God's Peace Contract: Part 3 (Malachi 2.1-9)

The Failing
But that zeal was gone in Malachi's day. That ship had sailed long ago. These priests despised God's name. They made a mockery of God's name among the people. Aaron, Eleazar, Phinehas and all the rest back in the day were all about the great name of the LORD. They taught the people to revere it and to fear it and to love and adore it. They instructed the people on the Law. Their delight was seeing the people live uprightly before God. But not the priests in Malachi's day. Their actions and their words and every role of the eyes and every huff and puff taught the people that God was tiny and insignificant and was someone just to be put up with.
But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction," (Malachi 2.8-9, ESV).
And since that is who God was to them, that is what God would make them to everyone else.
But here is really where the priests began to fail. God brings it to light. "Inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction" (v. 9). In other words, the priests began to care more about what people thought of them than they did about God's Word. They showed partiality, which means they became respecters of persons, and so they did not keep God's ways. The people became more important to them than to God. And so they failed.
And so it has become with the church. We care more about what people think than we do about God's glory. We care more about what people think than we do about His Word. We care more about what people think than we do about the gospel. We care more about what people think than we do about obedience.
I wonder what the Hebrew midwives in Egypt would say about our partiality to this love this world offers, as we read, "But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live" (Exodus 1.17, ESV). I wonder what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, would say about our fear of rejection. " If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up," (Daniel 3.17-18, ESV). I wonder what Peter and John would say to our lack of boldness in matters of proclaiming the good news. "But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard,” (Acts 4.19-20, ESV). I wonder what Paul would say of our desire to appease our unbelieving friends, family, and coworkers. "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ," (Galatians 1.10, ESV).