Introduction

Good morning, everyone. Let us turn to the second chapter of Malachi. Please do not dismiss this book as merely belonging to the Old Testament and thus irrelevant today. That is a preposterous understanding.

For the God of the Old Testament is also the God of the New Testament. Jesus Christ did not come to unseat the God of the Old Testament. Our God is eternally the same God, except that Jesus Christ came to fulfill the commandments and laws spoken of in the Old Testament.

Malachi speaks of many curses. The entire history of the Israelites, even to this day, remains a consequence of these curses. Why did it turn into a curse? I tell you, with our God, you either trust Him, serve Him, and consecrate yourselves to Jehovah, or you should not touch Him at all.

So the theme of this chapter is "I will turn your blessings into curses." God chose Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. Yet, one after another, Israel and Judah perished. After their kingdoms fell, God brought them back from Babylon, but they completely forgot God's grace.

What was their state during the time of Malachi? The Israelites had been exiled to Babylon, and God had brought them back to Jerusalem, but they still did not live with God at the center. As a result, nothing worked.

In fact, if people want to live under a curse, it is very simple; they need do nothing! But to live in blessing is no joke. The same is true of the Christian identity today. Do not assume that just because you are a Christian, you are already saved and blessed. How many blessings have turned into curses? This commandment is given to us.

Some might say, "That was the Old Testament; there are no commandments in the New Testament." But who said that? Does anyone know what God's great commandment is? I tell you, God's greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

I ask you, do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength? It seems not! You seem to love your work more, love yourself, love eating, drinking, and having fun. As for this commandment, you say, "Oh, forget it! Can that put food on the table?" After you say that, it is hard not to be cursed.

God Gives the Commandment to the Priests

In the Old Testament, God gave a very great and blessed office to the Levites. Moses was a Levite, and his brother Aaron and his descendants all served as priests. The priests' income was twice that of ordinary people. They were solely consecrated to Jehovah, not working but only serving God.

God gave this commandment to the Levites, and the covenant with the Levites was that they would serve God wholeheartedly. Their income was not low, and the work was not particularly hard, but they squandered the commandment. Can they escape being cursed?

I must remind everyone again that the Christian identity is no joke; it can turn blessings into curses. Let me read to you:

"And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart." (Malachi 2:1-2)

God has already cursed these Israelites, Jews, and Levites. They are already living under a curse. Do people know when they are living under a curse? I guess they do not, otherwise why would the prophet Malachi need to tell them?

Malachi and Jehovah said, "I have already cursed you; your blessings have turned into curses," but they say, "Who doesn't live like this? I am better off than Old Wang next door!" People are like this, not knowing that this commandment is a blessing. God established a covenant of life and peace, but they did not do this job well, and it turned into a curse.

This is not only spoken to the Israelites in the time of Malachi but also to the people of our generation. Is this not even more so in our generation? Some say, "Oh, now is the age of grace." But have you seen grace? I myself am very surprised.

Why did I establish a church? Because I feel that many churches are not doing it right! If we want to build a church and get this right, it is very difficult! I used to build a church, and as a result, I was cursed, but thank God, I quickly repented. Let me explain how God gave the commandment to the priests. Let me read to you:

"And you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him; it was a covenant to hold him in awe, and he feared me and stood in awe of my name.

True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." (Malachi 2:4-7)

This is well said! Is this commandment good or bad for the priests? I tell you, it is incomparably good! But I tell you, if Christians do not have a little self-discipline to control themselves and deal with their evil desires, they will surely be cursed.

So, brothers and sisters, do not think that there are no curses in the New Testament. How would you know if you do not read the Bible? Romans says at the end, "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed." This is the great commandment. What will happen if the priest does not love God? It is terrible!

I am particularly moved. I have many Christian friends around me, some are elders of the church, some are leaders of the church, and some are pastors. I am afraid when I see their misery because they are simply and directly cursed.

Let me ask, is cancer a curse or a blessing? They say, "It is a blessing in disguise!" If God gives you a little, do you want it? Definitely not! A curse is not a good thing.

But here comes the question: God gave the commandment to the priests, but if we do not carefully observe and follow it, and deviate from the right path, causing many to stumble in the law, we have violated the covenant God made with the Levites. Remember, we ourselves have violated the covenant. God is always faithful, but people are often liars!

