Our text will be Malachi 2, 13 through 16. Before we begin, I do have two notes that I would like to say. I don't know how many of you have ESV. I don't know how many of you have King James or some other different versions. We probably all have different versions. But I'm going to give you my translation of the text because there's some anomalies. And if you have different Bibles than mine, you're going to see the anomaly. So I'm going to tell you how I've translated the verse in verse 16. And I'll say it when I get there. Hear the word of the Lord. And this second thing you do, you cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, why does he not? Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth. to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit. And let, for the Lord, the God of Israel, says that he hates the putting away of wives. And the one who does this covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not be faithless. You may be seated. I wonder how many of you have had the experience of. The frustrations of worship, I wonder how many of you have had the experience where it seems like every prayer you lift up to God, He doesn't hear, as though the heavens are shut to your voice. I wonder how many of you have had the experience that no matter how much you try, no matter how much you encourage yourself, when you come to worship, nothing. Nothing. Coldness. You experience what I would call the vanity of our worship. Not the vanity of God's worship. The vanity of your worship. Have you ever experienced that? Maybe some of you even now are experiencing it today. You don't know why you're here. You don't like the fact that you're here. You can't believe that it's another Sunday and you're sitting here yet again. Maybe it's some kind of a tradition. You're not understanding what's going on. Why isn't he hearing my worship? Why isn't he accepting it? Why isn't he hearing my prayers? Well, the people of Israel were going through just such an experience. The people of Israel have been back from the Babylon exile for about a hundred years now. The city walls have been rebuilt. The temple has been rebuilt, even though there's some negative feedback and then there's some positive feedback. It's not as glorious as the temple that Solomon had made. Things ought to be going well. God has fulfilled his promise. He has brought them back in 70 years. He has reconstituted the people. He has reconstituted the worship of Jehovah. Sacrifices are being made. But there's something very wrong according to the book of Malachi. There's something horribly wrong. In fact, in chapters one and two, You see this list. In fact, Malachi's discourse is often talked about the contention discourse. The Lord contends. He has these things against the people. They're doing certain things that are just abominable. And in the first place, according to chapter one, the priests are bringing polluted offerings. According to the law of the Lord, they were supposed to bring the best, the best of their sacrifices, the best of their livestock in order to sacrifice. But they look around. They look around and they sit there and they think, OK, here we are with the people of God. He has fulfilled his promises. But we're still a struggling people. We don't see the end that you've talked about. The people have began to grumble. The people are not so sure suddenly. They begin bringing sick sacrifices, sacrifices that are blind. Sacrifices that are weak, not the best of the flock, the worst of the flock. Why? In order to continue or at least to try a human attempt at economic success. They look around and they see the Edomites who are also exiled and brought back. And what are they doing? They're actually doing quite well. They're looking at the neighbors around them and they're actually envious of what's going on. Lord, what are you doing? We are your covenant people and the people around us are enemies. They're succeeding or failing. They bring sick sacrifices. The priests accept sick sacrifices. But in Chapter 2, they do something worse. Some of the young Judahite men are going to those Edomites, are going to those pagan neighbors, and they're marrying their women. Something that is strictly forbidden ever since the earliest times in the law of God. It's not about the pure race. It's about purity of religious worship. It's about the worship of Jehovah. And in our text, we see at the beginning, it says, and this second thing you do. What was the first thing that they were doing? The first thing that they were doing was they were going off and their single men were marrying pagan women. They were pulling the Esau card. On the one hand, you're not supposed to. You're not supposed to. Why? If Solomon, if King Solomon teaches us anything, it's that marrying pagan women, not just one, but a thousand, marrying pagan women corrupts, corrupts worship. Corrupts it. It's not, I'm sorry, it's not about women. It's about the pagan aspect. It corrupts worship. But the second thing that they are doing is this. Those Judahite men who were already married, they're not divorcing their wives. They're setting them aside