Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “Unless they worship the Lord, all worship will be perverted and profane.”

AC 10037 [4]

• “…‘to embrace dunghills’ denotes to learn and choose falsities…In Malachi…2:2, 3…‘to scatter dung upon the faces’ denotes to defile the interiors of life with the falsities of evil; ‘the dung of feasts’ denotes to defile the holy things of worship.”

AC 1038 [3]

• “In Malachi…2:4…‘Levi’ in the supreme sense is the Lord, and hence the man who has love and charity…”

AE 365 [26]

• “In Malachi…2:4…‘Levi’ signifies all who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself, because that good is from Him; here the Lord Himself is meant.”

AE 444 [12]

• “That ‘Levi’ in the highest sense signifies the Lord in relation to love and mercy, is evident in Malachi…2:4…Here ‘Levi’ in the highest sense means the Lord in respect to His Divine Human…”

Derived Doctrine

“And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.”

• The word “commandment” needs our attention. Is the Lord referring to the Decalogue, or does He mean “listen to this command I am about to give you”?
• The Decalogue is “in a brief summary a complex of all those things of religion by means of which there is conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord.” (Doctrine of Life 54)
• To “command” signifies to prepare and do, or to act according to the word of the Lord (AC 783). To “go and do” signifies to obey Truth Divine and to do so from the will (AC 7944-7945).
• “Priests” of Aaron and of the Levites represent the work of salvation in successive order. The priesthood of Aaron represents the work of salvation of those in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and the priests represented by the Levites are the work of salvation proceeding from the former. See AC 10017.

“If you will not hear and if you will not take it to heart…”

• “Hear,” in the positive sense, signifies that one who understands should obey what the Word teaches. To “hear” is to perceive and to obey (AR 87). From this, we can see that to “not hear” represents an unwillingness to perceive and obey.
• To take to “heart” signifies doing the will of the Lord from love and freedom (AC 9460). Having a stony or stubborn heart signifies the presence of impurity and the presence of things that would impede the influx of good and truth (AC 7225 [2]).

“…to give glory to My name…”

• To “give glory” to the Lord signifies that the Lord desires the surrender of a person’s heart and worship of Him from those who love Him (AE 175 [6-7]).
• His “name” signifies the sum of all His qualities, love and faith, by which He is to be worshiped (AC 2724).

“…says the Lord of hosts.”

• Have you noticed how many times this phrase is used in the prophecy of Malachi? Please make note of this phrase because it signifies the church in its whole complex by which the Lord removes the hells in general and with everyone in particular (AE 734 [8]).

“I will send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart.”

• The word “curse” appears three times in this verse. The number three signifies what is holy, and it signifies the state of repentance, which is essential (AC 900 and 901).
• Would it be appropriate for us to consider the trine of love, wisdom, and use in this context? Could the “curse” occurring here represent a statement of judgment by the Lord about their love, wisdom, and use?
• “Curse” signifies that the sensuous has “averted itself from that which is heavenly, turned itself to that which is of the body, and thus cursed itself” (AC 245).

“Behold, I will rebuke your descendants…”

• “Behold” signifies thought, reflection, acknowledgment, and confession. “Behold” what? The Lord and His presence. See AC 2329 and 3711.
• The Lord, in Revelation 3:19, said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” These words, “rebuke” and “chasten,” signify that those who are being regenerated must face temptations “because without them, negations and confirmations against Divine truth could not be extirpated.” (AR 215) In AE 342, we are taught that “rebuke” signifies the desolation of all truth.
• We can understand more of the meaning of “rebuke your descendants” when we read a passage in TCR 103 [2]. “Since the soul of man is the man himself, and is spiritual in its origin, it is evident why the mind, disposition, nature, inclination, and affection of the father’s love dwell in offspring after offspring and return and display themselves from generation to generation…And it is only by means of the spiritual things of the church that this likeness is changed.” (emphasis added) With this teaching in mind, can we see why the Lord needed to rebuke the descendants? Only the Lord, His Word, and His church can change the tendencies of hereditary evils that are passed on from generation to generation.

“…and spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your solemn feasts; and one will take you away with it.”

• A “face” signifies the interiors of the mind (HH 457 and AE 381).
• “Dung” (refuse) signifies what is unclean, “consequently evil and falsity, for in the spiritual sense these are unclean because all that is useless and worn out of the food goes into dung.” (AC 10037) In AE 617, we read that “dung” signifies the adulteration of Divine truth.
• Putting these teachings together, we can see that the Lord was telling the people that all of the useless and wasted things of the interior of their minds would become plainly seen by all as if they were written on their faces. Their adulteration of truth would be exposed by the Lord.
• “Feasts,” in the positive sense, have various representations. Let’s look at two passages that seem to sum up the representation of feasts. AC 2341 teaches that feasts represent nothing else than the Lord’s dwelling with people in the holy things of love. AC 5161 teaches that feasts were held to signify the initiation into mutual love and thus conjunction with the Lord. Considering these teachings, can we then see the negative aspect of our passage? Their solemn feasts were not for the purpose of giving the Lord a dwelling place within their heart, nor were they interested in His holy things of love. They did not wish to be initiated into mutual love or conjunction. It was all a show and, therefore, the “refuse” of a solemn feast in the eyes of the Lord.

“…and one will take you away with it.”

• Who is the one who will take them away? Is it the Lord, or is it hell? “One” is almost always ascribed to the Lord. “One” is that which is perfect. To “take away” signifies to remove every good and truth of the church, leaving no power to resist falsities (AE 727 [12]). To “take away” signifies to destroy defending truths (AC 10540).

“Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you…”

• When it is revealed to the children of Israel that they have no power or defending truths left, will their feeling that they are acting from themselves change to awareness that without the Lord they are nothing?
• Is this verse a “wake-up call” for the church?

