Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers
You may know that stranded astronauts were recently brought from the International Space Station back to Earth and America. I have often thought it would be great to be in zero gravity. It would be fun, until you tried to eat spaghetti or returned to the real world and your body had atrophied to such an extent that you have to be carried off of the space capsule. The truth is, we have an ordered world. We have a world that was created with order. It doesn’t always appear that way because of sin and falsehood, but God created an orderly world.
For instance, God says in Jeremiah 33:20, “Thus saith the LORD, If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests my ministers.” God is saying, “Look, if My covenant with the sun and the evening can be broken, then I can break My covenant with David also.” But God does not break His covenant with the earth. There is a sun that comes up every day like clockwork. There are a moon and stars that come out every night. There is gravity that governs an ordered world. God said, “I haven’t broken that covenant. I’m not going to break my covenant with David.”
Think about all the things that are based almost exclusively on our trust of others keeping their word or covenant. Think of the dollar bill in your pocket. There is no intrinsic value to that. What that represents is your trust that payment will be made. Think about contractors. There is a contract and you are assuming that your house will be completed because you have made a contract with a man named a contractor. This very day is a new, fresh start and there is hope because there is order that God has established.
It is truth that brings order to chaos. Throughout Malachi 2 you find the prophet talking about covenants, God’s covenant with the priests, God’s covenant with Israel, the people’s covenants in marriage. A covenant can either be a burden or a blessing. It is a burden if you are required to keep your word, but it is a blessing when everyone else keeps theirs. In both cases it is truth that brings order to chaos.
There are two things to which I would draw your attention. First, Israel needed truth. They were not keeping their covenants. In verse 4 God says, “And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.” Verse 6 says, “The law of truth was in his mouth.” Verse 8 says, “But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.” It is never a good thing when God is called the Lord of hosts. God is a God of might, power, and great army. He is saying to these people, “You have not kept your covenant.”
Later He talks about those who were breaking their covenant in marriage. In verse 11 Judah had dealt treacherously and an abomination is committed. He goes on to say, “Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD…and hath married the daughter of a strange god.” They were marrying those who belonged to false gods. He says in verse 14, “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.”
A man who will not keep his word to his wife is not likely to keep his word to God or anyone else. We tend to compartmentalize our lives. We say, “I broke my word over here, but I’m going to keep it over here. You can trust me,” but integrity means you are the same person all the way around and can be trusted. Psalm 15 asks, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?” The answer is, “He that walketh uprightly…and speaketh the truth in his heart.” It goes on, “He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” Only the truth with the power to hurt you can actually help you. It is a burden to have to keep your word, but it is a blessing when others keep theirs. The only thing that prevents chaos in this universe is truth. It is truth that brings order to chaos. Israel needed it. They lacked it in their marriages, worship, and lives.
On the other hand, God is the one who owns truth and exemplifies it. In the last verse of chapter 2 the people essentially ask, “Where is the God of justice and judgment?” In chapter 1 they had said, “How has God loved us? We see all these bad things in the world. Does God really love us?” They doubted God’s justice and love. The answer to that question is found in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” God doesn’t change and God doesn’t change His Word. He keeps His Word and His covenant. God keeps His promises. God is reliable and you should be too. God will not let you down.
You can be glad that you and I are not God. You can be glad that the most honest person you know is not God because that is not honest enough. You should make God your example and aim to be as truthful as God is truthful. We put faith in God because God puts faithfulness in us. God is faithful and He is worthy of our faith and trust. Are you the kind of person who keeps your word? It is truth that brings order to chaos. If you want order in your world, then begin by honoring the God of truth.