Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Malachi 1:6-9
The Failures Of The Priesthood Which Are Reflected In The People (Malachi 1:6 to Malachi 2:9).
Having declared His love for Israel God now brings out why that love might not have produced what His people expected. And the first reason that is given is the failure of the priesthood in the fulfilment of its responsibilities, especially in regard to the condition of the offerings and sacrifices that they offered. Instead of offering the best of what they produced they were offering the worst.
‘A son honours his father,
And a servant his master.
If then I am a father, where is mine honour?
And if I am a master, where is my fear?'
Says YHWH of hosts to you,
O priests, who despise my name.
And you say,
In what have we despised your name?
With the idea of His Fatherly love in mind God compares the way that a dutiful son honours his father, and a servant honours his master, to the way that the priests treat Him. Is He not their Father? Is He not their Master? Why then do they not honour and fear Him?
Indeed, He says, rather than honouring Him they demonstrate that they despise His Name, that is, they despise what He is as Father and Master and Lord. They are simply unaware of the greatness and glory of the One with whom they have to do. There is no doubt that this is also a very modern problem. It is so easy for even believers to treat God lightly. This then immediately raises the question in the priest's mind. ‘In what have we despised your Name?'
This idea of God as the Father of Israel as a whole is a regular one in the Old Testament. See Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 4:19. Jesus took this a step further by describing Him as the Father of each one who truly believes. But we must beware of assuming that because of this we can treat Him lightly. As God reminds us here. As our Father He expects to be treated with ‘Honour', not as though He was a soft option.
‘You offer polluted food upon my altar.'
And you say, ‘In what have we polluted you?'
In that you say,
‘The table of YHWH is contemptible.'
God's answer is that the fact that they despise His Name is revealed by how the priests are treating Him. This comes out firstly in that they continually offer ‘polluted food' on His altar. This will later be defined in terms of the inadequate and defective condition of animals brought as offerings and sacrifices. But prior to this explanation the priests ask, ‘In what have we polluted You?' Note the emphasis on ‘You'. They clearly recognise that if they have been offering defective sacrifices they are actually polluting YHWH Himself.
The answer is that by their actions they are saying that the Table of YHWH is only worthy of contempt. For by them they are demonstrating that they have nothing but contempt for the Table of YHWH. This may refer to the tables made available for the cutting up of the offerings prior to sacrifice, or it may refer to the brazen altar itself. It must be remembered that in most cases the priests partook of part of the sacrifice. Thus the sacrifices were food for the priests. Or the idea may be that symbolically the offering was seen as food available to God, something of which He ‘partook' as a pleasing odour' (Leviticus 3:16) when the offering was burned on the altar (see Leviticus 3:11; Leviticus 3:16).
‘And when you offer the blind for sacrifice,
It is no evil!
And when you offer the lame and sick,
It is no evil!
Present it now unto your governor,
Will he be pleased with you?
Or will he accept your person?
Says YHWH of hosts.'
He then explains precisely what He means. Instead of choosing out an unblemished offering they offer up one that is blind. And then they say, ‘It is no evil'. Or they offer up one that is lame or sick. And again they say, ‘It is no evil.' It is difficult to believe that they did not realise what they were doing, for the Torah was quite clear about the need for sacrifices to be unblemished (Leviticus 22:20). But it may be that the priests were receiving only blind, lame and sick animals from the people in general (which would thus involve the people as a whole in the charge). Or it may be that somehow they had convinced themselves that it did not really matter, or they may even have used distorted measures of adequacy. Either way God was being insulted.
Indeed this is brought out by the argument that if they offered similar animals to the Governor he would certainly not be very pleased. Nor would it be acceptable to him. He would reject anyone who brought such a gift to him and refuse him audience, or even worse. How then could they expect God to be pleased, or find their offerings acceptable?
The word for ‘governor' is an Akkadian loan word, and indicates that this was an official in the Persian empire.
