MPC
20th November 2016.November 21 - Malachi 2 - "Breaking Faith"
MPC
20th November 2016.
Phil Campbell
A pastor friend of mine told me a couple of weeks back about the guy from his church who'd just moved out on his wife and kids the week his son was doing his year 12 exams.
He's cleared out their bank accounts. But he left them with a $50 note. And a scrap of paper with a message to son to say, "Now you're the man of the house."
My pastor mate rang the guy on his mobile. To challenge him about it. And the guy sent him back a text; to say, "Yeah, look, I've decided it's over with my wife. But don't worry mate, I still love the Lord."
This week we heard about a young mum, a friend of ours down south. Army family. Her husband got a new posting.
Thing was, when the posting came through, he said to her, "I don't want you to come. This family life stuff. I'm over it." And he went. Leaving her and the kids absolutely shell shocked. Out of the blue.
And leaving their church family shocked as well.
Commitment to marriage, commitment to family; if you've been brought up in the last 30 years or so, if you're a media consumer; if you're living the spirit of the age, that's pretty much the vibe. Even if you're kind of a "spiritual person," you'll be convinced that God just wants you to be happy. If you're not happy in your marriage, then go.
And what's marriage anyway?
All the stuff about marriage being about a stable committed relationship to build families on; who cares about that? It's every man for himself.
Marry whoever you want to; marry whatever you want to... if it feels good, marry it. If it doesn't feel good, walk out on it and leave 50 bucks.
And our boundaries are broken and our relationships are broken and our families are broken. In all kinds of profoundly disturbing ways that we haven't even thought of yet.
Like when you bring in same sex marriage and full adoption rights, and you've got two dads or two mums; there's really no such thing as cousins any more, is there? The idea of extended family; of genetic linkages that are then the building blocks of community. The genetic family that bonds with other families to make community that bond together to form states that form nations.
Or at least it used to be.
How on earth is ancestry.com going to make sense of family networks in 20 years time? Or even now?
And look. I don't usually have a rave about this stuff, but it's right here in today's passage. Pull the pin on the concept of marriage, and you're ultimately at risk of pulling the plug on community.
And I know this is a pastoral minefield because when it comes to marriage, every person here this morning has got a painful back story. If it's not your own disappointment in marriage, it's a son or a daughter. It was your own mum and dad. It was somebody close. And it hurts.
Ask a real estate agent. The fact is, the single biggest sector of the real estate market isn't the romantic newly-weds looking to buy their first home. The single biggest group in the real estate market are the divorcées. Who are selling up the family home. And looking to buy smaller, separate houses. And almost one in every three sales, that's the story.
But the point I want to make is that in the words of the old marriage vow, marriage is not to be entered into lightly. And it shouldn't be messed with lightly either. Or left lightly. With a few sentences on a scrap of paper. And a fifty dollar note.
I know it's a sensitive issue. But it's any issue Malachi chapter 2 tackles head on. And we need to hear what God was saying to the ancient Israelites, and hear what he's saying to us. especially... to men. And look, I know there are men here today who have been hurt in relationships. I browsed past an article the other day about what makes grown men cry. And the answer was, usually, losing the love of your life.
But the fact is, in Middle Eastern culture, men could divorce their wives. For any and every reason. And so they did. And it was men, by and large, who were behaving badly. And it was men, by and large, who'd resort to domestic violence.
And so even in our fairly gender neutral bible translation; here in Malachi chapter 2 it's the behaviour of Israel's men that's in the spotlight.
And so guys here this morning, if you're thinking that marriage is just about you, and if you're thinking God just wants you to be happy... think again. The message of Malachi is that God just wants you to be faithful. Which is a very different thing.
We're going to focus especially on verses 11 to 16 in Malachi 2, where Malachi confronts marriage issues... as an overall indicator of something bigger.
Though first, it's worth pausing a moment in the first ten verses to notice the problem with priests.
You'll remember if you were here last week we're in the very last book of the Old Testament. The story of Israel.
The chosen people of God. Who were given their promised land by God. And a line of kings. But who then chose unfaithfulness.
And against all God's warnings, ignored him. And Israel was smashed. And went into exile.
And now here they are home again. And starting again. And starting badly.
Which we saw last week in their half hearted attitude to the temple sacrifices.
Which back in chapter 1 verse 6 was blamed on the priests.
it is you priests who show contempt for my name.
By bringing mangy animals you wouldn't dare give in tribute to your governor. As their sacrifices to God.
And here in the first ten verses of chapter 2, it's the priests in the firing line again.