“…that My covenant with Levi may continue…”

• A historical note must be appended here before we look at correspondences. “My covenant with Levi” goes back to a time at Mt. Sinai when Levi was faithful to the Lord in spite of the sin of Israel and the golden calf. For Levi’s fidelity, the Lord made a covenant with him and his descendants. The Lord promised him life and peace and a name that would be feared. “The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to Him and to bless His name, to this day. Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance…” (Deuteronomy 10:8-9)
• So, in the historical sense, the Lord was making a spiritual contrast for Israel to reflect upon. What is the state of the fidelity of the priesthood? How far have you come from the pristine order of the priesthood as established by the Lord? Is the Lord still your only inheritance, or have you made profit and prestige your desired inheritance?
• We also have Exodus 32:25-29, Numbers 3:45, Numbers 18:21-24, and Deuteronomy 33:8-11 as references to the Lord’s covenant with Levi. 
• “That ‘covenant’ signifies nothing else than regeneration and the things pertaining to regeneration, is evident from various passages in the Word where the Lord Himself is called the ‘Covenant,’ because it is He alone who regenerates, and who is looked to by the regenerate man, and is the all in all of love and faith.” (AC 665 and 666)
• The phrase “That My covenant…may continue” speaks for itself. The Lord wanted the priesthood to serve Him and to make it a high priority to feed the people with the truths of the Word so that the Lord might be the “all in all” of their love and faith.

“…says the Lord of hosts.”

• This portion of the text is highlighted again. Why are these words used so often in Malachi’s prophecy? To remind us that the Lord has a zeal to remove the hells from everyone and the church. He wants purity to return to the forms of worship offered up by His children. He wants good and truth to inspire and lift all in their daily uses of life.

Putting It All Together

To pull things together, let’s pay close attention to the orders of the Lord as outlined in the literal sense. We will first look at the orders from the positive sense:

1. Priests, listen to My commandments.
2. Hear and take heart.
3. Rebuke your descendants.
4. Know My commandment.
5. Return to My covenant.
6. The covenant of the Lord is the “all in all” of love and faith.

Listening to and obeying the command of the Lord is essential for the priestly acts of worship within us. The Lord desires us to perceive the things of the Word with a willing heart. “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do and hear” is a song we have learned from childhood. We still sing it today. The words and meaning of that song preserve the simplicity of what the Lord wishes for us. He wants us to trust and obey Him.

The command to rebuke our descendants refers to the inherited tendencies toward evil that we all carry with us. The doctrines teach us that “only by means of spiritual things of the church” can these tendencies be changed by “inherited tendencies toward good.”

How are we changed?

“Know My commandments.” Return to “My covenant.” Let “My covenant” continue.

To have less then this spirit brings the negative aspects into focus. The Word offers this order of what happens to those who are obstinately negative:

1. If you will not listen and take heart, a curse will come upon you and your blessings.
2. Your descendants will be rebuked.
3. Refuse will be spread on faces.
4. Refuse will be spread on the solemn feasts.
5. Those with a stony heart and unwilling spirit will be carried away.

If we refuse the order of the Lord, the curse of the sensual takes over our priorities. The “curse” of the sensual person will “avert” us from the heavenly spheres of the Lord. The refuse or dung on the face signifies the defiling of the interiors of life with the falsities of evil, and the refuse or dung on the solemn feasts represents the defiling of the holy things of worship.

This then brings us to the understanding of what is meant by being “carried away.” The unwilling and obstinate spirit will not choose the Lord. That kind of spirit flees from the presence of the Lord. Away, away, away from the Lord is what the cold heart desires.

P&P calls us to consider the meaning of these passages: “Unless they worship the Lord, all worship will be perverted and profaned.”

Read and Review

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Malachi 2:1-4.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• Is the priest within our earthly temple listening to the commandments of the Lord? Is the perpetual fire of worship burning? Have only holy embers kept the fire going, or have “strange” coals been added?

• Do we see the rebuking of our descendants going on as we regenerate? Resisting the tendency toward inherited evils is the battle of a lifetime. One by one, the Lord introduces them when we are ready to face them. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” seems like a necessary part of regeneration. But, it is not something we look forward to. How do you see the meaning of “rebuke and chasten”?

• “Command” is a loaded word. It has been noted by researchers that we have a built-in “command resistance” tendency. What they mean by this is that if authority comes on too strong, we zig when it tells us to zag. Do you remember a parable of the Lord about two sons? The father asked each son to go work in the field. The first son said, “No.” Later, he reflected on his negative reaction and went and did the work. The second son said, “Yes,” but then he never went. I’m sure we all see the implications of this parable. Do we not only see it but live it as well?

• The image of dung on the face and solemn feasts is quite graphic. Without the internal sense, it might offend our senses. Is the Lord trying to awaken us with these references?

• How do you understand the references to “curses”? It sounds as if the Lord is doing the cursing. In fact, it is the people who bring the curse on themselves. It seems the hells want us to put blame on the Lord for everything. What is your understanding of these “curses”?

• By now, have you gotten the message of the meaning of “says the Lord of hosts”? It is a phrase we are not finished hearing, so we need to put a “book mark” on it as we read on with Malachi’s prophecy.

• The Lord’s covenant is to be the “all in all” of our love and faith. How can we do this? Worship, study, and application to life seem like the ways to do this. There are obstacles that block or interfere with good intentions to study—schedules, fear of our ignorance, looking for easier tasks, wanting others to explain it for us. Do these obstacles attempt to block you from doing a daily study?

 Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “Through the Word it is granted them to have conjunction with the Lord, who is here meant by ‘Levi.’”

AC 3875 [4]

• “…in the supreme sense ‘Levi’ signifies the Lord’s Divine love or mercy, and in the internal sense spiritual love, therefore the tribe of Levi was made the priesthood; for in the internal sense of the Word the ‘priesthood’ is nothing else than the holy of love…” Malachi 2:4, 5, 8, 9 are cited.

AE 701 [9]

• “‘The covenant of Jehovah with Levi’ signifies in the highest sense the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and in a relative sense, the Lord’s conjunction with the church; for by ‘Levi’ as by ‘David’ the Lord is meant, but ‘Levi’ means the Lord in relation to Divine good, which is the priesthood of the Lord, and ‘David’ in relation to Divine truth, which is the royalty of the Lord…‘A covenant of life and of peace’ signifies that union and that conjunction…from which the Lord Himself became life and peace, from which man has eternal life, and peace from the infestation by evils and falsities, thus by hell. What is signified by ‘His fear’ may be seen above (n. 696). Those who live contrary to Divine truth are meant by ‘ye have turned aside out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi;’ ‘to turn aside out of the way and to stumble in the law’ signifies to live contrary to Divine truth, and ‘to corrupt the covenant of Levi’ signifies to corrupt conjunction with the Lord.” Malachi 2:7 is cited.

