Disposable Relationships (Malachi #6)

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Text: Malachi 2:11-16

As people ignore God and chase pleasure, the relationships God values become less valuable to people. Let’s consider what God said to Israel here about marriage, divorce, adultery, and the spiritual condition of the people. Let’s read verses 2:11-16.

People joined themselves to idols (vs 11)

This behavior and this mentality of disposable relationships is not from God. This idea of free love, no fault divorce, live together for a while to see if it works, is not the direction of the Spirit of God. These lifestyles came from influences that aren’t God.
The Lord defines this lifestyle as an abomination and profanity against God’s work. The people make God’s sacred relationships profane, common, disposable, and pointless.
Fornication & adultery are not love – Ephesians 5:2-3

God is no respecter of persons (vs 12)

The business owners, politicians, educators, professors, and all religious folks who participate in this fornicating, adulterous relationships are accursed by God.

Devoted but adulterous lives (vs 13)

God isn’t interested in the offerings if the people aren’t willing to get their lives right.
Here’s an example. Husband comes home to wife after being with another woman. Tells his wife he loves her. She knows he’s seeing another woman. His offerings to his wife become meaningless in light of his unfaithfulness.

Treacherous people in these relationships (vs 14)

In the marriage ceremony a person vows before God (the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth) of what they will do and endure to honor this relationship.
Someone who would vow a vow before God, then dismiss that vow because they wanted to. Then believe because they dismissed the relationship that God also dismissed it; that’s someone who is dangerous and will do whatever they want, when they want.
TREACHERY, Violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence. The man who betrays his country in any manner, violates his allegiance, and is guilty of treachery. This is treason. The man who violates his faith pledged to his friend, or betrays a trust in which a promise of fidelity is implied, is guilty of treachery.
If someone is willing to do this to someone they have vowed their life to, you can’t trust them around others they haven’t made any vows to.
Treacherous men – Jeremiah 9:2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
David as an adulterer under the law
- Treacherous, willing to kill an innocent man to conceal his sin.
- Ends up forgiven by God based on the shedding of innocent blood – the baby. (God won’t accept filthy blood.)
- Consequences in his life are numerous and long lasting though he is forgiven.

Marriage (vs 15)

Two one flesh in Genesis 2
Marriage is honouable in all things. Marriage teaches you how to love. Marriage provides companionship. The easier you make it to divorce, the harder you make it to have a good marriage.
1 Peter 3:7 – Reconciliation is always what God prefers if it can be done, and in the cases that can be done, the marriage is stronger for it.
Heirs of grace is the same as Malachi 3:15, a godly seed produced in an honourable marriage is what Malachi is talking about.

Heed your spirit (vs 16)

God hates putting away – that’s divorce.
- Matthew 5:31-32
- The world says as long as you get the divorce paperwork right you’re legal. They’d say, As soon as I can get the paperwork finished for my divorce we can get married. So there are people that believe they are divorced because the court said they were divorced, but God says they are still married.
- The scribes, Pharisees, and legislators of the law concocted “no fault divorce,” “irreconcilable differences,” and in doing so multiplied the number of adulterers before God Almighty.
- Marriage had descended into just a matter of paperwork. At that point it’s simply a burdensome formality.
Mark 10:2-12 because of hard hearts
Matthew 19:3-12 further explains it.
- The disciples understand exactly what Jesus Christ is saying. Their response is exactly what you’d expect. They say then it’s better to not get married.
- If you thought you only had one shot at marriage and if it didn’t work you could never do it again, people would be a lot more careful with it.
- Disciples say in 19:10 that it’s better to stay single then. The Lord says that’s not exactly the case either in 19:11-12, but they are getting the idea.
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 is the commentary on heeding the spirit before joining yourself to a self centered life that revolves around pleasure and temporary companionship.