Malachi 2:1,2 “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. 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.”
In our study this morning, Jehovah has a strong word of warning/rebuke for the Levitical priests because of their blatant transgression by divorcing their Jewish wives and marrying women who worshipped foreign gods. Their bad example emboldened other Jewish men to do the very same thing.
In Ecclesiastes 8:11 we read, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.” (NASB) One of the attributes of God is that He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Thus, Jehovah appeals to them to repent in order to abort the consequences of their sin according to the blessing/curses conditions laid down in Deuteronomy 28.
To address this matter concerning the Jewish men divorcing their Jewish wives and marrying these pagan women, God brings out the sacredness of the covenant of marriage and His desire for the children to learn the ways of The Lord and walk in them.
Both Erza and Nehemiah had to deal with this matter of the Jewish men marrying pagan women. For the men that heeded the warning from God and repented, there would be forgiveness and blessing. For those who would continue on in their self-willed, sinful ways, even the blessings in their lives would be cursed.
“…who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?” (Job 9:4) “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” (Psalm 130:3,4) Selah
