Malachi 2:2-9 – God’s Covenant with Levi

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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.

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Welcome to Through the Bible. I’m Steve Schwetz and Dr. J. Vernon McGee is our teacher on this five-year journey through God’s entire Word. We got a great study ahead of us today as the Bible bus, what Dr. McGee affectionately called this five-year study, travels through the first nine verses of Malachi chapter 2. So if you’d like to know more about Through the Bible, just visit us at ttb.org anytime. Now before we get started in Malachi, let’s listen to some more introductory thoughts from Dr. McGee on the millennium.

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I’ve been talking a great deal on some of the things that characterize the millennium, not just the fact that the desert’s going to blossom as a rose and the lamb and the lion are going to lie down together. That’s all quite wonderful. But there are certain spiritual qualifications that seem to exist in the millennium. And we’ve mentioned several of those. And I want to mention now the last one today. And it’s probably one of the greatest ones of all. And yet I won’t be able to say much about it because I don’t know much about it. And that is goodness. Goodness. will characterize the millennium. Now, we all know what it is, but we can’t define it. I got the dictionary out, and it says the state or quality of being good. Well, then when I looked up good, I didn’t get much help there. But the dictionary went on, and it said it means to be nutritious. It means to be flavorful. Now, may I say to you, that has to do with fruit. We’ll apply to oranges in California and peaches in Georgia and apples up in Washington. But it’s more than just that. Let me add this to it. It’s a conformity to the moral standards of society, which were in a former age. And those standards actually were based upon the word of God. And in those days, I can remember when I was a boy, things hadn’t got too bad then. We never locked the door. I do not think that in some of the houses we lived in, and we moved quite a bit when I was a boy, I don’t think any of us ever had a key to the house. I don’t remember ever using the key to get into the house. We just left it open. And we were going to be gone for several days. We didn’t lock the house. And the neighbors that were around us, they all shared with us the good things, their fruit, their vegetables. And when we had sickness, why, the neighbors were there to help. I thank God for a neighbor that stayed at the foot of my bed when I was a boy with typhoid fever and double pneumonia at the same time. And the doctor told my mother, says, you call him when he passes out. They expected me to die during the night. And the dear little Methodist woman sat at the foot of the bed rubbing my cold feet. And my mother said that she kept saying, as long as there’s life, there’s hope, and God’s going to spare this boy. And she prayed all night long and rubbed my feet. Now, may I say to you, she was a good person, a good person. And we had a lot of people then. Now, Micah in his day, and you remember when we were studying Micah, Micah got disturbed. He said, the good man has perished from the earth. The fact of the matter is, he’s pretty doleful about it. He started out, he says, woe is me. And you say, my, what’s wrong, Micah? He says, well, the good man has perished out of the earth. And there is none upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood. Well, you can’t walk the streets of my town at night without being in danger, grave danger, by the way. And it’s getting worse, not better. May I say to you, the millennium is going to be a time when it will be goodness. And we sure would like to have some of that around. Have you ever noticed that that’s part of the fruit of the Spirit?

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We’ll conclude Dr. McGee’s study on goodness next time, but now let’s pray and get into our study. Heavenly Father, thank you that your word is living and active. We ask that you would use it to revive our hearts and wake up our souls and minds. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Let’s turn to Malachi chapter 2 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

