The prophet Malachi rebuked the Israelites in his day for “profaning the covenant of the fathers” by committing the abhorrent sin of marrying pagan women and exposing their children to the worship of idols. In doing this, they were following the path of their ancestors who had turned away from Yahweh and brought judgment on themselves and the whole land. It was the failure of previous generations which had led to the captivity in Babylon, and the people of Malachi’s day were risking a return to judgment. But there was still another sin which they committed with respect to marriage:
And this is the second thing you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping and crying; so he does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But did he not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
Malachi 2:13-15
We can see here a glimpse of God’s view of marriage. Malachi calls marriage a “covenant” between a man and his wife witnessed by none other than God himself, and he affirms that God made the two become one. This is consistent with the earlier revelation concerning marriage in Genesis 2, and it shows us that Malachi was basing his own preaching on the Bible that he had and knew. He explains the purpose for which God makes one out of the two: “He seeks godly offspring.” This, too, is consistent with what is revealed in the Genesis account, where the Lord instructed Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.” This command required them not only to have children but to raise their children to live for God and accomplish his purpose in the world. In short, they were to raise godly offspring. That this did not happen does not in any way change God’s purpose for marriage.
But the question we might ask is how exactly did the men of Malachi’s day “deal treacherously” with their wives? For that we must read the next verse: “For Yahweh God of Israel says that he hates divorce, ‘For it covers one’s garment with violence,’ says Yahweh of hosts. ‘Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously’” (v.16). They were divorcing their wives, presumably so they could take for themselves younger wives from among their pagan neighbors. Yahweh hated the practice of divorce as much as their marrying foreign wives and introducing idolatry into the nation. Three times in this passage he equates divorce with “dealing treacherously” with their wives. This word speaks of faithlessness and hypocrisy, of spoiling an enemy, and so it is not surprising that Malachi likens divorce to covering “one’s garment with violence.” By divorcing the wives of their youth, these men were using their marriage covenant as an excuse to violence and show cruelty to them. They had married these women when they were young, attractive, energetic, and full of life, but now that they have grown older they have abandoned them and torn apart the one new person which God had made from the two. It is not a stretch to say that divorce is a violent act of destruction, for that seems to be exactly what the prophet is saying here.
There really is no stronger statement against divorce in the entire Bible, and the consequences of this sin were very serious. Because they had dealt treacherously with their wives, rejecting them and breaking their covenant promises to them, the Lord rejected their sacrifices and acts of worship. There was a terrible spiritual price to be paid for their lack of integrity in keeping their marriage covenant, so that Yahweh himself was now acting as a witness against them. They were utterly guilty of breaking their oaths made to their wives and before the Lord, and such dishonesty could not go unpunished. In the NT Peter, too, warns believing husbands and wives that there are spiritual consequences for sins committed against their spouse. Wives are to place themselves under their husbands in obedience and reverence and so have a powerful spiritual impact, even on an unbelieving spouse. Should a wife fail to conduct herself in this way, she would forfeit the opportunity to win her husband. On the other hand, husbands are told to live with their wives in an understanding way, giving them honor and considering them fellow heirs of God’s grace. If a man fails to do this, however, Peter warns that his prayers may be hindered. In other words, when we sin against our spouse, we injure not only our marriage relationship but our relationship with God himself and our ability to worship him freely. According to Malachi 2 this problem is magnified when the sin under consideration is divorce.
As we will also see in the NT teaching on marriage and divorce, the prophet Malachi appeals to the principles set forth in Genesis 1 & 2 to deal with the issues of his day. It is certainly true that we live in a much different world than the one occupied by Adam and Eve in the beginning, but the curse of sin has not set aside God’s design or purpose for marriage. If anything, the reality of sin in our world makes our commitment to practice godly marriage principles even more important. We must keep watch over our own spirits, so that we do not abandon our integrity by failing to keep the covenant promises we have made and so hinder our relationship with the Lord. How can we hope to please God and serve him if we do not affirm, teach, defend, and practice his truth in this most fundamental area of life?