AR 306

• “…when man is in the Lord, he is in peace with his neighbor, which is charity; in protection against the hells, which is spiritual security; and when he is in peace with his neighbor, and in protection against the hells, he is in internal rest from evils and falsities.” Malachi 2:4-5 is cited.

AE 365 [26]

• “In Malachi…2:4-6…‘Levi’ signifies all who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor; and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself, because that good is from Him…‘The covenant of life and peace’ signifies the union of His Divine with His Divine Human, from which union is all life and peace…”

AE 444 [12]

• “…that ‘Levi’ in the highest sense signifies the Lord in relation to love and mercy, is evident in Malachi…2:4-8…Here ‘Levi’ in the highest sense means the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, for it is said of Levi, that ‘the law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips,’ and that ‘the priest’s lips they shall seek the law from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Jehovah of Hosts;’ therefore ‘the covenant of Levi’ means conjunction with the Lord through love and charity; ‘the covenant of life and peace’ signifies that conjunction; ‘fear,’ which is also predicated of Him signifies love. ‘The priest’s lips they shall seek the law from his mouth’ signifies that all truth of doctrine is from the Lord, and is with such as are in love to Him. He is called ‘the messenger of Jehovah’ because of the Divine truth that the Lord teaches in the Word and through the Word; ‘they turned aside out of the way and caused many to stumble in the law, they corrupted the covenant of Levi,’ signifies that the church that was among the Israelites perverted the truths of the Word and the goods of life therefrom, and thus destroyed conjunction with the Lord; ‘way’ signifying the truths of doctrine, ‘law’ its goods, and the ‘covenant of Levi’ conjunction with the Lord.”

AC 3623 [2]

• “The reason why here and in other passages lives are spoken of in the plural, is that there are two faculties of life in man; one of which is called the understanding, and is of truth; and the other of which is called the will, and is of good; these two lives or faculties of life make a one when the understanding is of the will, or what is the same, when truth is of good…” Malachi 2:5 is cited.

AR 527

• “…every one who loves also fears to do evil to him whom he loves. Genuine love is not given without that fear. Therefore he who loves the Lord fears to do evils, because evils are contrary to Him…That ‘to fear God’ signifies to love the things which are of God, by doing them, and by not willing to do those which are against Him…” Malachi 2:5 is cited as an example.

AE 696 [16]

• “In Malachi…2:5…‘Levi’ means here the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, and ‘the covenant of life and peace’ signifies the union of His Divine with Himself, and ‘fear’ and ‘to fear’ signifies holy truth, with which there is union.”

AC 2826 [7]

• “In Malachi…2:5, 6…where the Lord is treated of, who here in the internal sense is ‘Levi;’ ‘Levi’ signifies the priesthood, and signifies love; ‘fear’ here denotes the good of Divine love; the ‘law of truth,’ truth; and ‘peace and uprightness,’ both.”

AE 97

• “That in the Word ‘ways’ signify truths or falsities, and ‘walking’ signifies living, may be seen from many passages…” Malachi 2:6 is cited.

AC 1286 [4]

• “In Malachi…2:6, 7…This is said of Levi, by whom the Lord is represented; ‘lips’ denote doctrine from charity.”

AE 130 [8]

• “…in Malachi…2:7…He is said to be the ‘angel of Jehovah,’ because he teaches Divine truth; not that he is the angel of Jehovah, but the Divine truth that he teaches is. Moreover, it is known in the church that no one has Divine truth from himself. ‘Lips’ also here signify the doctrine of truth, and ‘law’ Divine truth itself.” 

AE 701 [9]

• Malachi 2:4-6, 8 is cited, followed by this explanation. “‘A covenant of life and peace’ signifies that union and that conjunction…from which the Lord Himself becomes life and peace, from which man has eternal life, and peace from the infestation by evils and falsities, thus by hell…Those who live contrary to Divine truth are meant by ‘ye have turned aside out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi;’ ‘to turn aside out of the way and to stumble in the law signifies to live contrary to Divine truth, and ‘to corrupt the covenant of Levi’ signifies to corrupt conjunction with the Lord.”

Derived Doctrine

Almost all that we need to understand in the spiritual sense of these verses was given to us. There was just one short sentence needing our attention:

“…he…was reverent before My name.”

• There are no passages we can use for the signification of “reverent.” However, we know the qualities inherent in reverence. Reverence involves respect, honesty, humility, a sense of awe, and a spirit of willingness to obey the Lord. “Before My name” represents having reverence for the sum of all things that signify the Lord’s qualities (AC 2724). Reverence doesn’t include a competitive or combative attitude. Instead, there is a willingness to accede to the holiness of His Infinite qualities.

Putting It All Together

When you look over chapter two of Malachi, verses 5 to 7 of Malachi, note the use of pronouns—him, he, his, his mouth, his lips—and of “priest” and “messenger.” The Writings clearly teach us that all of these pronouns have reference to the Lord. By “Levi,” the Lord is meant.

As I read these verses, my mind turned to the wording of John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Notice the use of the pronouns in that passage. Don’t we have somewhat the same style of message in Malachi, too? Try putting the Lord’s name in place of all of the pronouns of our verses from Malachi. Think of love and wisdom expressing to us how they are conjoined and ready to help us find life and peace through the Word.

My (Love) covenant was with the Lord (Wisdom) from His advent.
I (Love) gave it to the Lord (Wisdom) from His advent.
My Wisdom will Love Me.
The law was in the Lord’s mouth.
Injustice was not found on the lips of the Lord.
The Lord walked in peace and equity
The Lord turned many away from iniquity.
People should seek the law from the mouth of the Lord.
The Lord is the messenger—He is the Lord of hosts.

AR 306 sums up the meaning of the prophecy of Malachi in this way: “When a person is in the Lord, he is at peace with his neighbor, which is charity, in protection against the hells, which is spiritual security; and when he is in peace with his neighbor, and in protection against the hells, he is in internal rest from evils and falsities.”

P&P sums up these verses with these words: “Through the Word it is granted them to have conjunction with the Lord, who is meant by ‘Levi.’” 