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Now we’ve come here to this particular section where it’s directed to the priests. However, beginning back at verse 6, if you’ll notice, the message there was directed to the priests that were serving in the temple. And there God said, “‘O priests that despise my name.'” And then in this section, chapter 2, verse 1, he says, And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. In other words, the crying sin of the priests was they despised the name of God. And second, they disobeyed God. They were in disobedience to God. Now, the way they despised this name, and I’ve dwelt on that a great deal, but I have not yet put the real emphasis there. I have mentioned the old sick cow that they brought. and offered that as an offering to God. Now, the real condemnation of that was not the value of it. It was not because they were giving a valueless thing to God and he was after them because they were not giving as they should. Now, we’re going to come to that. He’s going to ask a very pointed question and the question is, will a man rob God? Now, we’re going to talk about the tithe and about our relationship to God today as expressed in our giving. But here, the emphasis is not upon the value of the offering, but actually upon the character of the offering. The offering that was made on the altar, and when we studied Leviticus, we took those five great offerings that are mentioned there, and each one of them points to Jesus Christ. And the thing, I suppose, that would be more impressive than anything else is the character of the offering. Each offering had to represent the one who was coming, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sin, who was perfect. He had to be. And it pointed to the one who was the Son of God. Even the sweet saver and the non-sweet saver offerings pointed to that. Now, the way they despise God’s name is that they bring to God an offering that is a sick cow. It’s not perfect. And it does not point to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that was the thing. And it’s the same thing today of making a great deal of Jesus Christ, calling him a superstar. Well, the world can’t forget him, that’s for sure. But they don’t think rightly of him. And until you think rightly concerning him, you just happen to be wrong about everything else. because it’s important. And when we don’t think rightly of Jesus Christ and we put him down as he’s been put down today in books and plays and even in the liberal pulpit, you despise the name of God. And that is the reason that we hear so much that’s given in a flip sort of way, like the devil made me do it. Well, the devil didn’t make you do it. You’ve got that old evil nature. Devil didn’t make you do it. And the other one is God will get you. No, he won’t. Do you think he’s running around today paddling little boys and girls? He is not. May I say to you, our God is a gracious God, and he judges sin, and he’s going to judge sin. He is called the awful God. Well, what do you mean? That’s awe-inspiring. It means reverent. He is the reverent God. He is one to be respected, and he is to be praised. He is to be worshiped. He is to be adored. I listened on TV the other night to just snatches of box opera, and I think it’s on a mass. But it was nothing in the world but praise to God. Now, I don’t care. I understand mass doesn’t mean anything, but I don’t care whether it does or not. The important thing in that was that it was nothing in the world but pure praise to God. And we don’t have much of pure praise to God even today in our so-called fundamental churches. And that’s the thing. You despise my name, God says. And today that is a condemnation of the church and all believers are priests today. And so this makes a real message for us in the present hour. Now here it’s disobedience. It’s disobedience. And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. But they’ve despised him. Now, I come down to verse 3 where we begin today. Behold, I will corrupt your seed. Now, what does he mean by that? Well, they were getting an abundant harvest at that particular time. And the priest, you remember, got a tithe of the crop, whether it was wheat or barley or whether it was the vineyard. A tenth was given to the Lord. And God says, I intend to corrupt the seed out there. You won’t be getting the tithe that you have been getting. Your affluent society is about done with. Behold, I will corrupt your seed and I’ll spread dung upon your faces. Now, the interesting thing was that there was given to the priests all of the inwards of the offering. Even the maw was given to them. But the dung that was in the maw, in all intestines, that was put out. That was rejected. That could never be offered as a sacrifice to God. Therefore, God says, now I’m going to spread the dung on your face. And I want to tell you, friends, this is pretty plain language. God says, I’m going to rub your nose in it. And when I do, you won’t be able to serve at my altar. Why? Because no unclean thing can come there, and you definitely will be unclean when that takes place. Let me tell you, this is strong language God is using here. And he says, even the dung of your solemn feast, and one shall take you away with it. In other words, you won’t be able to serve God. Now, verse 4, and he says, “…and ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.” Now, we’re going to look in just a few moments at his covenant with Levi, but let me move on down. “…My covenant was with him of life and peace.” and I gave them to him for the fear with which he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. Now, we have the reason that God chose the tribe of Levi. If you go back to the man, Levi, the son of Jacob, You’d never choose him because he didn’t have anything to commend himself to God at all. And when old Jacob was dying, you remember, he called those 12 boys, stand around his bedside, and he gave a prophecy concerning each one of them. And he put Simeon and Levi together. And I’m turning back to Genesis 49, beginning at verse 5. Listen to this. Oh, Simeon and Levi are brethren. Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly. Mine honor, be not thou united, for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they dig down a wall. Now, they thought they were justified in it because of their sister, but they were murderers. And it’s amazing God would choose them. And so verse 7, he says, “‘Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.'” And how is he going to scatter Levi? They’re going to become the priestly tribe. But how can they become the priestly tribe when Levi himself was such a rascal. He was a murderer. And yet God chose the tribe. Well, after that, from this man, that came one of the tribes of Israel. Now, when you come to the time of Moses, you’ve come to something entirely different. And Moses now, when he’s on his deathbed, he gathers the tribes around him. What was just 12 men Around Jacob now are probably a million or more, a million plus, that are gathered around Moses. And he’s giving a prophecy to each one of these. And this is found in Deuteronomy, the 33rd chapter, verses 9. And let me begin reading there, 9 through 11. “‘Who said unto his father?’ Probably I ought to drop back and begin at verse 8 so we’ll know it’s Levi. And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with the Holy One, whom thou didst prove at Massa, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah, who said unto his father and his mother, I have not seen him, neither did acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children, for they have observed thy word and kept thy covenant. Now, notice that. Although Levi himself was a rascal and he almost forfeited his birthright because the fact he was a murderer. But now the tribe that has come from him, they’ve observed the word of God. They’ve kept the covenant. Verse 10, they shall teach Jacob thy judgments and Israel thy law. God now makes them the priestly tribe to teach Israel God’s law. That is the thing he says. They shall put incense before thee. They’ll make prayer for the children of Israel and hold burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. And that sacrifice points to Christ. Bless, Lord, his substance and accept the work of his hands. smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. Now, that is the covenant God made with Levi. He is to teach Israel. He is to serve at the altar, altar of incense, prayer. Alter the burnt sacrifice where that which points to Christ. Now, that was at the beginning. What about him now after the return? Why he’s willing to shut his eyes when a sick cow is brought and he’s despised in the name of God. And he’s disobeying God. And therefore, how can he teach God’s word to the people? That is the thing that God is saying. Now, what a change has taken place. Even after the 70 years captivity, Levi hasn’t learned the lesson. He says, my covenant was with him of life and peace. And I gave them to him for fear, with which he feared me and was afraid of my name. He feared God. This crowd doesn’t. The law of truth was in his mouth. He taught the truth of God. But these priests at that time were not teaching the truth of God. They were breaking the commandments of God instead of teaching them and keeping them. And that’s the thing that God is saying now. And God says, he walked with me in peace and equity and did turn many away from iniquity. He was a good example, you see, to the people. Now, what a change had taken place. Now, this has a real application today. My friend, may I say to you, we’re not serving God until you and I give a reverence to his name and not despise his name. And that means that we’ll hold Christ up. If I be lifted up, I’ll draw all men unto me. What a glorious, wonderful picture that is that we have here. Now, I want to move down to verse 7. For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. And here again, we have that word angel. And Levi here, that is, the priests are to be the messengers of the Lord of hosts. Now, when we get to Revelation, we’ll see to the angel of the church in Ephesus. Who’s he speaking to? The leader there, the one who is teaching the word of God. And that is the thing that is important. Let me sum this up now by saying this. This is my judgment, my interpretation of this. You may not accept the interpretation. But I believe that the sole duty of the pastor of the church is to teach the word of God. And God have mercy on a church that is having him become a public relations man, having him run all over the countryside sick babies and burping them, and have him Spend his time in administration of a church when he should be studying the Word of God and teaching the Word of God. I had a call from back east the other night. And this man, he’s an officer in the church, telling me about his church and his pastor. And my, believe me, he was after his pastor. And his pastor spends his time studying. And he says, you know, said he’s not administering the church. I said, did you tell me you were a deacon? He said, yes. I said, have you been visiting the sick yourself? He said, no, says I keep pretty busy. And I said to him, do you know? I said, that’s your business. And are you visiting the sick? Are you today taking charge of the administration of the church as you should? Or you want him to be the administrator? May I say to you, brother, his business is to teach the Word of God. Now, if he’s not teaching the Word of God and he gets in the pulpit, then that’s another story. But if he’s spending his time studying, and is giving out the Word of God, that’s what God has called him to do. That’s the thing. Remember the early apostles. Here was the witness of the Hellenic Jews and those that were native in that land, been born in that land. They were arguing the witness of the distribution of the gifts that were coming in that would feed them. And they brought it to the apostles. My apostles did a marvelous job. They said, you point to a bunch of deacons. Let them do this. We’re going to give ourselves to the study of the Word of God. That is the important thing today. Now, I’m at a very great vantage point today. I’ve completed my ministry in the church, and I’m at the place now where, you know, you give advice to the other preachers because you’re through. I’m at a tremendous vantage point to say this, and I do say it. And I thank God that I’m in a place now where I don’t have to birth babies. That’s not my business anymore. I do not have anything to do. Well, I have a little to do with administration, but that’s not where I spend my time. I am spending more time today studying the Word than I’ve ever spent, and I thank God for it. And if I went back over my ministry, I’d even spend more time than I did, and some of them thought I spent too much time studying. But I’d go back and Then more times stated, I believe that’s the business. That was Levi’s business. But in this day, he wasn’t doing it. Now, God says, but ye are departed out of the way. Ye have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. You’re not teaching the word of God as you should. That’s verse 8. Now, verse 9. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. There was a day when ministers were listened to in this land. That day’s passed. Only the liberal has a voice on TV. And thank God they don’t have radio monopolized by any means. And there are few good voices on TV. But for the most part, especially when it’s a program on which men are asked to appear. It’s always the liberal that’s asked to appear. Why? God said that that would happen when the ministry was not giving out the word. Now, next time, we’re going to talk about divorce. And believe me, we’re getting in dangerous waters now. But you may want to hear that. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