‘And now, I pray you,
Entreat the favour of God (El),
That he may be gracious to us,
This has been by your means,
Will he accept any of your persons?
Says YHWH of hosts.'
Malachi now interjects (revealed by the ‘us') and says sarcastically, ‘And now (in view of your attitude and of what you are) entreat the favour of God (El - the use of the singular is in order to bring out His mightiness), that He may be gracious to us.' It was one of the main duties of the priests to be intercessors for the people at the daily prayers and at special feasts. But of what use, Malachi is saying, is the intercession of those who are rejected by God? How can we expect any response when using such intercessors? For in view of the offering of these unacceptable sacrifices (‘this has been by your means') do they really think that the Almighty God will accept any of their persons, asks YHWH of hosts?
‘Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors,
That you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain!
I have no pleasure in you, says YHWH of hosts,
Nor will I accept an offering at your hand.
Indeed YHWH is so utterly displeased with their offerings and their behaviour, that He expresses a wish that someone would shut the door that leads into the outer court so that it might become impossible for them to offer sacrifices at all. For He wants them to know that when they kindle the fires of the altar they are wasting their time. He has no pleasure in them (they are totally unacceptable to Him) and under no circumstances will He accept an offering from their hands. In other words, He want the Sanctuary shut down.
The picture is a sad one. Here were the people of Israel, gathered and filled with admiration and awe as these ‘respected' priests offered the offerings and sacrifices, and all the time it would be a sham, and would be totally unacceptable to God. It was not only a total waste of time, it was blasphemy. And it might well be that the people who had brought unacceptable offerings were equally responsible. The whole thing was a charade.
It is a warning to us that in our case also God will not accept from us anything that comes short of our best. We cannot offer Him more than we have, but woe betide us if we do not offer Him the best that we have. If we do He will simply disregard us. No wonder that we complain that God does not answer our prayers.
‘For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same,
My name is/will be great among the Gentiles,
And in every place incense is/will be offered to my name,
And a pure offering,
For my name is/will be great among the Gentiles,
Says YHWH of hosts.
‘But you profane it, in that you say,
The table of YHWH is polluted,
And its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.'
YHWH then looks ahead to the future. They are wondering why YHWH has not brought the Gentiles flocking to worship at their Temple as Haggai had suggested (Haggai 2:6), are they? Well let them now know this. In the future from one end of the world to the other YHWH's Name will be exalted as great among the Gentiles (His true greatness will be recognised), and everywhere incense will be offered to His Name, and a pure offering acceptable to Him will be offered by them, because His Name is recognised as so great among the Gentiles (the greatness of YHWH is a feature of this chapter, see Malachi 1:5; Malachi 1:14). While in contrast they, His supposed priests, are profaning His Name because of the attitude that they have towards His Table, and His offerings and sacrifices. For they instead of indicating that His Name is great, are profaning it, and indicating that His Table is a polluted thing and that its product is to be looked on as contemptible.
The verbs ‘is/will be' are not in the Hebrew text so that the prophet may have in mind both the present and the future, the present in the fact that around the world synagogue worship was probably already causing Gentiles to worship YHWH in prayer and in obedience to the Law and by the offering of themselves and their gifts to Him, and the future in terms of the constant prophecies of blessing among the Gentiles that would both grow from such activities, and especially the blessing and worship that would result from the activities of the Messiah/Servant (Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; etc).
However, the phrase ‘For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same,' points to an eschatalogical and therefore Messianic interpretation. Compare Psalms 50:1; Psalms 113:3; Isaiah 45:6; Isaiah 59:19 which all have in mind great events. And thus the great stress is on what God will finally achieve through His Servant.
We may thus find here a remarkable prophecy of the way in which:
1). The majority of the priesthood will be rejected after the death and resurrection of Jesus, (but with some repenting), just as they are being here.
