The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 22

tn rn- the.t they should be deprived of their Vere. !i-9.-§ 5. In contrn~r. ,cith tl1e,~ e.llnUed portion of thE' saorificc-the bree.st Rnd shoulder (Lev. vii. 31, 32), or the ei-il ministers, the cl,aracter nf the true pricRt shnulder, lbs two oheeks, and the me.w u slcetched, and thus Che faults of the former (Deut. x¥iii. 3). Septuagint, 'A.pop((.., liµw are shown in darker colours. .,.;,,. i1µ01•, "I take from yon the sboulder;" Ynlcre.te. Ego projiciam vobiii brachium. Ver. 5.-My covenant wa.s with him of OrPlli takes" seed" in the seuse of pos- life a.nd pea.oe; ra.tbor, with him 1oaB life trrit_v, seeing here a l"eversal of such and pence. This is one side of the covenf\nt, prnmises as Jer. n::xiii. 18, 22. Spread that whioh God gave-the blessing of lifo, dung upon your faces. God "ill deliver abunde.nce, prosperity, and secure and them over to shameful treatment, which undisturbed enjoyment of these, in the shall cover them with contempt. Tbo idea everlo.sting priesthood, in agreement with is derived from the filth left in the courts the promise to Pbinehe.s (Numb. x:xv. 12; by the victims (see the following clause). oomp. Dent. xxxiii. 8-11). I ga.ve them Your solemn feasts (chaggim); i.e. the to him for the fea.r, etc. I gave him life Rll ima.1s sle.in at the sacrificial feasts. God and peace. The pronominal suffix "them" <'Alls them "your," uot "my," because is not expressed in the Greek a.nd La.tin they were not celebrated really in bis Versions, aud is absent from ma.ny Hebrew honour, but after their own self-will aud manuscripts, which read," I gave him fear." pleasure. The dung of the ee.crificial So the Vulgate, Dedi eis timorem et timuit Rnimals was by the Law carried forth and me; Septuagint, "E6<,J/(IJ • a.vTrji ;., ,Po{3q, bunted without the camp (Exod. :xx:i.x.. ,po{3,ia6aJ µ•, "I gave him the fear of me.'~ 14; Le.,, iv. 12; :xvi. 27). One shall take This expresses man's pa.rt in the covenant: you awa.y with it. They eha.ll be treated God gave him certain blessings on condition e.s filth, and ce.et away in some foul spot tha.t he fee.red, reverenced, worshipped, a.nd (comp. 1 Kings :xiv. 10). obeyed the Lord. The last pa.rt of the Ver. 4.-Ye ahail know. My threats are verse as now ree.d is more simply e:xpla.ined, not vain : thi& ye shall experience and be "and (my covenant with him we.a, or, I ge.ve forced to acln1owledge. This commandment him) fear, and he did fear me." God's gifts is tbe purpose e.nd threat, as in ver. I (where were life aud pea.ce. Levi's pa.rt was fear of see note). Tha.t my covenant might be with God: this he performbd. The ideal priest Levi; i.e. that my covenant with Levi observed all the duties of piety a.nd rever- might remain firm. The covenant with Levi ence, a.nd therefore in his case the covenant was the election of tha.t tribe to be the stood firm and was duly carried out. ministers of the sanctuary. There is here Ver. 6.-The la.w(teaching) of truth we.sin a. special allusion to the bleBBing pronounced his mouth. :_ All bis teaching rested on those on Phinehes for his conduct in the matter troths which were enshrined in the Divine of Zimri (Numb. x:xv. 12, I:l). Thie election Law (Deut. :x:xxi. • 10-13; :xxxiii. 10). is ca.lled " e. covenant," because, while con- Iniquity ; unfair decision. Neither fa.lee ferring certa.i.D. privileges, it involved certs.in doctrine nor perverse judgment we.e found duties. The difficulty in this interpretation in him (Deut. xvii. 8-10; :xi:x. 17). is the.I; the verb used here (hayah) does Walked with me. Not only bis teaching not mean" to remain," "to continue," but we.s trne, but his life we.e pure and good ; ouly "to be," "to exist." Hence many critics he was the friend of God, living es a.I ways take "the oommandment" e.s the subject, ia his presence, in pea.ce a.nd uprightness. traasla.ting. "ThBt it (my purpose) may be Bo Enoch e.nd Noa.b a.re said to he.ve my covenant with Levi;" i.e. tha.t e.s God "walked with God" (Gen. v. 24; vi. 9). observed the oovena.nt me.de with the tribe Did turn many a.wa.y from iniquity. The of Levi in old time, so for the future this faithful dischar~e of duties and the holy commaad.ment e.nd tlirea.t will be e.s vigor- life and teaching of the good priest led ously observed and take tbe place of tbe many sinners to repentance and amendment. old covena.nt. This explanation is too Ver. 7.-For the priest's lips should keep involved and refined to be acceptable. It knowledge. It was the priest's duty to is ea.;iest to translate, with Henderson and study the Law a.nd to teach it fo.itbfully, Reinke, ·' Becaase my covenant we.s with as it is said of Aaron, in Ecclus. :xlv. 17, Levi," a.ad to underste.ad God e.s implying "He gave unto him his commandments, a.nd that he warned end punished the priests, authority in tue statutes of judgments, that because be willed tha.t tbe covena.nt with he should teach Jacob the testimonies, a.ud Le.,i should hold good, and be thus desired inform Isra.el in his Jaws." The law, here to have a body of priests who would keep aud vers 6, 8, mea.ns system of teaching, or their vows and ma.into.in the true priestly the loru.h. At his mouth. The priest was cl,ara.ct.<:r. Wha.t that character i, he pro- the appointed interpretor of tbe Law (see it,eds t.Q un!olq. Lev, l!. ll; l)eut. :x;vii. ~-ll: uxiii. lQ; ob. n. 1-17.J 'rHE BOOK OF MALACHL 21