“Dealing Treacherously”
Christian Workers Conference 06/07/04 hosted by Eastside MBC
By Pastor Ramsey Ledford of the Valley Springs MBC
Topic: Who is the “wife of thy youth” in Malachi 2:14-16
And how did the husband deal treacherously against her?
#1) Seeing the two fold meaning.
A) Malachi 2:14-16 In order to better understand this text we need to begin elsewhere.
- Ephesians 5:22-32 Paul by divine inspiration was lead to expound on marriage and how husbands and wives are to love one another.
- However Paul concludes by stating a very important truth.
- V32 “This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church”
- Every aspect of marriage that Paul mentions concerning the covenant relationship between husband and wife is true.
- HOWEVER there is a TWO FOLD meaning to these verses.
- We see this often in Gods word; we will also see it tonight in our text.
B) Malachi 2:14-16 Take these verses just as you read them at face value.
- It is absolutely wrong for the husband to treat his wife as these verses state.
- For thousands of years husbands and wives have both been unfaithful to one another.
- So tonight lets just tell it as Gods word says it, God hates putting away for any and every reason.
- But I have been asked to address two very specific questions tonight, which is what were going to do.
C) The first question is who is the WIFE OF THY YOUTH mentioned in verse 14?
- Let’s first start by seeing whom Malachi was addressing specifically.
- Malachi 2:1 “And now, O ye priest”
- Malachi is obviously speaking to the priest.
- This verse also states “this commandment is for you”, God couldn’t be more specific in who He is addressing.
- Malachi 2:3 Gods tells the priest He will corrupt their seed, meaning God will rebuke and chastise them.
D) Malachi 2:5 Here we see God through Malachi recalling His covenant with the priesthood.
- We also see in V5 that God gave the priesthood something.
- Don’t forget this as we continue, “something was given by God to the priesthood”.
- Malachi 2:6 “The law of truth WAS in his mouth”
- The priests were attributed with turning many from iniquity.
- Numbers 8:5-6 God commanded Moses to take the Levites and cleanse them.
- Remember in Ephesians 5:26 Jesus bride prepared herself by cleansing herself “with the washing of water by the word.”
- This is done prior to Jesus receiving His bride.
- Numbers 8:18-19 God took the Levites and gave them as gifts to Aaron and His sons.
- Numbers 3:6-7 Here we see that the Levites are presented to Aaron.
- Numbers 3: 9-10 V9 Levites are wholly given to Aaron and his sons.
E) Number 18:1-2 V2 “be joined unto thee”
- God joined the Levites to the priest.
- This word “joined” is the Hebrew word “lavah” which means to “twine”.
- Genesis 29: 31-34 It was at the birth of Levi that Leah proclaims now Jacob her husband would be joined to her.
- Therefore she named him Levi, which means attached.
- Numbers 18:4 “They shall be joined unto thee”
- God joined all of the Levites to the priestly line of Aaron and his sons.
- Who is the “wife of thy youth”, it is the Levites who served in the temple services.
- 1 Chronicles 23:27-28;32 The office of the Levites was to wait on the sons of Aaron.
- This was a covenant made by God between the priest and the Levites while still in their youth.
#2) Treachery among the priest.
A) So now lets answer how these priests “dealt treacherously” with “the wife of thy youth”.
- Numbers 3:9-10 “the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death”.
- The priests were to be monogamist in all of their duties both to God and the Levites.
- Malachi 2:11 “hath dealt treacherously” HOW “hath married the daughter of a strange God”
B) Nehemiah 13:4-5 Elaishib the priest had given place in Gods house to Tobiah an idolatrous Ammonite.
- Eliashib allowed a stranger to come nigh.
- Nehemiah 13:7-11 The priest had dealt treacherously with the Levites in taking in a strange god.
- The Levites had no other recourse but to go to their fields and work, THEY NEEDED TO EAT.
- The priest had “forsaken the House of God” as well as the Levites and the people followed suit.
- Nehemiah 13:12 The “treacherous dealings” of the priest caused the people to stop tithing which caused the Levites to be neglected.
C) All of this because the priest allowed a stranger to draw nigh.
- Malachi 2:16 the priest put the Levites away so that they could take in another.
- Our responsibility today is as equally great as that in the days of the OT.
- 1 Timothy 3:15 As Pastors we have a great responsibility to keep false teachings out of Christ’s church.
- It’s no coincident that this verse comes immediately after Gods qualifications for Pastors and Deacons.
- In today’s world of “tolerance” we must be DILEGENT in ensuring we don’t deal treacherously with Christ’s bride.