2). Large numbers of Gentiles will respond and acknowledge the greatness of YHWH and His Name by accepting the once for all offering of Jesus Christ, and then, through Him, offering true prayer to God as the equivalent of incense (compare Psalms 141:2; Revelation 5:8).
3). The resulting continual sacrifice of themselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) on the basis of that offering of Jesus Christ made once for all (Hebrews 9:28; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 10:14).
4) And all quite apart from the Temple.
YHWH's point is that He does not really need the Israelite sacrifices in view of the certainty of what is happening even now ‘worldwide', and of what is to come in even greater measure. Thus their choice as to whether they heed His words or not, while it will certainly affect their own future position, will have no effect at all either on the future worldwide worship of God or on the fulfilment of His intentions. Thus they are not to see themselves as necessary to the fulfilment of His purposes. Whether therefore they respond or not is up to them. If they want to be included in His purposes they will respond. Meanwhile He will be recording in His book of remembrance all the names of those who fear YHWH and think on His Name (Malachi 3:16)
It is also a reminder that being a priest was of no advantage to a man unless his behaviour towards God was genuine. They may have been anointed as belonging to YHWH but they should recognise that it makes not the slightest difference unless their response is true. Man may look at the outward appearance, and even be in awe of it, but God looks at the heart.
We should note here the contrast between Edom and the Gentiles. For Edom their brother tribe there is no future outside Israel (and indeed they would be absorbed into Israel). But as for the Gentiles, the word of God will reach out to them worldwide, and at that time all the world will hear of the Great God of Israel and will respond to Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
‘You say also, Behold, what a weariness is it!
And you have snuffed (sniffed, breathed out) at it, says YHWH of hosts;
And you have brought that which was taken by violence,
And the lame, and the sick,
Thus you bring the offering.
Should I accept this at your hand? says YHWH.'
But in total contrast to the coming wholehearted attitude and response of the Gentiles is the attitude of these priests of Israel. It is one of weariness. Indeed they sniff at each offering, and that at an offering made to YHWH of hosts! Such an indolent and contemptuous attitude towards worship and service often arises from long familiarity with it (compare Isaiah 1:11; Micah 6:6; 1 Samuel 2:12) so that even the most sacred things can become a joke. And in this case the offerings they brought were either those seized from others, or slain by wild beasts (which were thus not seen as suitable for sacrifice - Exodus 22:31), or lame and sick ones. Do they really expect Him to accept these from their hand?
‘But cursed be the cheat, who has in his flock a male,
And vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished thing,
For I am a great King, says YHWH of hosts,
And my name is terrible among the Gentiles.
And it is not only the priests who are guilty. The people too are cheats. For regularly, although they have a stout male in their flock, they make their vow and then sacrifice to their sovereign Lord one that is inferior and blemished. So almost the whole of Israel is caught up in the scam. It is clear that, to them, anything is good enough for God, while they keep the best for themselves. Note the change from YHWH of hosts to sovereign Lord (adonai) to emphasise the greatness of the crime. And this is even further emphasised by the perpetrator of the fraud being ‘cursed'. In these extreme phrases YHWH incorporates all the people in with His casting off of the priests.
Their crime is then emphasised even more by pointing out that while He may not count for much in their eyes, He is in fact a Great King (a title usually used by conquerors of themselves, compare Isaiah 36:4) with a huge reputation among the Gentiles. This may refer to His renown from past doings, the deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 1-15, see Exodus 15:14); the conquest of Canaan (Joshua); the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35); the humiliation of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30) or it may have in mind the great Name that is to be His when the Gentiles in every place offer incense to His Name (Malachi 1:11). It is a reminder that Malachi has his sights set high. It is in the end YHWH's worldwide rule and worship that he has in mind (compare Malachi 1:12; Psalms 2).
The idea of the kingship of YHWH occurs regularly throughout the Old Testament. Compare Numbers 23:21; Numbers 24:7; Exodus 15:18; Deuteronomy 33:5; 1 Samuel 8:7; and regularly in the Psalms (e.g. Psalms 22:28; Psalms 47:2; Psalms 48:2; Psalms 95:3; Psalms 103:19; and often). For ‘YHWH has established His throne in the Heavens and His Kingship rules over all' (Psalms 103:19).