This part of the Lord’s prophecy is an invitation to be conjoined with Him through the Word. Those who desire such a conjunction will have life and peace.

Read and Review

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Malachi 2:5-7.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• Were you able to put the Lord in the place of Levi and the various pronouns? Did it help you see more of the spiritual sense?

• I found this exercise to be a wonderful opening of the Word. It helped me see the Glorification process being explained to the church.

• Did you find AR 306 a passage worth keeping handy to quote? Peace, security, protection, and rest from evils and falsities: these are words of comfort when we feel overwhelmed with temptation.

• The Lord is inviting us to have conjunction with Him through the Word. I believe that what we are doing in this study guide is so important. How about you?

Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “They have departed from the Word, and have thereby dissolved the conjunction.”

AE 412 [25]

• Showing partiality signifies “In Malachi…2:9…to have the mind better disposed towards, and to show more favor to superiors, the rich, and friends, than to inferiors, the poor, and enemies.”

AC 2005

• “In Malachi…2:10…To ‘create’ denotes to regenerate…”

AC 3704 [3]

• “In Malachi…2:10…where in the internal sense ‘to create’ signifies to regenerate…and as the Lord is the only Regenerator and Redeemer, it is He who is here called ‘Father’ and ‘God.’”

AE 294 [11]

• “In Malachi…2:10…‘hath created us’ signifies hath reformed that they might be a church; therefore it is said, ‘wherefore do we act perfidiously?’”

AC 8999

• Acting treacherously is acting “contrary to truth Divine, or what is the same, contrary to the laws of Divine order…In heaven the laws of Divine order are truths, for Divine order…proceeds from the Lord.” Malachi 2:10, 11, 14, and 15 are cited as examples.

Derived Doctrine

“But you have departed from the way; you have caused many to stumble at the law.”

• When anyone “departs from the way,” a spiritual change occurs within that person. Consider this teaching from AE 406 [2]: “…all cognitions of truth and good and the confirming knowledges (scientifica) that man from infancy has imbibed from the Word and from teachers, will change their places and their state in the natural man and perish out of sight when falsities enter.” (emphasis added)
• “Way,” in the positive sense, signifies following doctrine by which one is instructed, or led, into a deeper understanding of truth (AC 2231).
• In AE 444 [12], we have an explanation of the passage from Malachi 2:4-8 that contains almost the same words as our present text: “‘they turned aside out of the way and caused many to stumble in the law, they corrupted the covenant of Levi,’ signifies that the church that was among the Israelites perverted the truths of the Word and the goods of life therefrom, and those destroyed conjunction with the Lord; ‘way’ signifying the truths of doctrine, ‘laws’ its goods, and the ‘covenant of Levi’ conjunction with the Lord.”
• “Stumble” signifies to change truth into falsities and to fall thereby. “Stumble” also refers to those who should teach truths from the Word, but teach falsities. See AE 624.

“You have corrupted the covenant of Levi…”

• Let’s pause long enough to notice where the responsibility for the corruption of the covenant rests. The Lord isn’t at fault. “You” represents priests. “You” represents Israel.
• The “covenant of Levi” was “the way” the Lord laid out for their regeneration. The priests changed the way. They stumbled by teaching falsities as truths and truths as falsities and, thus, broke the covenant.

“…says the Lord of hosts.”

• Here is that oft-stated phrase to call our attention to the zeal and intention of the Lord to remove hell from everyone and the church (AE 734 [8]).

“Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base before all the people...”

• “Contempt” signifies a state of mind. “Contempt” represents a spiteful mind that takes delight in turning from good and utterly despises the Lord’s truth (AC 3322 [7]).
• “Base” or “vile” signifies that the Lord was going to show the inward evil that had been covered in an external pretense of a good life. See the basket of figs example in AE 403 [19].

The remaining portions of these verses were covered above in the direct quotes from the Writings.

Putting It All Together

What point should we start with to pull things together? The bottom line is that the priesthood and the church picked another “way” to follow and turned their backs on the Lord’s way. They chose a road of favoritism because they felt it was more advantageous to them. Their choices over the years changed what they had learned from childhood. What the Word taught, what their teachers had shared with them perished. Falsities had changed places with these truths in their priorities. The priesthood and the church were on a way that had but one end. They were going to perish if they didn’t return to the Lord’s Word and the Lord’s way.

As it was, the minds of the priests and the people of the church were growing hostile toward the way of the Lord. How could they do anything else but “stumble” with the contemptible perceptions they had? Meanwhile, they “wore” clothes of righteousness, but within, there were hideous and ugly forms of self-love and hatred.

In His zeal, the Lord wanted to show these people the folly of their way, so He posed a question to them through Malachi. “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?” The spiritual sense of these words poses the question this way: Doesn’t the Lord know the one way for regeneration for all of His children? He doesn’t show favoritism. No one can buy or think their way into heaven and its order. We all have one Father. His way is the one way to walk. “But you have departed from the way.” As P&P states: “They have departed from the Word, and have thereby dissolved the conjunction.”

Read and Review

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Malachi 2:8-10.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• Can you reflect for a moment on your journey through life? Can you see any roads where you departed from the Lord? Did you stay on that other road for long? At some point, do you remember coming to the conclusion that you needed to return to the Lord’s way?

• The idea of the one way of the Lord might be misunderstood, so let’s look at that point for a moment. There is one way, but that one way is individually set for each person. The Lord knows our individuality. He is fair and impartial. He doesn’t show favoritism. So He is willing to work with us toward our regeneration. We need to walk with Him. His Word is the means for our conjunction. So the remains of our youth and the teachers of the Word have done much for us. What we need to take care to ensure is that we have not “changed” the spiritual structure within us, with falsity taking center place and truth pushed out.

• Can we handle the news that “You” have dissolved the covenant? The Lord is revealing to us that He has made our regeneration possible. If things fail, it will not be due to His inattentiveness. This is the case from the Lord. He asks only that we try to trust His covenant path.

• As I look back over the spiritual correspondences, I wonder what effect it might have had if He plainly spoke the inner sense to the priests? Might they have done greater harm to themselves by rejecting the “plain truths” of the Lord?

Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “They have worshipped another god, whence came profanation…”

AC 3024 [7]

• “That the Israelites were not to contract marriages with the daughters of the Canaanites also had regard to the spiritual laws that good and falsity, and evil and truth, are not to be joined together; for thence comes profanation. The prohibition was also representative of the matter concerning which we read in…Malachi…2:11…”

AC 3881 [11]

• “…when they did not remain in the rituals ordained by Jehovah or the Lord, but turned away from them to idolatries, they then no longer represented celestial and spiritual things, but the opposite, that is, infernal and diabolical things—according to the Lord’s words in…Malachi…2:11…”

AC 9182 [8]

• “In Malachi…2:11…‘to betroth the daughter of a strange god’ denotes to be conjoined with the evil of falsity; ‘a strange god’ denotes falsity…”

AC 4434 [3]

• “In Malachi…2:11, 14…where ‘to love and betroth the daughter of a strange god’ is to conjoin one’s self with falsity instead of truth…”

Derived Doctrine

“Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem...”

• “Judah,” in the supreme sense, “signifies the Lord and the Divine of love; in the internal sense, the Word and also the Lord’s celestial kingdom; and in the exterior sense, the doctrine from the Word which is of the celestial church.” (AC 3880 [10])
• To act “treacherously” (with guile) signifies to have malice from the will with premeditation (AC 9013).
• “…the signification of ‘abomination’ [sacrilege] as being infernal foulness and filthiness….” (AC 7454)
• “Israel,” in the highest sense, “means the Lord in relation to the internal of the church…‘Israel’ means the church with those who are interiorly natural, and have truths therein from a spiritual origin…‘Israel’ signifies the church that is spiritual-natural.” (AE 768 [15])
• “Jerusalem” means the church and not the city, “…for about the time of the Lord’s coming Jerusalem was not so great…for the church of the Lord is internal and external; in the internal church are those who are in intelligence and wisdom, and thus in the higher heavens, but in the external church are those who are in knowledges and cognitions of truth and good from the Word, and in no interior intelligence and wisdom, and who are therefore in the lower heavens; the former are called spiritual, the latter spiritual-natural, and the spiritual are meant by those who are ‘in the midst of Jerusalem,’ and the spiritual-natural by those who are ‘in the suburbs.’” (AE 629 [6])

“…for Judah has profaned the Lord’s holy institution which He loves…”

• What is the Lord’s holy institution which He loves? Is it marriage? Is it the Sabbath day? In AC 4171, marriage is thought by human beings to be a heavenly institution. In AC 8495, the Sabbath is taught to be the holiest institution of the Lord. Let’s read AC 8495 (in the Elliot translation): “Anyone who does not know what the Sabbath represented, and what it was consequently a sign of, also cannot know why it was held to be the holiest institution of all. It was held to be the holiest because in the highest sense it represented the union of the Divine and the Divine Human within the Lord, and in the relative sense the pining together of the Lord’s Divine Human and the human race. This is why the Sabbath was the holiest. And since it represented those realities it also represented heaven in respect of the pining together of goodness and truth, that is, the joining together called the heavenly marriage…since the joining together of goodness and truth is accomplished by the Lord alone and nothing at all by man, and since it is accomplished in a state of peace, people were strictly forbidden to do work on that day.” (emphasis added)

Putting It All Together

The “messenger” announces to the church that the Lord’s holy institution, which He loves, was profaned by Judah in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. Was the profanation an accident or oversight on the part of the finite church? The messenger’s use of the words “treacherously” and “abomination” answers our question. We are told that treachery, or guile, is the act of malice; it springs from the premeditation of the will.

What did the people do to profane the Lord’s holy institution? They chose to break their conjunction with the Lord, and they turned to idolatry. They married the daughter of a foreign god. The ordinance of the Lord was clear that they should not marry good and falsity nor evil and truth.

What makes idolatry so appealing to people that they would choose idols over the Lord? Let’s look at some numbers in the Arcana for an answer to this question; AC 1094, 1205, 1357, and 1363 provide the following information.

• Idolatry consists in a worship of externals.
• The externals—corporeal things—are what the idolater desires most.
• The idolater is unwilling to know internal things and eternal life.
• There are three universal kinds of idolatry:
• Love of self
• Love of the world
• Love of pleasures.
• All idolatry has one or more of these three loves for its end.
• There are internal forms of idolatry.
• There are external forms of idolatry.
• Internal idolaters are capable of profaning holy things.
• External idolaters are not able to profane holy things.

On the basis of AC 1363, we can make a pretty good assumption that Israel had entered into an internal form of idolatry. They profaned the holy institution the Lord loved. “They have worshipped another god, whence came profanation…” (P&P)

Read and Review

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Malachi 2:11.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• Do you get a sense of what made idolatry more attractive than following the Lord? Can we imagine why loving self, the world, and pleasures would seem more valuable than following the Lord?

• Why is external idolatry permitted? How does internal idolatry have the potential to destroy holy things?

• Are we in any danger of committing these idolatries?

• If you are studying this section in a class setting, what other points about idolatry that were mentioned in the discussion have added to your understanding of the spiritual meaning?

• Do those seeking their “fifteen minutes of fame and fortune” seem like idolaters? What kind would they be? Internal or external idolaters?

Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “…wherefore they will perish.”

AE 573 [7]

• “…the truths and goods of heaven and the church are meant in the Word by ‘hosts;’ which makes clear why it is that Jehovah is called in the Word…‘of hosts’…” Malachi 2:12 is cited among many references.

Derived Doctrine

“May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, being awake and aware…”

• A “tent” signifies the external person conjoined with the internal (AC1616). “May the Lord cut off” signifies taking away the Divine truth from the church but with knowledge that it will live again in a new church (AE 315 [23]).
• “Awake” and “aware” reinforce the point that those who chose idolatry did so with their eyes open and with full knowledge of the consequences of their actions. Therefore, they needed to be “cut off” from the tents of Jacob.
• AC 9594 [6], AC 10545 [8], and AE 724 [17] are consistent in their explanation of the meaning of “the tents of Jacob” signifying the goods of the church and of worship. In the opposite sense, “the tents of Jacob” signify the evils of worship and the church. “Bringing back the captivity of the tents of Jacob...stands for restoring the external Church's forms of goods which had been destroyed...” (AC 9594 [6])

“…yet who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!”