and marrying, in a polygamous relationship, pagan women. And the Lord sees it. And He is angry at such an injustice. And that's what we find in our text this morning. What we have here is the Lord actively contends with and exhorts the adulterers of Israel to cease such injustices. And we look at this under two points. Firstly, the Lord's contention with the adulterers of Israel. And then secondly, the Lord's exhortation to the adulterers of Israel. So firstly, then, what's going on? That is painting the scene. And we see, firstly, the Lord's action. What's going on? We see the effects of the Lord's contention with the adulterers. He actively prohibits the worship of adulterers. Look at verse 13. You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. So what's going on? The people are upset. The people are upset at God Because here they are, they're committing this horrible injustice. They're setting aside their wives and taking on pagan women and still think that their offerings are going to be accepted by the Holy One of Israel. By the living and true God. And he says, no. And they're like, well, why? And we see that the Lord Himself is the witness against them. Look at verse 14. Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth. to whom you have been faithless. The worst possible condition that any of us could be in is when the Lord himself is the accuser against us. He is the one who is witnessing. He brings us into the courtroom, and this is what he's doing here. He brings them into the courtroom and accuses the righteous one of God, the one who has righteousness and holiness in and of himself, who is pure, who is spotless, is accusing. accusing faithless men, faithless, sinful men of adultery, and he binds their conscience. This is wrong. This is gross. This is an injustice that I will not tolerate, and I will not hear your prayer. I will not hear your worship. Yes, the heavens will be barred from any of your sacrifices. from any of your sacrifices. He holds them in contempt. You think of this situation. Whose soul could possibly hide? Whose soul could possibly hide from such an accusation? From the Lord's accusation? No one could go far enough to bury their conscience from this. He has pricked it. He is accusing. He is the Lord of the conscience. And he bears it upon the mind and the hearts of these men that I will not accept. I will not accept your offering. These might even have been faithful men. These might have even have been men of the faith. They're weak, but they might have been men of the faith. But what they're doing is abominable. And for a temporary time, the Lord is holding them in account. But then secondly, notice that the Lord hates it. Look at verse 16. For the Lord, the God of Israel, hates what I have translated as the putting away of one's wife. The word here is not divorce. It has a very obvious Hebrew text, or it has a very obvious Hebrew name. It is not had. This is putting the wife in the corner. This is denying her of all of her conjugal rights and duties and privileges and going after and seeking after another woman. That's what this is. In fact, when we read the law of God, when we read Deuteronomy 5, it's very clear. Thou shalt not commit adultery. It's sin. It's hatred against God. It's not just a sin of omission. Huh, I failed to do something. No. No, this is a direct violation of the Word of God, of the Law of God. This is a direct sin. Not only does it go against the Law of God, it goes against the very nature of mankind. You see this in Genesis 2, where he brings the woman from the man and brings them together. Who was the witness of that matrimony? Who was the one who brought them together? It was the Lord himself. It was Jehovah. He is the witness of matrimony. He is the witness of the bringing together of a husband and a wife. And he is the one who strengthens that. He is the one who encourages excellent, holy, joyous marriages. And yet here, they're forsaking it. They're going away. They're moving away from it. The very nature, the very nature of biblical manhood, the very nature of biblical marriage. But think of it also, not just as sin, but in light of the exile. Here you have a situation where the people of God, who were syncretistic to begin with, The northern tribes and the southern tribes who were bringing in this false pagan religion were exiled for it. You're not going to be my people in my land. A temporary bill of divorce was given. Temporary, not permanent. They were not, they were lo ami, according to the book of Hosea. They were not my people. And yet at the same time, the Lord in faithfulness brings them back. from exile only for what to happen. For them to do the exact same thing. What does this teach us? It teaches us that judgment doesn't cure sin. What cures sin? It's only the gospel that cures sin. It's only the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit in the heart that cures sin. But in light of the exile, they're doing the exact same thing that they were punished for. But then also think of it in light of God's own faithfulness. Israel is his wife. Israel is his. It's his precious treasure and what