What a warning we should read for ourselves from these words. How easily our worship become perfunctory, how quickly we forget the greatness of the One We worship, how carelessly we can treat our responsibilities on His service, how all too easily we can justify to ourselves the giving to him of second best. We need to wake up and recognise how in doing this we are profaning Him.
‘And now, O you priests,
This commandment is for you.
If you will not hear,
And if you will not lay it to heart,
To give glory to my name,
Says YHWH of hosts,
Then will I send the curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings,
Yes, I have cursed them already,
Because you do not lay it to heart.
Having rebuked them YHWH now calls on them to consider their ways. He has spoken and given His ‘divine command' (mitswah) and it is up to them to hear and respond. But if they will not do so. If they will not begin to bring glory to His Name by carrying out the correct sacrificial procedures with the finest of their animals, and in a right frame of mind, then He will send the curses on them outlined in Deuteronomy 27:26; Deuteronomy 28:15. He will curse their blessings. This may signify that the normal priestly blessing would become a curse both to the pronouncer and on those on whom it was pronounced (Numbers 6:23), or that He would turn the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 into the cursings of Deuteronomy 28.
‘I have cursed them already' may refer to the fact that they were not having good harvests as warned in Deuteronomy 28:15, or to the present condition of Jerusalem with its gates burned with fire after they had rebuilt them. Or indeed to both. And either way it was because they had not laid to heart God's warnings.
‘Behold, I will rebuke your seed (or ‘arm'),
And will spread dung on your faces,
Even the dung of your feasts,
And you will be taken away to it.
And you will know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That my covenant may be with Levi, says YHWH of hosts.
As a result of the failure of both the priests with their careless attitude and the people with their blemished offerings YHWH will ‘rebuke their seed'. This may mean that they will not produce a satisfactory harvest (seed in the sense of grain), something which will affect both the farmers who brought the blemished sacrifices, because their output is diminished, and the priests who offered them, because their share in the firstfruits and other portions will be reduced.
Or the reference may be to their descendants. Their disobedience will not just affect them it will result in YHWH's rebuke and curse on their descendants (Deuteronomy 18:18). This would tie in with their being replaced by the ‘covenant with Levi'.
Alternately we may repoint (change the vowels which were not a part of the original text) to signify ‘rebuke your arm'. In this case it signifies that He will affect their activities so that they cannot carry them out properly. This affecting of their arm movements may account for why the dung (the contents of the stomach and intestines) will be spread on their faces.
The spreading of dung (which should be burned in a clean place) on their faces is signifying very unpleasant treatment. Possibly the idea is that it will be caused by jerky arm actions (‘rebuke your arm') or by the wind blowing it in their faces, or it may simply be intended to be metaphorical indicating that they will be treated like those who have had dung flung on them, or will be treated as dung, to such an extent that they are then carried off to the place of dung. In other words they may think themselves ‘holy' but they will become in His eyes as ‘holy animal dung', fit only to be taken out with other holy remnants and burned (e.g. Leviticus 4:11; Leviticus 16:27), rather than being offered up to YHWH. That is the only ‘holiness' that He will see these ‘holy priests' as having.
Whatever the exact meaning the contempt and diminution that it expresses towards them is clear, and it probably also includes the idea that the dung spread on them will make them patently unfit for duty.
Then, once they have been humiliated, they will know that the command that they had received and disobeyed, and which has resulted in their rejection to the dung heap, was the command of YHWH, and that as a result they will be replaced so that His covenant might be with a new Levi.
