Did Not He Make One? Malachi 2:15

The nation of Israel wondered why the Lord would not receive their offerings and sacrifices even though they went to the altar with tears, weeping and crying out. Malachi the prophet recorded the Lord's words to them which included indictments against the people and their priests for offering their worship with contempt and dealing with their wives treacherously. In chapter two and verse fifteen, Malachi continues the Lord's words concerning the way they were treating their wives where we read:

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.

The verse begins, “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit.” The Lord begins this verse with a question, “And did not he make one?” which in context refers to the two people becoming “one” in marriage. Some believe it is a reference to the nation of Israel being the “one” nation through whom the entire world would be blessed, and the phrase “Yet had he the residue of the spirit” seems to imply this idea. God's spirit “rested” or was a “remnant of” the marriage union and the beginning of the nation of Israel. In other words, when the married couple came together and the nation of Israel became His, God's spirit was part of that union.

The verse goes on to say, “And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed.” There was a purpose and reason for the married couple and the nation of Israel to stay as “one”. The Lord desired a “godly” which means “divine and true” “seed” which refers to “offspring, descendants, posterity, or children”. If the married couple deals treacherously with one another, the descendants of the couple will be affected. Therein lies the origin of many children's behavior today. 

Finally the verse says, “Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.” As a conclusion to the statements made above, the Lord instructed the nation of Israel to “take heed” which means “pay attention to, regard, or be cautious and conscious of” “your spirit” which is the “breath” of God within them, and “let none deal treacherously” which again means “deceitfully,  faithlessly, or offensively” “against the wife of his youth”. Whenever the Lord repeats a phrase we would do well to observe it attentively.

The Lord God had a purpose in making a married couple and the nation of Israel as “one”. He desired “Godly” descendants from them. The ultimate “Godly seed” was Jesus, and if married couples or the nation treated one another treacherously, they were violating the path by which He would come. As we consider these words, let us once again examine our own lives to discover if we treat anyone treacherously, and as example of Jesus Christ in this world, let us always “take heed” to our “spirits” and be ready to hear what the Lord would say to us at any time.

Next time the Lord talks about “putting away” or divorce, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.