Malaquias 2
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Malaquias 2
MacArthur - This very graphic language shows how God viewed unfaithful priests as worthy of the most unthinkable disgrace. As the internal waste of the sacrificial animal was normally carried outside the camp and burned (cf. Ex 29:14; Lv 4:11, 12; 8:17; 16:27), so the priests would be discarded and suffer humiliation and loss of office. The Lord’s purpose in such a warning was to shake them out of their complacency. (MacArthur Study Bible) MacKay - The idea seems to be that they will be degraded from the sanctuary to the dung heap. As they thought so little of being in God’s presence, they will be judicially deprived of appearing in the Temple.
Malaquias 2
MacArthur - Malachi 2:17–4:6 The denunciation of Israel’s sins was followed by a declaration of the judgment on the unrepentant and subsequent blessing on the faithful remnant. Mal 2:17 is the introduction to the rest of the book. These faithless, disobedient priests and people had worn out God’s patience by their skepticism and self-justification, so judgment is on the way.... God was coming, but to refine and purify (cf. Malachi 3:1, 5). (MacArthur Study Bible) Woodrow Kroll comments on their wearisome words - "Where is the God of judgment?—the Lord must not exist, or He would judge the evildoers instead of prospering them. All three complaints are familiar. Jehovah graciously answers their complaint in the opening verses of the succeeding chapter by showing that One is coming Who will indeed right all wrongs—including those in the priesthood and the people of Israel!" Kelley - The great and terrible day of the Lord was about to break on the people’s heads (Mal 3:2). After a forerunner had been sent to prepare the way, the Lord would com suddenly to His Temple, (Mal 3:1) His appearing would answer critics and would silence complainers once and for all. . . . At the heart of their complaint against the justice of God was a denial that God was involved actively in the affairs of history. He was regarded as being outside history and indifferent to what went on within it. ><>><>><> Malachi 2:17 Reality Or Illusion? You say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord." —Malachi 2: I had just started to back the van away from the loading area. In my rearview mirror I saw two semi trucks side by side. I had plenty of clearance. Just then it appeared that one of the trucks was moving into my path. I stopped. But then I realized that the other truck was actually backing up, creating the illusion that the standing semi was moving forward. An illusion, according to the dictionary, is an "erroneous perception of reality." Sleight-of-hand artists use it to "do the impossible." Most illusions are harmless, but some can be fatal. In a desert, chasing a mirage that looks like water can lead to death. But the most dangerous illusions are the spiritual and moral ones that people are so prone to believe. In Malachi 2, the Israelites were breaking their marriage vows (vv.14-16). They knew that God hates divorce (v.16), yet they were saying, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord" (v.17). Doesn't that sound like today's culture? People believe that things like abortion, extramarital sex, and divorce for other than biblical reasons are morally right. Even some Christians believe in such illusions. It's crucial that we allow the Bible to be the standard by which we distinguish reality from illusion! —Dennis J. De Haan The Word of God declares what's right And what is pleasing in His sight; It also shows that deep within What we call good may be a sin. —Hess One of life's greatest illusions is that sin has no consequences. ><>><>><> Malachi 2:17 Illusionary Living You say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord." —Malachi 2:17 An illusion is defined as "an erroneous perception of reality." Magicians depend on it to trick their audiences. But some illusions can be fatal. If I chase a mirage in the desert, thinking it's water, I could die of thirst. The most dangerous illusions of all are spiritual. In Malachi's time, men no longer saw the seriousness of the marriage covenant and were divorcing their wives without just cause. God's people said, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them" (2:17). They were not seeing things as God sees them. We are all prone to this kind of self-deception. Sin clouds our ability to see right and wrong. "The heart is deceitful above all things, . . . who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Living under such illusions must be replaced by reality. And this can happen through hard times. Adversity and pain have a way of ridding our lives of falseness. We are then better able to fill the emptiness with truth. As we depend on God's Spirit to help us learn and obey the Bible's teachings, illusions are replaced by the truth of God's love and forgiveness in Christ. This is the only reality that truly satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts and leads us to a desire to be like Him.—Dennis J. De Haan If we would love what's good and right, We must be pure within; But if we compromise the truth, We lose our sense of sin. —D. De Haan To avoid being drawn into error, keep a firm grip on the truth. ><>><>><> Malachi 2:17 - During the first day of Boy Scout camp, a scoutmaster was called home because of an emergency and was not planning to return until the following day. As he prepared to leave, he gathered his charges together and made Joe, one of the patrol leaders, the acting scoutmaster until he returned. As soon as the scoutmaster was out of sight, the newly appointed leader began to give orders. He had the younger boys set up his tent, sent another after candy, and told the rest to clean up the area, even though it was recreation time. “You can’t do that,” they said. “Mr. Whitten said it was recreation time!” Joe was not impressed. “I can do whatever I want to. And furthermore, I don’t care what Mr. Whitten said, because Mr. Whitten isn’t here!” He must have seen the smiles on the Scouts’ faces, because he turned around to see Mr. Whitten standing there. He had returned for his car keys, had heard everything, and, needless to say, appointed a new acting leader. Joe assumed what the priests of Malachi’s day assumed, that they could act in any way they chose because the one who guaranteed justice was nowhere to be seen. But both Joe and the priests found out otherwise. The keeper of justice was seeing their deeds and hearing their words and would ultimately set things right. (1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching - Michael)