And this is another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.
The priests cannot evade their guilt by blaming the people's coldness. They were appointed to teach the right way; when they dissembled, their silence was consent, and they robbed God's people of His fear, letting spurious sacrifices corrupt the whole worship. The command falls on them first.
AI summary
Commenting on Malachi 2:1-17
False hearts breed false hands. A man who cheats God in his tithes has already broken his conscience; the bonds that hold him to his brother snap just as easily. These Jews dealt treacherously with one another because they had first dealt treacherously with their God, and by marrying heathen women and casting off their own wives, they violated the sacred covenant itself.
AI summary
Commenting on Malachi 2:10-17
You layer hypocrisy upon hypocrisy: you reject Christ and then cover the altar with tears, feigning humiliation for sins you will not name. God has ended legal sacrifice altogether and will not look at your offerings because your hearts are far from Him.
AI summary