If you don't listen, verse 2, I'll turn your blessings into curses.
Look, this is pretty graphic. Because of the false teaching of Israel's priests, because instead of showing the way they've turned from it, because they've violated the covenant God made with their forefather Levi, because of that says God in verse 3... and here's the graphic bit... he says to the Priests, I'm going to smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices... and you'll be carried off with it. To the dung pile.
In disgrace. As a farmer's son I've got a pretty fair idea what he's talking about. I could tell you some pretty good dung stories. But really you can't really get the impact of this unless you can smell it.
The priests of Israel. Have put themselves right in God's firing line.
And the key word is, over and over again, covenant.
God's gracious agreement with Israel. The way God contracted himself to them; and they to him. They've broken faith. Not just before their exile. But again now.
So now, to marriage. Because in a sense, it's another symptom of exactly the same thing. Covenant faithfulness... is right out of fashion. The idea that you'll commit to something and then you'll carry through with it... just not on their radar. You'll see the problem highlighted in verse 10; and it's worth taking a look.
Malachi says to these people of Israel, he says,
Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?
There's a link. Says Malachi. Between our faithfulness to God. And our faithfulness to one another.
That the way the people of Israel treat one another. Is not just reflective of the way they treat their covenant with God; but that it profanes it. The fact they've all got one father, their common creation; how can they break faith with one another so lightly?
Of all the people in the world, the people of Israel were called to be a faithful people. To honour the God who called them and saved them; in every part of their lives.
In other words, it's just not on to say it's all good with me and God; while you're being unfaithful to your wife.
Have you ever heard old businessmen talking about the good old days? Remembering the time when they didn't need lawyers. They didn't even need contracts. They'll say, you could do business with a handshake. No matter how big the deal, no matter how much was at stake, a handshake was a handshake. A word was a bond.
Now that's how it is with God. And that's how it was always meant to be with But that's not how it was with Israel. They're faith breakers. And their marriages are a prime example.
The first sign's in verse 11 and 12. That instead of looking to marry fellow Israelites, the men of Judah are marrying Idol Worshippers. Which was the one thing God had especially forbidden. And the one thing King Solomon pioneered with relish. And look, no matter how many offerings they bring to the Lord; their hearts just aren't in it.
That's the first problem. And the second is the easy attitude of Israel's men to divorce. You want to see a picture of a guy who can't be trusted? Have a look at this. Verse 13 to 15. They cry crocodile tears at the altar of God, they wonder why God's not pleased with them. And the answer is this. Verse 14.
"You ask 'why?'" Here's why. "It's because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant."
You're married? You said at the time you were making promises in the sight of God. Well guess what. You might not be taking that seriously. But he is.
Glynn Wolfe is an American man who had the distinction of appearing in the Guinness Book of Records for the most married man. He's been married 29 times; his son John said his dad divorced one wife for eating sunflower seeds in bed. He divorced another one for using his toothbrush. I reckon Glynn Wolf should actually be in the record books as being the world's least married man. Because he didn't take a single promise seriously. When it comes to marriage, he's not an expert. He just didn't get it.
And Malachi looks around Israel with God's eyes and God's heart; and all he sees is men who are divorcing their wives exactly like that.
A teenage romance, sweethearts; a beautiful young wife, he makes all the promises in the world. We'll be together for ever. But then a few years down the track, maybe not quite so exciting. He starts playing the field. And instead of saying I have made a covenant with you for better for worse, richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death us do part, the man of Israel makes his marriage covenant until something better comes along.
And he thinks the God of covenants doesn't care a bit. Keep reading from verse 15.
Of course he cares! "Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth."
Sexist, isn't it? Putting so much responsibility on the husband. But look, in our non gendered world where women are empowered in a way they never were back in the ancient near east, and in lots of ways that's a good thing... the down side is a lot of times that empowerment is being used just as badly by women as it historically has been by men.
So I guess Malachi would say to Israel's women in the same situation, Don't you be unfaithful to the the husband of your youth either. Just because he snores a bit more these days.
Because God designed the marriage covenant as the glue for families. So he says be on guard. Don't be unfaithful.
Look at the verse again. God wants faithful marriages among his people because he wants faithful families. Godly offspring.
What does the one God seek? Not successful offspring. Not offspring that are great at ballet and make it to the regional finals in the Sunday girls soccer comp. Godly... offspring. Kids who see faith played out at home. And grow up knowing what faithful looks like. So they can be faithful themselves.
Malachi says to the people of Israel, you're the people who serve the promise keeping God. A covenant making God.