they are doing. They are there. They're Jehovah in the situation, aren't they? We see that in Ephesians five, don't we? We see it that according to the makeup, according to that, that the man actually plays the role of God and that the woman actually plays the role of Israel. But what they're doing is in that play, they are connoting, they are manifesting, they are treating their women as though Jehovah would treat them with such adultery. Never. Never. He has only ever been faithful to his elect. He has only ever been faithful to his own bride. It casts aside and mars the beautiful image of the relationship between Jehovah and His bride. That's why we can have such wholesome, great relationships such as marriage. They've cast it off. Thirdly, the Lord frustrates the soul in His contention with them. Look at verse 13 again. You cover the Lord's altar with tears. with weeping and groaning. This is a part of his discipline. Your worship won't be heard. Your prayer won't be answered. It isn't because there's some kind of a legalistic situation going on here. It's that you're committing such a heinous sin You're looking so unlike the God who has called you to himself. You don't look like his son. You don't look like his child. He frustrates the soul. You come and you groan. You come and you weep. You don't weep because of the right things. You weep merely because he doesn't hear you. You weep because you don't have his ear. You weep or they were weeping because They didn't have answered prayer. It isn't because they were weeping over their sin. That's what they should have been weeping about. That's what we call real biblical saving repentance. That's what we call repentance that is that is connected with a true, lively faith. But oftentimes we don't do that, do we? Oftentimes we'll come. And rather than repenting of our sin, will get angry with God for not listening to us, for not accepting our worship. I think we've all been there. I think we've all been there. He holds the soul in that frustration as a part of discipline. But then, fourthly, he doesn't hear them. Look at verse 13 again. He no longer regards the offering. It's more of a passive. I'm not going to listen to you. It's his not doing something. It's his it's. It's his taking away a privilege that you don't have that you may even actually have the right to have. He gave it to you. He doesn't have to listen. He can bar the gates of heaven. It can feel like bronze and brass as you're as you're just trying. to no effect. Worship becomes vain. Worship becomes cold to a certain extent. But then there's also an active aspect, the fifth part. The Lord holds it against them. Look at verse 13 again. Or accepts it with favor. He's not going to do it. He is going to hold you there. He's going to actively hold you in a situation where you have to look at it. Where you have to come to grips with what you've done. And it's the same with these men here. They have to come to grips with the sinfulness of what they're doing. And he'll take them through the whole process. It's sin. It's a violation of even of history in light of the fact that they come home from exile. It's sin against the very nature of God's relationship with Israel, off of which or based upon which our marriages are a reflection. He holds them and causes them to see it, that they might repent of it. instead of getting frustrated and angry with the Lord. But then the second part, not only do we see the Lord's action in this situation, we also see the Lord's reason. Adultery compromises the marital bond. Look at verse 14. Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you've been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Firstly, Adultery forsakes the wife. Look at these wonderful terms that are just endearing. Wife of your youth. Wife of your vitality. Wife of your liveliness. I wonder how many of you actually were married in your younger twenties. That's what he's talking about. Maybe even earlier than that, some of you. That's the life of your youth. This joyous relationship, this vitality that is so characterized in your relationship, that's the relationship that's being forsaken. The wife of your youth. Look at also the next term. You've forsaken your companion. Your companion. You have forsaken your friend. The person who's been there through thick and thin. When you haven't looked your best, When you haven't been your brightest, when you've sinned against her, she's stuck with you. And you women, you can do the exact same thing. It's not uncommon in our days to see adultery actually committed by the wife. And you can do the exact opposite. You can actually commit adultery against the husband of your youth, or your companion, or the husband of your covenant. That's the third aspect. The husband of the covenant. You made a covenant before God. They made a covenant before God. All marriage is a covenant before God. God is the witness. This bond, this covenant, this oath is broken. Gone. Sabotaged. Undermined. Broken. Adultery also forsakes God's blessing of marriage. Look at verse 15. Did God not make them, that is Adam and Eve, or man and woman, one, that