Attributed commentary excerpt
Barnes' Notes on Malachi 2:6
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Notes on the Whole Bible
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
The law of truth was in his mouth - Apart from those cases, which were brought to the priests at the tabernacle (Deuteronomy 17:9-11; Deuteronomy 19:17 (add Deuteronomy 21:5; Ezekiel 44:23-24), hence, the use of אלהים Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:7-8.), in which their voice was the voice of God through them, to teach the law was part of the office both of the priest and Levite. Of the priest God says; Leviticus 10:11, “that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes, which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses:” of the tribe of Levi generally Moses says Deuteronomy 33:10, “They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments and Israel Thy law.” After the schism of the ten tribes, a prophet says to Asa, that “Israel” had 2 Chronicles 15:3, “for long time been without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.” They are evil times, of which Ezekiel says Ezekiel 7:26, “the law shall perish from the priest;” and God says of corrupt priests Jeremiah 2:8, “The priest said not, where is the Lord? And they that handle the law knew Me not. Ezekiel 22:26; Zephaniah 3:4 they did violence to My law.” Upon their return from the captivity Ezra was known to Artaxerxes as Ezra 7:12, Ezra 7:21, “a scribe of the law of the God of heaven,” and he looked upon him apparently, as one who should keep the people in good order by teaching it. Ezra 7:25-26, “thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God which is in thy hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people which are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach ye them that know them not: and whosoever will not do the law of thy God or the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him.” Ezra says of himself, that he Ezra 7:10, “had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” “God’s Psalms 119:142 law is the truth; the true doctrine of this law did he teach the people, and instruct them in the true meaning and intent thereof, that, according to the right rule, they might frame all their actions; nothing of it did he conceal from them, nor teach any thing contrary to it or false. This was in his mouth; nothing contrary to it was found in his lips.” And iniquity was not found in his lips - He expresses the perfectness of that teaching, first positively, then negatively. The true priest taught truth without any admixture of wrong. “Not only is he a betrayer of the truth, who, transgressing the truth, openly teaches a lie for the truth; but he too, who does not freely utter the truth, which he ought to utter freely, or who does not freely defend the truth which he ought to defend freely, is a betrayer of the truth. Romans 10:10, ‘For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’” “Nothing,” says Ambrose to the Emperor Theodosius, “is so perilous to the priest with God, so disgraceful with men, as not to utter freely what he thinks. For it is written Psalms 119:46, ‘I spake of Thy testimonies before kings, and was not ashamed.’ And, therefore, a priest’s silence ought to displease your Clemency; his freedom, to please you. For you are involved in the peril of my silence, art aided by the good of my free speech.” He walked with Me - To awe of God, truthfulness of teaching, he adds a devout continual contact with God. Like the patriarchs of old, Enoch and Noah, he Genesis 5:24; Genesis 6:9 “walked with God.” He not only liv…
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