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Pastor's Blog August 1, 2019
"Worshiping a Foreign God"
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The concept of holiness can be downright strange and tricky. The KJV of Malachi 2:11 says, "Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god." According to this version, what is so upsetting about Judah's actions is that the people have once again forsaken the worship of God and have turned to another form of idolatry; language of a strange god easily sounds like the accusations of Amos and Hosea against joining the cults of "strange/foreign" deities.
But the KJV translation of Malachi 2:11 is a little difficult to reconcile with historical fact. While the Southern Kingdom did partake in the same sins of idolatry as the Northern Kingdom (though usually not as much) before Babylon took the people into exile, those who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon had mostly been cured of their penchant for worshiping other deities. In fact, the people of Judah were intensely zealous for the worship of ONLY their God by the time of Malachi's ministry.
The NIV of Malachi 2:11 presents us with a different perspective on the meaning of this passage: "Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god." This actually makes more sense of the era of Malachi's prophetic service. Since the return of God's people to Jerusalem, one of the besetting sins they faced was marrying people who worshiped other gods; Ezra and Nehemiah both detail the far-reaching effects this practice had on the people's ability to maintain a united allegiance to God. Given that "qadosh" is the same word for "holiness" and "sanctuary" in Hebrew, the NIV of Malachi 2:11 is probably more correct.
What the KJV and the NIV of this passage both attest, however, is the fact that it is possible to betray God by simply not paying attention to what he wants. In our worship of God, let us try to follow God's holy ways instead of substituting our ideas of obedience for true obedience to the Lord.
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