is one flesh, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? Forsaken. Gone. whatever security was there, whatever vitality, whatever life was there, gone. The blessing of the Holy Spirit, as it brings two people who love one another, together, and makes them one flesh, so intimate, that it makes them one flesh, forsaken. Broken. It's a denial of the work of the Holy Spirit in marriage. It's a denial of that closeness. It's a denial of that intimacy. And that's what they're doing. These men, what they're doing, it talks about, did God not make them one? That is one flesh. They're denying the wife conjugal rights. They're pushing them over into the corner in order to have this one over here. She no longer is one flesh. One flesh with her husband. Suddenly there's a second. I'm supposed to share in this companionship, in this friendship? No. No, absolutely not. This is only condemnable from the Lord. It is sin against God's wisdom in marriage. It's sin against God's goodness in marriage. It's sin against the providence. Everything that you guys have gone through together, adultery, it's sin against it. Thirdly, adultery forsakes the intimate union. And fourthly, we see some modern forms of what this might look like. We don't see it a whole lot, but I think the closest parallel that we have in our modern age is the man who has one family, one wife in one state, and another family and another wife in another state. Or maybe the closest actually that we see of it is actually the polygamy found in the modern-day saints. in the Mormon church. I don't even think the majority of them actually practice polygamy anymore. So then what form could this possibly have in our culture? Well, I think probably something that most men in the past or currently struggle with, or certainly are tempted towards it, and even now younger women, more and more, are struggling with the exact same thing, is the denial of conjugal rights through the use of pornography. That's what I'm talking about now. It is the setting aside of the wife into the corner, denying her her rights over your body in order to enjoy another. And it's not even really another. It's typically a computer. It's typically It's typically a computer, or a magazine, or a movie. It's a denial. It's a denial of so much intimacy, real, truthful intimacy. That's probably the closest thing that we see. Now, typically, there are some parallels with pornography that don't work, and I realize that. But that's emotionally. That's the closest thing that we see, that most men, or a great deal of men, really do struggle with. But in the Lord's contention, we see a third point. What is his desire for marriage? Adultery compromises godly offspring. Look at verse 15. And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. How does it compromise godly offspring? It compromises the uprightness, the righteousness, of the next generation. How can dear old Pa, who has two wives, talk to me about sexual morality? You can't. Not without being the hypocrite. You can't possibly do that. How are you going to teach the Ten Commandments to your son or to your daughter when you have two whole different families? How can you teach the law of God to your family when on the one hand you use pornography and on the other hand you think that you're being faithful to your wife? You can't teach them anything. You can't talk to them about right morals when it comes to sexuality. It corrupts the next generation. You can't teach them right, righteousness, a holiness that is characterized by thanksgiving and praise, because you yourself don't partake of it. It compromises the war between the covenant seed and the covenant enemy. Doesn't it? On the one hand, mom and son are over here, covenant family. On the other hand, dad's dabbling in pagan family. What does that even mean? According to Genesis 3.15, that there would be a seed, a covenant seed, to be the redeemed of Israel, who would be the redeemed of God. On the other hand, there's this covenant enemies. The seed of Satan. And these two are in contrast at all times. But our fathers are blending those categories. Some of you mothers, our mothers are doing the exact same thing. How could women possibly do this? There are a number of ways. Books. Romance books. Certain parts of movies that you really like. And what you want is you want for your husband to be that guy. All the women like Fabio, right? No, probably not. But it's the desire of our husbands to be something that they're not. Something worldly. Something pagan. You do it. We all do it. And it's sin. And you won't hear. He won't hear us, he'll frustrate our souls. Lastly, under the Lord's desire, it compromises the coming of the godly offspring of Jesus Christ. If we have two whole different families and we have intermarriage of pagans, of Israelites and pagans. We're not talking about converts. We're not talking about the roots of the world. We're talking about pagans. This is the reason why Abraham, that way God intervened with the king of Egypt on behalf of Abraham, because what Abraham was doing was he was actually compromising the promise of the godly seed. Jesus