13 “And this is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your marriage companion and your wife by covenant.
15 But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And why the one? He was seeking a godly offspring. Be careful then about your spirit, and see that none of you deals treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.””
Next charge
The next charge Malachi brings against them is divorce. Maybe they were divorcing their Jewish wives to marry the foreign wives of yesterday. “Divorcing for this reason constitutes covenant unfaithfulness: breaking a covenant entered into that God Himself witnessed (v. 14). As such, it is an ungodly (not God-like) thing to do, since Yahweh is a covenant-keeping God. He keeps His promises.” (PlanoBiblechapel.org)
And this was not just any covenant, it was of an institution God designed, one that reflects His character of love and perfect unity: the two become one.
Love your wife
Husbands are called to love their wives. Ephesians 5:25 adds, as Christ loved the church!. Love protects. David Guzik of Enduringword.com says, “Part of the marriage ceremony in Bible times involved the husband covering his wife with his garment as a symbol of the protection he brought her.” [See Deuteronomy 22:30; Ruth 3:9; and Ezekiel 16:8.]
He continues, “But now, their garments were covered with violence. When a wife is forsaken or mistreated, the man covers his own garment with violence. This is because the husband and wife are one, and he cannot mistreat his wife without bringing misery and destruction to himself.” (Enduringword.com)
Rejoice in your wife
Husbands, we have a decision to make. It must happen repeatedly: Love our wives. You may not see any change, but I can guarantee it’s good and right. God is pleased when we honor, love and obey Him. It is often not easy. I was reminded in a Ted Tripp message today that God gives abundant grace – a storehouse of it – to help. And the blessings are there.
One way I’ve found is to train my mind and emotions to, “Rejoice in the wife of my youth.” (Proverbs 5:18) Especially when tempted by another “better” option, I repeat this to brainwash myself – literally. It corrects wrong thinking.