The meaning of this latter comes out in what follows. The ministry of the priests having been disgraced, and the sacrificing priests who have so misused the sacrifices having been cast out on the dung heap, the covenant made with Levi in Deuteronomy 33:8 will be renewed with other, worthier, ‘sons of Levi'. In other words from the moment that the priesthood is rejected if they fail to respond to YHWH's warning, a new teaching ministry of ‘Levites', of those uniquely set apart to the service of God, will come into prominence, replacing the old priesthood. And this because the old priesthood have debased the ministry (Malachi 2:8).
(We can call to mind here the words of John the Baptist to those who boasted about being sons of Abraham, ‘God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham' (Matthew 3:9). In the same way here God is saying that He can easily raise up other ‘sons of Levi').
Note on ‘the Covenant of Levi' (Malachi 1:8, compare Malachi 1:4) And The Sons of Levi.
It is significant what Malachi draws out when he refers to ‘the covenant of Levi' (Malachi 1:8). We saw in Malachi 1:12 that there was to be pure worship among the Gentiles ‘in every place' and thus a worship not connected with Jerusalem. Here now there is to be a ministry of the Levites not connected with the old priesthood, a ministry the emphasis of which is not on sacrifice, but on loyalty to YHWH and the proclamation of righteousness and the law of truth (Malachi 1:6). Malachi foresees the old unrepentant priesthood as in some way being replaced so as to introduce a more spiritual ministry.
A ‘covenant with the Levites, the priests, my ministers' is mentioned in Jeremiah 33:20, (compare also Nehemiah 13:29
It was during this period that a rejected Jeremiah, with the assistance of Baruch his ‘secretary' (whose name has been found on a seal as ‘belonging to Berek-yahu, son of Neri-yahu (Neriah), the scribe'), first gathered his prophecies into a book-roll (Jeremiah 36:2), but on these being read to the people by Baruch (Jeremiah 36:5) they were seized and cut up by Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:23), who thereby showed his contempt for them. As a result Jeremiah and Baruch had to go into hiding (Jeremiah 36:26). Nothing daunted Jeremiah then wrote down a longer version (Jeremiah 36:28 ff), and meanwhile his efforts to turn the nation to YHWH in the face of persecution were unceasing (sections of Chapter s 21-49, see e.g. 25-26, 35-36, 45).
The Second Judean Exile, Including The New King Jehoiachin (c. 597 BC).
Inevitably the powerful Babylonians, having recuperated, once again arrived at the gates of Jerusalem, determined to take revenge on Jehoiakim, and Jehoiakim apparently gave himself up, along with some of the Temple treasure, probably thereby hoping to preserve his son's life. Nebuchadnezzar's intention was to carry him off in fetters to BabylonNumbers 20:3, 2 Chronicles 36:6 ff.; Daniel 1:1). Jeremiah may in fact be seen as suggesting otherwise (Jeremiah 22:19). Meanwhile his eighteen year old son Jehoiachin had become king in a city under siege and only reigned for three months, during which time frantic negotiations would have been taking place with the Babylonians. When he did surrender to them he was carried off to Babylon, along with the influential queen mother and further exiles, and even more Temple treasure. He was replaced, at the instigation of Nebuchadnezzar, by Zedekiah, his uncle. (This had no doubt all been part of the agreement reached).
The Third And Final Judean Exile And The Destruction Of The Temple (587 BC).
The reign of Zedekiah was one of continual intrigue, and in the face of it Jeremiah made himself unpopular by constantly warning of the folly of rebelling against the Babylonians (Jeremiah 27:12), only to be seen once again as a traitor and to be harshly dealt with. No one would listen to him as negotiations continued with Egypt, and inevitably, when Zedekiah withheld tribute the Babylonians once again surrounded Jerusalem. After a failed attempt by Egypt to intervene Jerusalem was taken and Zedekiah, his sons having been slain before his eyes, was blinded and carried off to Babylon, along with what was left of the paraphernalia of the Temple. Jerusalem itself was sacked. All that Jeremiah had prophesied had come true (these prophecies are intermingled in Chapter s 21-49, see e.g. Jeremiah 21:1 to Jeremiah 22:30; Jeremiah 23-24, Jeremiah 23:28; Jeremiah 23:37).