• In the positive sense, an “offering” signifies internal worship by those who are holy (AC 349). A negative sense of an “offering” signifies worship from faith that is without charity (AC 346). Which kind of offering is the Word talking about?
• The “Lord of hosts” signifies the truths and goods of heaven. Are we being given a contrast between the idolater and the Divine? Picture the profaner marching in to offer vain and empty gifts lacking any charity, and the Divine not needing his gifts because He already has all the goods and truths of heaven.   

Putting It All Together

Do we really need to do much pulling together? It seems quite clear that those who want idolatry are going to be cut off from the tents of Jacob. There is little pity for these idolaters. They chose this. They did so with a clear understanding of what they loved. They wanted the idolatry of self, the world, and their pleasures. The life and pleasures the Lord offered them were firmly rejected. They were awake and aware when the decision was made.

Once they made that choice, the Lord sought to protect the idolators from more grievous acts of profanation. He took away from them their ability to see ways of conjoining themselves with Him. He turned away from the pompous empty acts of their offerings. What the Lord took away from them was not to be lost or forgotten. His covenant with a new church will restore the perception of how to conjoin the Divine Human with the church in that holy institution the Lord loves.

But as for the church of Israel, “wherefore they will perish” (P&P). 

Read and Review

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Malachi 2:12.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• Do you feel any sympathy for those who were “cut off” from the tents of Jacob?

• Can you picture the idolaters being quite happy with their choice?

• Did the contrast of the empty offering and the bountiful Lord stand out in your mind in the closing portion of our text?

• Why do you think the idolaters continued the ritual of offerings? Did it fulfill their need for self love, fame, and merit?

• Hold on to this question (number 4) for Malachi 2:13. In this next verse, we will look at the extremes the idolaters went to in order to appear righteous before others.

Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “…therefore their external worship is not accepted.”

AE 484 [3 & 4]

• “In both weeping and in shedding of tears water comes forth which is bitter and astringent, and this occurs through an influx into man’s grief from the spiritual world, where bitter water corresponds to the lack of truth because of falsities, and to consequent grief; therefore those who are in truths grieve on account of falsities. From this it can be seen why it is that in the Word, where ‘tears’ are mentioned ‘weeping’ also is mentioned, namely, that it is on account of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word. I will only adduce the following passages in evidence of this…Malachi…2:13…”

Derived Doctrine

“And this is the second thing you do…”

• The first offense against the Lord was their marriage of “the daughter of a foreign god.” Their attempt to work a marriage of evil and falsity was an abomination before the Lord. Divorce among the priesthood, both literally and spiritually, was destroying their uses.
• What then was the second offense? A long dissertation could be written about the laws of the Lord regarding cleanliness and holiness. Suffice it to say the principles laid out by the Lord could best be described this way: Israel should reflect in her community and worship what she ascribes to the Lord. If the Lord acts in justice, the nation should be marked by justice. If the Lord’s nature is steadfast love, then His people’s love should be steadfast. If the Lord is clean and holy, then Israel should be clean and holy. Cleanliness is a hallmark of Israel’s faith. Laws about what the priesthood should do regarding their own preparation for offering sacrifices are precise. Completion of the ritual of self-examination prior to entering the “holy of holies” was a must. The book of Leviticus (chapters 11, 13, and 15) details what priests had to do for the treatment of sores and leprosy. The priesthood was to be without blemish. Again, let’s restate the principle of the law of correspondences. If God is pure, holy, and clean, Israel must reflect these qualities in her life and in the acts of worship.

The point of this brief summary is to illustrate the care and preparation that was expected prior to offering sacrifices to the Lord. The priesthood became careless. They put on a pious front with their clothing. But within their hearts, there was little to match their externals. Notice now how they acted in front of the people when offering gifts of oblation to the Lord:

“…you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying…”

• AE 484 gives us the positive meaning of “weeping” and shedding tears. These honest forms of grief were to represent the sadness one feels from the lack of truth when dealing with falsity. Weeping and shedding tears were part of the process to bring about the marriage of good and truth.
• But the weeping described in this verse was not part of an attempt to bring about this marriage. It was a sham. It was an act, and the Lord was not pleased with the shoddy performance of His priests and people.
• So, the first grievance was their marriage to idolaters and the divorce of their wives, and the second grievance was with their lack of concern for true repentance. Both offenses were violations of the principles of the Lord that should have been reflected in their life and worship.

Putting It All Together

I feel quite sure you have the summary of this section in your mind. P&P states the case: “…therefore their external worship was not accepted.” Clearly, Israel was not participating in the worship of the Lord for the right reasons. They were not looking for repentance and reformation. It was all about self and not about the Lord. They truly wanted to marry idolatry and divorce themselves from the Lord.

Read and Reflect

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Malachi 2:13.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• Was the section on the duties of the priesthood clear? If you would like more information on this topic, read Bishop de Charms’ book on the Tabernacle.

• Can you picture the scene at the altar? Such wailing and tears over what? What kind of actors must they have been to pull this off in front of the congregation?

• Through it all, didn’t someone sense that it wasn’t genuine? When Malachi spoke these words on behalf of the Lord, I can imagine that a remnant of the people must have heard and believed his message.

• What can be done to make our worship as individuals more sincere and reflective of what the Lord is in our lives?

Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “They have severed themselves from the church…”

AC 255

• “In Malachi faith is called the ‘seed of God’…2:14, 15…In this passage the ‘wife of youth’ is the Ancient and Most Ancient Churches, of whose ‘seed’ (or faith) the prophet speaks.”

AC 9818 [8]

• Malachi 2:15 is cited regarding the meaning of “spirit.” “It is very evident that in these passages by ‘spirit’ is meant the very life of man; that it denotes the intellectual life, or the life of truth, can be seen from the fact that by ‘spirit’ in the natural sense is meant the life of man’s respiration; and that the respiration of the lungs corresponds to the life of truth, which is the life of faith and from this of the understanding.”

Doctrine of the Lord 49

• “That by ‘spirit’ is meant the life of one who is regenerate, which is called spiritual life…Malachi 2:15…”

AR 565 [3]

• “That by ‘the seed of the woman’ are here meant those who are of the New Church, and are in the truths of its doctrine, may appear from the signification of ‘seed,’ in the following passages…Malachi 2:15…”

AE 768 [4]

• “In Malachi…2:15…‘Is there one that seeketh the seed of God?’ signifies that no one seeks Divine truth; evidently ‘the seed of God’ here signifies Divine truth; so ‘the born of God’ mean those who are regenerated by the Lord by means of Divine truth, and a life according thereto.”