hasn't come yet. He's 400 years away. And yet the whole community, the men, are partaking of these pagan wives. And they're compromising the lineage, the bringing about of the promises of Jehovah that will give them their salvation. That's what they're doing and that's what we do. Well, that brings us then to our second point, which is only application. The Lord, the Lord's exhortation to the adulterers of Israel, And notice, firstly, the sanctifying repulsion of adultery. Look at verse 15. So guard yourselves in your spirit and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. Firstly, you are to guard yourselves. It's not going to certain places, whether it be places outside of the house, places inside of the house. Depends on on what's going on. It could be a book. in the corner. It could be a computer in the corner. It could be a shady place of town. Flee. Run away. That's the first part of repentance. Run. Stop. The Holy Spirit has so been given to you to empower you to obey. You don't have to sin if you are in Christ. Does that mean sin? taints everything that you do. Yes, it does. But you are not under the power of sin if you are a Christian. You're not. You can run. You can flee. You don't have to do it. We're not talking about a holiness. We're not talking about an obedience that's perfect. The Lord Jesus Christ, through his mediatorial intercession, he makes that perfect. We are talking about real fleeing. You don't have to gorge yourself with it. You don't have to partake of it. You can run. You can run from habits. Your body has learned so many different things, so many different habits when it comes to sexual sin. You can flee them. It can be broken by the power of the Holy Spirit. You don't have to find it delightful. And so often we do. You don't have to find it something that's satisfying to you because it's not. You don't have to find it pleasant because it's not. It's gross. It's disgusting. And the Lord calls us in repentance, according to our confession of faith, real repentance is actually having a real sense of the sin and finding it loathsome, not just Not just in theory, but in your taste, in your appetites. You don't have to think and feel and experience that it's good, because it's not. It's destructive. It's self-destructive. It's horrible. You can also avoid people. There are always people in our lives. There are always people in our lives who cause us to tend, or no, who we allow. to tend towards certain inequities, certain sins. And we need to abstain from those people. But then secondly, it's not merely outward things. It's your spirits. You can turn. You can say no in your soul. It's not just these external forms. You don't have to find it delightful. Because holiness is happiness. Happiness is not sin. In fact, they're two totally contrary ideas. You can be really happy. You can talk and experience a real biblical shalom. This inner peace. This whole peace of man. As you look like you're a God. In abstaining and hating sin. You can do that. But not only that, there is a repulsion that is inherent in faithfulness, isn't there? You hear the term, the best, the defense is a good offense, or you can actually turn it around. The best offense can also be a good defense. How can you best turn away and say, I don't want anything to do with that? How can you best it? Well, firstly, you can cultivate certain aspects of your relationship with your wife. Certain aspects of your relationship with your husband. You can delight in them. You can guard your delight in them. They can be the paradigm of what you find pleasing. Have you seen my husband? Wait a second, have you seen my wife? No, no, it has nothing to do with it. Our Lord calls all men and all wives to love your husband. That's not a request. We're to love them. And it's not merely some kind of emotion. Oh, they have the emotions, but they may not have my body. No, no, no. Absolutely not. That's separating the person from as though you can separate the body from the soul. Absolutely not. Or the body from emotion. No. No, it's the whole person who loves. It's the whole person who cherishes. It's the whole person who finds delight in the other person. I love the language of... I'm going there, but I'm going to Song of Solomon. I love the language of the Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon is not Ecclesiastes, by the way. You are altogether beautiful, my love. This is chapter 4. There is no flaw in you. I doubt that. I doubt that. But, here's the point. He sees her as the paradigm of beauty. He sees her as the apex, as everything that is satisfying to him. She's probably not perfect. But she is for her husband. He is for her. She is for him. Look at what she says later. You have captivated my heart, my bride. Oh, no, this is him. Sorry. Actually, that was him. You have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How beautiful is your love, my bride? How much better is your love than wine and the fragrance of your oils and spice? It's a beautiful language. Here you have a man who is developing and is so delighted in his wife. So delighted in his wife. She is the paradigm for his pleasure. Whether it's in companionship, whether it's in emotions, whether it's physically, whether it's sexually, I don't care. She is his all. And that's what we have to cultivate. Our wives are the most beautiful women in our lives. They're the most satisfying. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ has done the same thing. Is the church perfect? Absolutely not. How do you know that? I'm here. That's how you know the church is not perfect. You got me for a preacher. Here's my point though. He delights. His work in her is perfect. And He makes her beautiful. He delights in her. The church is called the Beloved of Jesus Christ. Notice also the woman's response to Him. Actually, this is earlier in the passage. This is in Song of Solomon 2. This is verse 16. My Beloved is mine. and I am his. My beloved is mine and I am his. He grazes among the lilies until the day breathes and the shadows flee. Turn, my beloved. Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the cleft of mountains. Come back to me. I delight in you. This is something that both sexes can work on. Delighting in the wife or in the husband of your And you might be sitting here asking yourself, OK, fine, I know what I'm supposed to do. I know what I'm called to do. How? How am I supposed to do this? I've been caught in this situation. No, I have not been caught. I have made this situation myself. How do I get out? I want to say three things real quick, real briefly. Christ forgives this sin. Christ came as a little boy. As a young infant, I remember the day my son was born, I heard a song talking about the incarnation on the radio. It just happened to be a Christmas song. And I'm just sitting there thinking, it was the day he was born, a few hours later, and I'm just sitting there thinking in my car, the Lord Jesus Christ came and went through childbirth, that you might have the forgiveness of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ came, put himself under the law, fulfilled it perfectly, fulfilled his delight with his wife, the bride of Israel, the bride of Christ, so perfectly that your sin can be atoned for. He can forgive you for it, and if you come to him in faith, if you come to him, he will. There is measures measures and measures of grace that can be extended. Not if you come mourning over your lack of worship. Come mourning over the grossness of your sin and turn towards Him. That is possible for you. But then not only that, Christ's quickening power as He gives us the Holy Spirit. You ask, how? Okay, fine. I have the forgiveness of sin. How do I stop? How do I develop? How do I do what you're talking about? The Holy Spirit does such a renovating power within us that all of those who are His really do and are transformed. Listen to Philippians 1. I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is working a holiness within the people of God. are such a moral renovation that you can actually be empowered to hate this sin. But then lastly, lastly, Christ's own example. He shows you how to do it. He shows you how to do it. He has come in such a self-sacrificing manner He has come to love His bride. He has come to save His elect. You see all those times in the Gospels where Jesus, in tenderness, in love, in compassion, reaches out His hand to some leprous person and really shows a love for His people. You see his example. It's a good, it's the best example. So we have indeed seen the Lord's contention with the people, with the adulterers of Israel. We have seen how he actively contends with them, how he holds them in their sin. And then on the other hand, he shows them how and exhorts them to a godliness, to an abstaining and to a faithfulness. that is grounded, not upon my pulling myself up by my moral and spiritual bootstraps. No, hogwash. But by His own example, His own forgiveness of our sins, His own empowering us to do exactly that. So let us indeed go on from here. Let us love our wives well. Wives, love your husbands well. For in In loving them, you too can imitate the living and true God and you can have a fulfillment and you can abstain from this type of horrendous adultery. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we do thank you for this text. We do thank you. that we were able to come and have our hearts molded across this text. Indeed, for those of us in our midst who struggle with such adultery, whether it be in the mind or whether it be more external, cause them to come to you weeping over their sins, turning to You and endeavoring after new obedience in You. Father, for those of us who have a passionate, lively marriage, we would ask that You would invigorate us all the more. Cause us to find ways to love our wives better. Cause wives to find ways to love their husbands better. Lord, show Yourself merciful, gracious, and powerful in the wedding, in the marital bonds of all of those here present. We ask this not to glory in ourselves. We ask this because in the holiness of your church, you are magnified because it is you who do it. So, Father, be with us. Glorify your name and glorify yourself in and through us. We pray this all in Christ's name. Amen.