Malachi at the beginning of chapter 2 is speaking primarily to the Jews of Judah. They will not have been sufficiently fervent in their worship of the Almighty. The non-Religious Jews are being censured in these passages.
[Malachi 2:1] AND NOW O YE PRIESTS [hebrew "Ha-Cohanim," i.e. religious officates], THIS COMMANDMENT IS FOR YOU.
[Malachi 2:2] 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.
[Malachi 2:3] BEHOLD, I WILL CORRUPT YOUR SEED, AND SPREAD DUNG UPON YOUR FACES, EVEN THE DUNG OF YOUR SOLEMN FEASTS; AND ONE SHALL TAKE YOU AWAY WITH IT.
[Malachi 2:4] AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I HAVE SENT THIS COMMANDMENT UNTO YOU, THAT MY COVENANT MIGHT BE WITH LEVI, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS.
[Malachi 2:5] MY COVENANT WAS WITH HIM OF LIFE AND PEACE; AND I GAVE THEM TO HIM FOR THE FEAR WHEREWITH HE FEARED ME, AND WAS AFRAID BEFORE MY NAME.
[Malachi 2:6] 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.
[Malachi 2:7] 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.
This passage is considered by some to refer to Aharon the brother of Moses. Both Moses and Aharon were from the Tribe of Levi. Nevertheless it could also apply to Levites in general. Descendants of Levi are prominent among Jewish Rabbinical Scholars. So too, are descendants of David many of whom are to be found in the Hareidi (Ultra-Orthodox Communities) in Israel and about 20% of whom are red-haired. David was also red-haired (1-Samuel 16:12, 17:42).
In the future they will be blessed.
Jeremiah (NKJV) 33: 22 AS THE HOST OF HEAVEN CANNOT BE NUMBERED, NOR THE SAND OF THE SEA MEASURED, SO WILL I MULTIPLY THE DESCENDANTS OF DAVID MY SERVANT AND THE LEVITES WHO MINISTER TO ME.
[Malachi 2:8] BUT YE ARE DEPARTED OUT OF THE WAY; YE HAVE CAUSED MANY TO STUMBLE AT THE LAW; YE HAVE CORRUPTED THE COVENANT OF LEVI, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS.
[Malachi 2:9] 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.
[Malachi 2:10] HAVE WE NOT ALL ONE FATHER? HATH NOT ONE GOD CREATED US? WHY DO WE DEAL TREACHEROUSLY EVERY MAN AGAINST HIS BROTHER, BY PROFANING THE COVENANT OF OUR FATHERS?
[Malachi 2:11] JUDAH HATH DEALT TREACHEROUSLY, AND AN ABOMINATION IS COMMITTED IN ISRAEL AND IN JERUSALEM; FOR JUDAH HATH PROFANED THE HOLINESS OF THE LORD WHICH HE LOVED, AND HATH MARRIED THE DAUGHTER OF A STRANGE GOD.
Many Russian immigrants to Israel are married to Gentile women. Many are themselves offspring of Gentile women. Many of the Gentile offspring are responsible for crime, drunkeness, prostitution, and anti-semitism. This phenomenon is downplayed by the Press for social reasons. One of the motives for bringing in so many non-Jews is to dilute the influence of the Religious Jews in Israel and to counter their high birthrate.
[Malachi 2:12] THE LORD WILL CUT OFF THE MAN THAT DOETH THIS, THE MASTER AND THE SCHOLAR, OUT OF THE TABERNACLES OF JACOB, AND HIM THAT OFFERETH AN OFFERING UNTO THE LORD OF HOSTS.
'THE MASTER AND THE SCHOLAR.' The intellectuals are often the worst. It is the intellectuals very often who lead an irrational struggle against the Torah. They are favorable to the Palestinians at the expense of the Jews. Also in the Holocaust intellectuals and criminals were predominant amongst Jews who assisted the Nazis in exterminating their own people. It should be remembered however that even though there were traitors amongst the Jews, the impression is that any other people in similar circumstances would have reacted (on the whole) worse than the Jews did.
[Malachi 2:13] AND THIS HAVE YE DONE AGAIN, COVERING THE ALTAR OF THE LORD WITH TEARS, WITH WEEPING, AND WITH CRYING OUT, INSOMUCH THAT HE REGARDETH NOT THE OFFERING ANY MORE, OR RECEIVETH IT WITH GOOD WILL AT YOUR HAND.
[Malachi 2:14] YET YE SAY, WHEREFORE? BECAUSE THE LORD HATH BEEN WITNESS BETWEEN THEE AND THE WIFE OF THY YOUTH, AGAINST WHOM THOU HAST DEALT TREACHEROUSLY: YET IS SHE THY COMPANION, AND THE WIFE OF THY COVENANT.
[Malachi 2:15] AND DID NOT HE MAKE ONE? YET HAD HE THE RESIDUE OF THE SPIRIT. AND WHEREFORE ONE? THAT HE MIGHT SEEK A GODLY SEED. THEREFORE TAKE HEED TO YOUR SPIRIT, AND LET NONE DEAL TREACHEROUSLY AGAINST THE WIFE OF HIS YOUTH.
[Malachi 2:16] FOR THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, SAITH THAT HE HATETH PUTTING AWAY: FOR ONE COVERETH VIOLENCE WITH HIS GARMENT, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS: THEREFORE TAKE HEED TO YOUR SPIRIT, THAT YE DEAL NOT TREACHEROUSLY.
[Malachi 2:17] YE HAVE WEARIED THE LORD WITH YOUR WORDS. YET YE SAY, WHEREIN HAVE WE WEARIED HIM? WHEN YE SAY, EVERY ONE THAT DOETH EVIL IS GOOD IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, AND HE DELIGHTETH IN THEM; OR, WHERE IS THE GOD OF JUDGMENT?
We have to tell the truth. We should not be hypocritical. If something is bad do not condone it. Evil is evil and needs to be excoriated. None of us know how much time we still have in this world. We all need to do the best we can with what we have. At the least to do good when we can do it and to refrain from evil. Many times we say things that are unnecessary. It is often better to say nothing at all if we cannot say anything good. Criticism however is sometimes needed. There are no hard and fast rules. A good attitude will usually have positive results so that is what we should try for.
