And it will not just affect us, but our children as well, as it did with the children of the priests in Malachi's day. The sins of the priests would be visited upon their children just as God had promised. They would be affected by the cursing of God's blessing. Their lives would be forever changed. Their names would be forever marked as the children of the disobedient.
I remember watching a documentary on the life of Hitler's family. Many of his immediate relatives came to the states after the war because they could not stay in Germany do to the threats on their lives. But it would not be as though they were welcome here in the US either. How would they be able to live? They had to change their names, change their identities. They were forever cursed by the name Hitler. That which once was an honorable name is now the very face of evil. So it would be with the priests. Their children would receive the same rebuke as the priests. The same humiliation as their parents would be upon them.
We seldom see how our lives affect our children. Our children notice our lives and how we may profess belief with our mouths and yet live life as if we do not. We talk about the peace that passes all understanding and yet we worry to no end at the least little problem. We talk about being angry and not sinning and yet we get angry and fly into sin. We talk about being generous and not being selfish but when the offering plate comes by or a missionary comes to talk about the needs on the mission field we let the plate pass us. Then we head out the door and go out for lunch. Our children see the inconsistencies that exist between our mouths and our lives. And we wonder why they turn from the faith the first chance they get.
One commentator wrote about the pastorate, but I believe that all parents should take it to heart.
We can rest assured that our children are well aware of whether the things of God are a burden or a blessing to us.
It is a sobering thought to contemplate how many children of pastors have little or no interest in spiritual things because of what they have seen and not seen in the lives of their fathers. Every pastor would do well to consider that he has a congregation at home as well as at church. If the one at home is to turn out well, the children must be able to see that their fathers’ hearts are sincere and true, hearts that truly delight in the things of God. If our children detect that we are mere religious professionals who unfeelingly handle spiritual things, it will not go well with them.
Finally God told the priests that they would be gone from His service. He gave a very vivid description about how He would take the very dung that came from the sacrifices on the altar and smear it all over their faces. In other words, God would put on the outside of their bodies the very vileness and uncleanness of their hearts. Their sins had found them out. They were no longer fit for service and just as the vile parts of the animals were taken outside the camp and done away with so the priests would be.
It was not that the priests ceased to be priests, but rather they lost the privilege to serve. In fact, in chapter 1, verse 13 we are told that this was no privilege to them but a wearisome burden. And God does not desire His work to be wearisome or burdensome upon anyone. His yoke is easy and burden light. He does not desire anyone to serve Him hypocritically. So if His servants do not repent and take to heart His Word, but continue to serve Him in hypocrisy then He will remove them from their burden. And so it will be with us.
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