And yet you've got covenant breaking priests. And you've got covenant breaking husbands. A disaster just waiting to happen.
That's Israel. At the end of their story. That's Israel. The second last page of the Old Testament. Breaking trust with God, breaking trust with one another.
Look, it's not until you turn a few pages to the New Testament that you find a solution to the priest problem.
I want you to notice by the way, and it's something that we do every time we open the Old Testament; it's kind of obvious when you're on the second last page; I want you to notice every time we open the Old Testament that we've got to ask the question where does this story go. Before we work out exactly what it's saying to us today.
And the answer is, there is a solution to the priest problem. In the person of Jesus Christ, who's the centrepiece of everything that comes next. Because Jesus is a covenant keeper all the way through.
Faithful through and through. The faithful priest. And according to the book of Hebrews, because of that the final priest.
Take a look at these words from Hebrews 2 verse 17:
For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
The new start, starts there.
A priest, who doesn't sacrifice a perfect lamb, but sacrifices himself. Perfect.
Making atonement. Paying the price. Putting aside the sins not just of the Israelites but the rest of us as well.
But more than that. A model. Of what faithful actually looks like.
Israel's rot started with the covenant breaking priests, and flowed through to the covenant breaking men.
And now, in Jesus, a better model. Which is why I think in Ephesians 5, Jesus becomes Paul's model for marriage.
Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Astonishing, isn't it? Guys, if you're married you need to hear this. Because Jesus takes things a notch beyond Malachi, doesn't he? Malachi says, stay faithful. Like God is faithful. To which Paul adds love your wife. Like Jesus loved the church. So much that he went to his self sacrificial atoning death by nailing. Gave up everything.
There's the picture. A promise keeping husband who'll love her that much. That you'd give up your whole self. For her benefit.
The marriage covenant, it's meant to be marked by integrity. Promises made are promises kept. It's means to be marked by self sacrifice. By submission instead of standing on rights. For those of us living in the light of Jesus, it's a picture of love the way Jesus loved us. A picture of submission the way we submit to Jesus.
Look, it's more than just marriage too, for those of you who aren't. It's character. There are all kinds of ways we can be unfaithful to one another. Of breaking faith. Of not honouring our commitments.
I'll be there tomorrow. And you're not.
I'll pray for you. And you don't.
I'll drop in a meal sometime. And you know you won't.
I'll pay you tomorrow. And you never do.
My word is my bond. Well, sometimes.
We belong to a covenant keeping God. Which means as followers of Jesus we should be reflecting that from the heart. By being people of absolute integrity.
But of course, Malachi says, especially in our marriages.
And can I touch on one more thing.
This Friday, it's White Ribbon day. A day calling on men to stand up against domestic violence in the community.
Can I say the astonishing thing is that there's domestic violence in the church as well. In marriages that claim to be Christian marriages.
"The man who hates and divorces his wife," says the Lord, the God of Israel, "does violence to the one he should protect," says the Lord Almighty.
That's how it is in Israel. That's how somehow, it's been allowed to become in some Christian homes as well. And tragically in Christian institutions, where the very ones who were meant to be protected have met with violence instead. With astonishingly a blind eye being turned. Over and over again.
Friends, what would Jesus say? To all that? If it was obvious in Israel in Malachi's time, how much more obvious now. Having seen the faithfulness and the love and the self sacrifice of the Lord Jesus?
Can I say if you're a woman in that situation at home, and you're afraid, keep in mind that Malachi says it's the husband who's breaking faith. Not you. And so call for help. And make yourself safe. And don't delay.
1800 811 811 is the Domestic Violence Hotline. Ask for advice. Ask for help. The number's there in the bulletin as well.
Look, I acknowledge that sometimes men suffer domestic violence as well but mostly the majority of times it's women.
Guys, you need to know, and I know you know it already, our covenant keeping God hates it when men do that. Especially when they claim to be Christian men. If you're struggling with that stuff as a bloke, call for help. Speak to Pastor Kim, and do it today. So we can refer you for help.
Sorry I have to spell this out. But see, we're living in an age where the basics just aren't so basic any more. So let me be clear.
God hates it if you hit your wife.
God hates it if you frighten your wife.
God hates it if you walk out on your wife.
God hates it if you're unfaithful to your wife.
God says to you today, "So be on your guard. And don't be unfaithful to the wife of your youth." Got that? Not rocket science, is it? Couldn't be simpler. But let's pray that God will help us in our families to be reflecting his faithfulness to us in the Lord Jesus.