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Whether we’re pastors, deacons, or church members, there’s a message for each of us in Malachi 2. If you want to spend a little more time with this study, well, it’s available anytime on our app or at ttb.org. ttb.org is also the place to go to download Dr. McGee’s digital booklet, The Christmas Story. This was one of Dr. McGee’s favorite topics. He walks us through scripture and unwraps the real gift of the season by answering the important question, why did Jesus really come to earth? It’s perfect to read during your family celebrations or to share with friends and family. You can download a copy for free of the Christmas story in our app or at ttb.org. And while you’re there, take advantage of our offer of other free downloads. You know, we often get questions about our international home groups and how you can start one here. Well, one way that some of our listeners are finding success is by using our Bible companions to facilitate listening and learning as a group together. First, listen to Dr. McGee’s teaching on your own or together, and then share the synopsis and start a meaningful discussion centered around God’s Word by answering the reflection questions provided at the end of each lesson. And finally, pray for one another. It really is as easy as that. So invite your friends to gather around God’s word by downloading a free copy or purchasing the New Testament Bible Companions in paperback. Just visit ttb.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE. And of course, you can also reach us by mail at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C, 6B1. In our next study, Dr. McGee explains that the problem in our homes today isn’t so much divorce as it is marriage. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Well, hop aboard as we continue our journey through the Old Testament book of Malachi. I’m Steve Schwetz, grateful for your company on the Bible Bus and your partnership in taking the whole word to the whole world.

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