The Aftermath.
Nebuchadnezzar then appointed Gedaliah as governor of what remained of Judah, giving Jeremiah (whom he saw as loyal) the option of remaining in Judah or going with him to Babylon. Jeremiah chose to remain in Judah. (See Chapter s 40-42). But within a short period Gedaliah had been assassinated by ruthless opponents (Jeremiah 41:1), and the remnants of the people, fearful of repercussions from Nebuchadnezzar, and against the advice of Jeremiah (chapter 41-42), fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with them (Jeremiah 43:8; Jeremiah 44), rejecting YHWH's offer of the restoration of the covenant. There Jeremiah prophesied the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 43:8
There are important parallels between this ‘covenant' in Deuteronomy 33:8 and that described by Malachi here in Malachi 2:5. Thus we can compare them as follows:
· ‘ Who said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him,' neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor did he know he his own children ' with ‘ And he feared me, and stood in awe of My Name' '.
· ‘ For they have observed your word, and keep your covenant ', with ‘And unrighteousness was not found in his lips, he walked with me in peace and uprightness.'
· ‘ They will teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law, with ‘the law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips --- and he turned many away from iniquity '.
· ‘Smite through the loins of those who rise up against him, and of those who hate him, that they rise not again', with ‘my covenant with him was of life and peace '.
But it will be noted that in Malachi it is the teaching ministry that is being stressed. The more priestly elements have dropped away. The priests who have failed are, unless they respond to YHWH's warning, to be replaced by new ‘sons of Levi', whi will be teachers of righteousness rather than offerers of sacrifices, and this especially in view of the future worldwide worship among the Gentiles.
End of note.
My covenant was with him of life and peace,
And I gave them to him that he might fear,
And he feared me,
And stood in awe of my name.
The law of truth was in his mouth,
And unrighteousness was not found in his lips,
He walked with me in peace and uprightness,
And turned many away from iniquity.
Here is a picture of the ‘ideal' Levi, and the emphasis in Malachi's words is on the fact that unless they respond to YHWH's warning the old priests will be replaced by a new Levi who will do all God's will, and will teach righteousness and truth. The references to sacrifice and incense, and to the Urim and the Thummim (see note above), are dropped out from the old promises, and He concentrates on those to whom He will give life and peace, those who will walk before Him in reverent awe, in whose mouths will be the law of truth, whose lips will be free from unrighteousness, and who will walk in peace and uprightness and turn many away from iniquity.
The thought is thus of an inner core of Israel who will walk righteously and truly, and he may well have had in mind the faithful Servant of Isaiah described in Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:1; Isaiah 50:3; Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12 Who summed up the true Israel in Himself. He would take YHWH's Law to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:4)
‘My covenant was with him of life and peace.' The covenant of ‘life' was made with all in Israel who walked rightly before YHWH (Deuteronomy 30:15), and it was the way that ‘Levi', first in Moses and Aaron, and then as a whole (Deuteronomy 33:26) chose. The result was that YHWH Himself became their inheritance (Deuteronomy 10:9; Joshua 13:33), and theyughout Israel as His servants to minister in His Name. The covenant of ‘peace' is mentioned in , Numbers 25:12; Isaiah 54:10; Ezekiel 34:25; Ezekiel 37:26. In Numbers 25:12 it refers to a special covenant given to one of the tribe of Levi who acted in zealous faith towards YHWH. In Isaiah 54:10 it refers to YHWH's covenant with those who are true to Him by which He will continually do them good. In Ezekiel 34:25 it refers to His covenant with the coming ‘Davidic king' guaranteeing peace and security. And in Ezekiel 37:26 it refers to His everlasting covenant as a result of which they will prosper and enjoy His presence with them for ever more in a new and more holy sanctuary. Thus it is YHWH's covenant with those who are true to Him, and connected with the activity of the coming Davidic King.
