“For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
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
The Lord hates divorce, though He permitted it because of hardness of heart; it was never His approval. The Jews twisted this into license, divorcing their wives for trivial offenses or mere dislike. Some rabbis would not restrain even a man from casting off his first wife if he hated her, though others forbade it. The law in Deuteronomy describes what might happen, not what ought to happen.
AI summary