shepherds from true shepherds.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Angelica Cuate & Esteban Cortes