‘And I gave them to him that he might fear, and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name.' The idea behind the covenant of life and peace was that of granting of fullness of life and wellbeing and security by YHWH in response to a full-hearted loyalty revealed by those who look to Him, and the purpose of His giving this was that ‘Levi' might ‘fear YHWH, which they did, so that they stood in awe of His Name.' We can see already the contrast with these faithless priests with their haphazard and careless ways.
‘The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity.' And this ‘Levi' with whom YHWH made His covenant was wholly true to the Law, and no word of unrighteousness ever passed his lips. He walked before YHWH in peace and uprightness and turned many from iniquity.' That there had been such Levites, even though we have not been told of them, must have been so for a righteous remnant continually to survive in Israel, especially in the early days before the prophets. And it would be true again once the prophets had ceased operating. They were the unknown, unsung, faithful servants of YHWH who stood true when others were going astray. And YHWH's point here is that, unless the priests repent, they will be replaced by those who are in this way truer to the ways of the ideal ‘Levi' those whose lives reveal that they are true ‘sons of Levi'
That this ideal was fulfilled in Jesus Christ need hardly be stressed. The law of truth was in His mouth (compare Isaiah 49:2; Isaiah 50:4; John 14:6) and He was indeed the only One of Whom it could be said that ‘no unrighteousness passed through His lips' (compare Isaiah 53:9), but it was, of course, also true to a large extent in His Apostles once they had been anointed by the Holy Spirit. They received the covenant of life and peace, feared the Lord and stood in awe of His Name, had in their mouths the law of truth, abjured unrighteousness, walked before God in peace and uprightness and turned many from iniquity. Thus did they finally become the replacements of the old priesthood, the true ‘sons of Levi' (those who were like the ideal' Levi).
‘For the priest's lips should keep knowledge,
And they should seek the law at his mouth,
For he is the messenger of YHWH of hosts.
But you are turned aside out of the way,
You have caused many to stumble in the law,
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,
Says YHWH of hosts.'
YHWH now applies this ideal to the priests. He begins by outlining what they should be. Their lips should be keeping knowledge, and they should be constantly seeking YHWH's Instruction from His very lips, because they are the appointed messengers of YHWH. What a privilege was theirs. And so their whole thought and aspiration should be on knowing His truth so that they can pass it on.
We have practical examples of how they did this in 2 Chronicles 17:7 when Jehoshaphat sent out teachers, which included Levites, to teach the book of the Law of YHWH to the people. Compare also Nehemiah 8:8.
But what was the truth of the matter concerning these priests to whom he is speaking? It was that instead of ‘keeping knowledge' and passing it on, they themselves have turned aside out of the way. It was that instead of seeking His Instruction at His mouth they had caused many to stumble in that Instruction. And they had done it because instead of being true messengers of YHWH they had corrupted the covenant of Levi. That is His indictment.
‘Therefore have I also made you contemptible,
And base before all the people,
According as you have not kept my ways,
But have had respect of persons in the law.
And that is why He has (prophetically speaking of something in the future) made then contemptible, flinging dung in their faces, and that is why He will make them base before all people. It is because they have not kept His ways, and walked in them and taught them, and it is because they have had respect of persons in the Law.
This last charge is a new one, capping off all the remainder of their iniquities. Instead of being fair and just and open minded, and treating all God's people alike, they have shown respect of persons in their interpretation of God's Instruction. They have been faithless messengers.
And now his words to the priests are over, and they are left to ponder them. But they have had their warning, and unless they take heed they will be replaced. That they did not finally take heed we know, and the Chief Priests were among the most vehement opponents of Jesus and His Apostles. And thus their ministry was brought to an abrupt end, and they were replaced by the ‘new Levi' in the persons of the righteous preachers of the early church, something which has continued to this day. But this warning equally applies to modern preachers. If they too prove unfaithful, they too will suffer the same fate.