Links for today’s readings:
Jun 3 Read: Malachi 2 Listen: (3:12) Read: Psalm 90 Listen: (2:03)
Scripture Focus: Malachi 2:7, 17
7 For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth…
17 You have wearied the Lord with your words.
Reflection: Knowledge Is Power
Erin Newton
We live in the age of fact-checking and social media community notes. We value truth and honesty, and people are eager to confirm statements as true or false.
As Christians we also hold our leaders to such standards. Malachi says, “A priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty” (2:7). In the ancient world, when literacy rates were much lower, people relied on religious leaders to relay (and interpret) the words of God. In the New Testament, James reiterates the standards of religious teachers: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (3:1).
Knowledge is power; therefore, truth is a vital cog in the machine.
Malachi reports about the dishonesty among the priests. They do not practice justice, and they are unfaithful to their spouses. They are not trustworthy in their conduct, so how can they be trustworthy in their words? In their instruction? In their guidance?
In the end, God is fed up with their empty words.
The preservation of knowledge includes knowing what is true and being able to discern what is false. Christians have attempted to fine-tune the faith until every inch of life is covered. We think we are preserving knowledge, knowing that people are instructed by our interpretations.
But we often fail through our actions. Sometimes we fail through compromise.
What we say about God’s word matters. How we glean truth from the Bible, prayer, experience, and tradition matters. Our desire to have the right answer is noble in and of itself, but if our lives are counter to our words, we weary God.
Not many of us are ordained priests or employed as pastors, ministers, or leaders. When James speaks of teachers, we might think we have escaped such a risky position. However, in our modern era, we become thought leaders on social media. When something we say can be cropped into an inspirational phrase, our words suddenly have more weight. We lead and teach children as parents, aunts, uncles, or elders. As iron sharpens iron, we act as teachers to our friends.
The priesthood of the believer is not only our ability to approach God with our prayers but also our role in teaching the world. With such a position through Christ, let us learn to speak truth, live truthfully, and not weary the Lord.
Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Jesus taught us, saying: “Whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.” — John 14.21
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Read more: Offal Leaders
Malachi describes a de-commissioning…feces from the animal would be smeared on their faces, representing impurity and death.
Read more: A Broken Rebel’s Prayer
His family must have hoped that their little rebel, like a well-slung stone, might take down the oppressive giant…Instead, he fails miserably.