Doctrine of the Lord 48 [5]

• “As man’s life varies according to his state, by ‘spirit’ is meant the varying affection of life in man. As…5. A life of various evil affections…Malachi 2:16…”

AC 6353 [8]

• Malachi 2:16-17 is cited when the significance of violence covering one’s garment is explained. “…‘a man of violence’ denotes those who destroy the truths of faith and the goods of charity…”

Derived Doctrine

“Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’”

• This question carries with it a challenge. The people question the Lord’s reasoning for refusing their offerings. Their question suggests that they are being hurt or misunderstood by the Lord. Their question seems to carry a pretended acknowledgment and worship of the Lord. They maintain a pretense of obedience to Him while playing for the support and affection of the people.

“Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously…”

• The Lord is a true and faithful “witness” regarding testimony and evidence. As a witness, He sought to join them by love (AC 4192). As a witness, He sought to bring confirmation to their marriages. But now, the Lord bears witness or “certifies” that they have dealt treacherously with the holiness of innocence that was a gift from the Divine.
• A “wife,” in the positive sense, signifies the goods of truth. When she is dealt with treacherously, ravished, turned away, or divorced, it represents a perversion of goods and truths (AC 8902 [5]).
• AC 255 explains the meaning of “wife of youth.” It refers to the remnant of the Ancient Church against which the Jewish Church acted treacherously (AE 701 [29]). In other words, Israel severed the conjunction and holiness of good and truth passed down to them from the days of the Most Ancient and Ancient Churches.

“…yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”

• She (affection) is your companion. “Companion” signifies, in the positive sense, the truth of love and charity toward the Lord and the neighbor. In the negative sense, it means the destruction of these acts of charity. See AC 10490. “Companion,” in our times, indicates someone we feel close to and with whom we are willing to share certain aspects of our inner world.
• A “wife by covenant” signifies a conjunction of the church and heaven with the Lord through His Divine Proceeding (Holy Spirit). This “covenant” plan of the Lord’s is an irrevocable marriage of good and truth. The ideas for the interpretation of the above are drawn from AE 701 [10] and AC 10249.

“But did He not make them one…”

• “One” signifies what is perfect, authentic, or genuine. “One” signifies the truth of faith, and “One” signifies doctrine. See AC 1316 and AE 374 [2].
• The Lord’s question draws us to a truth about what He offers us. He gives the best, the perfect, the genuine, and the complete doctrine of the truth of faith. His “One” plan or covenant is to save and lead us to the eternal life of heaven.

“…having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one?”

• “Remnant” or “remains” signify the truths stored up by the Lord in our interiors (AC 5113 [8]). AE 724 [29] adds that remains signify the truths and goods stored up with us by the Lord from infancy.
• “Spirit” has many important representations. We cannot cite all of them, but here are a few. “Spirit” signifies the mercy of the Lord (AC 19). “Spirit” signifies the Divine truth (AC 24). “Spirit” signifies the Divine Proceeding (Divine Love and Wisdom 100). “Spirit” signifies an internal dictate or influx of good and truth (AC 573).
• The point is that the “One” goal of our remains is to lead, inspire, and enlighten us in the ways of the Lord.
• Why the “One”? It is a complete plan of the Lord’s. The plan is not flawed, nor does it fall short in Divine effort.

“He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”

• “Offspring” signify that which has birth from the marriage of good and truth and the marriage of the Lord with His church (CL 121). Therefore, the Lord is asking for spiritual accountability. He wants “godly” results. He wants unity of thought, genuine effort, a purity of doctrinal understanding, and a willingness to obey.
• Take heed. Be serious; be alert and ready to hear the Lord speak within your hearts.
• The command to remove treachery from our spirit is a reminder from the Lord for us to remove things that would hurt our spirit.
• Our caring for the wife of our youth may occur with the truths of the Lord’s Second Coming. For they carry on, and enlarge, the marriage of good and truth that was started from the very beginning of creation (infancy).

“For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce...”

• “Divorce” signifies good being rejected by truth. “Divorce” involves the acceptance of a discordant good. See AE 768 [19]. “Divorce” signifies the falsification of the Word whence the church separates from the Lord (TCR 314).
• “Hate” is not part of the Lord’s nature. It is a term projected onto the Lord when He opposes the evil. The true nature of the Lord’s “hatred” is captured in AC 3605 [3]. “…good does not even know what hatred is…In the internal sense [hatred attributed to Jehovah is actually] mercy, for the Divine is mercy; but when this flows in with a man who is in evil, and he runs into the penalty of evil, it then appears as hatred and because it so appears, in the sense of the letter it is likewise so called.”

“…for it [divorce] covers one’s garment with violence…”

• A “garment” (raiment) signifies truth clothing good (AE 543 [14]). A “garment” signifies the truths in the ultimate form (AC 9372 [8]). “Garments” signify truths “wherein is good.” (AC 5954 [7])
• Spiritual divorce “covers” what was supposed to be useful and protective with a tainted garment of violence. The literal sense is twisted and used to prove anything the proprium wishes to justify. 

“Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

• This is a repetition of what was said in verse 15. Please note that repetition is not for poetical effect. AC 707 reminds us that repetition is used in the Word when both the will and understanding are involved in a prophecy.

“…says the Lord of hosts…”

• I call your attention to the repetition of this phrase throughout Malachi’s prophecy.

Putting It All Together

Clever arguments have been contrived over the centuries against the ways of the Lord. His Word has been used to justify absurd things. Adultery is toned down with the “evidence” of David’s shameful affair. Polygamy had its roots in the many wives of the Patriarchs. Slavery had its justification in the curse placed upon Ham that he would be in a lifetime of servitude to his brothers. I suppose there is nothing that can’t be justified with the abuse of the literal sense of the Word.

So the Lord reviews and certifies the history of the “divorce” of the church from Him. He refuses to ignore the spirit of treachery and violence that covers the garment of the church. He reviews it all and declares “I hate divorce.” In His mercy, He wants us to cease and desist from this practice of spiritual divorce. Why? Is it for His benefit? Obviously, that is not the case. His mercy wants us to stop hurting ourselves. He does not want one soul to choose Hell. He sounds the Divine alarm. “Take heed” are His words of care and concern.

He urges us to return to the remains from our youth. Remains are a wonderful collection of goods and truths that span our lifetime from birth to death. He has organized them into a “One.” They are carefully stored up from our infancy. Hell knows not where they are. Hell can’t violate them. So, with a prayerful attitude, we need to ask the Lord to touch our remains and to give us a right “Spirit” within our heart and mind. 

Accountability follows a proper marriage of our youth. There must be godly offspring. Barrenness is not an acceptable goal of regeneration. Spiritual “fruits” must come before the Lord as a sign and token of our regeneration and gratitude for all the benefactions of our lives. These offerings will be accepted from our hands. The offerings of the “divorced” are not gifts of the hands that He accepts at the altar of worship. Nor is He impressed with the fakery of weeping and tears streaming from moroseness, self-pity, and self-love. He will welcome the “bitter” tears and weeping offered up by those who have a genuine concern over any deficiency sensed in the desired marriage of good and truth.

What of the “divorced”? “They have severed themselves from the church.” (P&P)

Read and Review

Read the selection from P&P.  

Read Malachi 2:14-16.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• In the Putting It All Together section, several examples were given to illustrate how the literal sense can prove whatever the mind desires to justify. What examples might you cite to illustrate this truth? Can you recall a time you used this method?

• Did you understand what the Writings said about the Lord not being capable of hating? Those being punished accuse the Lord of hatred and fail to see His mercy. As a parent, do you recall your children thinking you hated them when discipline was called for?

• Were you struck with the call to remember the bride of youth? Remains are often talked about in the church, but do you remember any class or article that helped you tap into this spiritual resource?

• The command to “Take heed to your spirit” is repeated. Did you sense that the repetition was there to instruct us about the work we need to do with our will and understanding?

• Have you ever thought about the “godly offspring” you can offer to the Lord? What offspring come to mind?

Passages From The Writings

P&P

• “…even by their calling evil good.”

Derived Doctrine

“You have wearied the Lord with your words…”

• “Weary” (labored) signifies to not see the door or access to truths that would lead to good (AC 2385). Also check the meaning of “weary” in AC 3318.
• “Words” refers to acting according to the word of the Lord (AC 7406). “Words” signify the primary truths that are to be remembered and done that representative worship may be instituted (AC 10682).
• What we get from this passage is that the priests and people “talked” about good and truth; they “talked” about the good of life; they “talked” about remembering and doing the things of the Lord. But their speeches were only words; they did not lead to action. Words in the understanding but not in the will “weary” the Lord.

“…yet you say, ‘In what way have we wearied Him?’”

• Is this question asked from a genuine sense of concern and inquiry, or is it a form of defiant rebellion and denial? Our answer comes in the next portion of this verse.

“In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them…’”

• How far from the truth is this reply? The Lord will not call evil good in His sight. The Lord will not delight in the ways of the evil.
• So why are the people saying these things to the Lord? Isn’t it the nature of the evil to call evil good and good evil? Therefore, we must come to the conclusion that they are projecting on to the Lord the thoughts which are in their hearts and minds.

“Where is the God of justice?”

• “Justice” signifies being endowed with the good of charity by which one can know what is true (AC 615).
• So were the priests challenging the good of charity from the Lord? Were they, in effect, telling Him that He didn’t know right from wrong? If this is reflective of their attitude, how sadly lost and misguided they were at this point. Is this a powerful example of how arrogance blinds one’s judgment and heart even against the Lord?

Putting It All Together

Hearing someone drone on and on, ad infinitum, about some technical point can be tiring or wearisome. We tire quickly if we can’t see some positive application coming out of the conversation. Our patience is limited because we are finite, time-and-space beings. The Lord is beyond time and space, and He has infinite patience. Why would the Word indicate to us that the Lord was wearied with the words of Israel?

The Writings give us a hint what “weary” signifies. The Lord saw the absence of basic and fundamental truths that would lead to good. “Weary,” in this context, represents a loving concern that progress in spiritual growth had little chance of coming to fruition. He wanted less talk and more sincerity in finding truth in His Word.

Not only were the truths that lead to good absent, but the people’s attitude was argumentative and combative. They picked away at the Lord. They challenged His motives. They accused Him and projected on Him things that were not true. Imagine announcing to the church that the Lord’s judgment was faulty in that He did not know right from wrong. They accused Him of countenancing the evil and calling them good. Preaching that the Lord delights in evil must have been a wearisome thing to listen to. Who wants to hear these words? And yet, if we reflect for a moment, we still hear such things being said about the Lord. He is blamed for calamities and absence in moments of physical need. The charge is that the Lord did not intervene appropriately to relieve the plight of His people. “Where is the God of Justice?” rings out like endless words from those whose hearts are convinced the Lord doesn’t care. Why didn’t He care and provide for those caught in horrific conditions such as the tsunami in Asia that caught many in a rushing tide of death? He cares. He doesn’t forget. But the arrogant rail on and use words that contain little truth that leads to good. Such people will never see or believe that the Lord brought the horrific events to a positive end. They will never see the welcoming angels taking the hands of the newcomers to the spiritual world.  

What did the Lord say to the church of accusation and denial? “They have severed themselves from the church, even by their calling evil good.” (P&P) 

Read and Review

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Malachi 2:17.

Questions to Stimulate Reflection

• We have the expression “talk is cheap.” What do we mean when we say this? Are we not pointing to empty words with little value to them? Some talkers we describe as having “running mouths.” What does that expression convey? They have an unending flow of words that seem to overwhelm us with their content. They talk constantly with few breaks and keep us out of the discussion. Does any of this seem to fit in with our text?

• What is your response to the charges leveled at the Lord about His lack of Justice? Have you ever kept your tongue quiet listening to someone accusing the Lord of indifference to the tragedies of the world?

• Projection is a human tendency. What we have within our hearts can come out when we deal with emotional situations. Should we do more examination of our projections onto the Lord and the neighbor? Are we always right when we put onto someone else what our feelings tell us about them?