I have seen many self-righteous priests who think they are very reasonable and very excited! But when you analyze it, it is all nonsense. So, brothers and sisters, we must live out the covenant of life and peace, and love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Now let us put our hands on our chests, pat our chests, and ask ourselves: Have I turned this blessing into a curse? Later, when I built the church, thank God, I dared to ask everyone, and thank you all for being willing to follow my requirements.

In fact, the requirements of the Chinese Mingding Doctrine are still a bit high, but whether you like it or not, when you come here, you must follow the requirements.

The Commandment is Both a Blessing and a Curse

Go and read Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Exodus, Numbers, and Genesis. After you finish reading, you will find that Moses wrote two themes, one called blessing and one called curse.

So this commandment is very clear. If you carefully observe and follow it, you will surely be blessed; if you do not carefully observe and follow it, you will be cursed! The same is true in the New Testament. Will you be cursed if you love money? You will surely be cursed!

Later, I found that people are easily deceived, and people who love money are particularly easily deceived because when they are deceived, they only think about making money, and their brains are filled with curses! But if you use the energy of loving money to love God, it will be easy.

So I have to tell everyone that whether you receive the commandment as a blessing or a curse depends on your creation. It is really sad when people live to be cursed, so I often remind you: You do not love God enough.

Some people disagree and say, "How can you say that? I already love God very much." It is bad when you say this because the difference between your judgment of yourself and God's judgment of you is too great. You think you love God very much, but God thinks you do not love enough. What does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength? It means you never love enough!

What do you love more? I see that you love money more, so you slowly ponder. If a person desperately loves God, loves the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, who can deceive God from your hands? Who can put a curse in you?

So the commandment is both a blessing and a curse. In fact, this is not what I said. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 talks about blessings, and 15-64 talks about curses. It is clear when you compare them. For example, you cannot live in the house you built yourself, and you are deceived; the wife you married sleeps with others; you cannot eat what you plant yourself, and you give it to others. Oh, it is all curses!

I earnestly advise everyone, brothers and sisters, wake up and carefully observe and follow the great commandment! This commandment comes from Jesus. If you do not listen to Jesus, what do you listen to? Why do you believe in Jesus?

God Will Make This Covenant Last Forever

Why does God make this commandment both a blessing and a curse? Because God wants to make this covenant last forever. What does it mean to last forever? It means that when Jesus comes again, this covenant cannot be abolished, and it must last forever. To last forever also means to be forever effective. Even if you violate this covenant and turn your blessings into curses, that is also part of this covenant, so this covenant must last forever!

Do not, by any chance, refer to it as the "Old Testament." I am deeply moved by God's faithfulness, yet many remain ignorant of it. Do they still claim that there are curses in the "New Testament"? Some Christians even insist that curses do not originate from God. Alas, such foolishness! After reading this chapter, can one still deny that curses come from God?

It is a simple matter: God intends for this covenant to endure forever. Therefore, we often compare ourselves against God's commandments, discerning blessings from curses. My brothers and sisters, we must slowly ponder this matter, gradually enhancing our understanding.

Observe, when emotions flare and tempers rise, intellect vanishes, and covenants are disregarded, leading to reckless speech. This issue is not confined to a single individual; it affects nearly everyone. Otherwise, would you dare to provoke someone? Or, try touching a spicy Sichuan girl?

A spicy Hunan girl is equally off-limits! The same goes for spicy girls from Hubei and the Northeast! The aftermath can be quite explosive. Even when not arguing, Sichuan dialect can sound rather fierce. A brother from the Northeast remarked, "That's 'biao'!" He was likely referring to his wife.

Thus, we must recognize that God intends for this covenant to endure forever, to remain eternally effective. We must not err by assuming that the covenant is nullified by Israel's national ruin and exile. On the contrary, this precisely demonstrates the covenant's efficacy. Even when a Christian contracts cancer, the covenant remains potent! Even when one is deceived, the covenant remains potent.

Ponder this: the diseases God inflicted upon the Egyptians, including the policies of that old rogue, will also befall these Christians. Even diseases not inflicted upon the Egyptians will be added to them, turning blessings into curses. How dreadful it is to disregard God's commandments!

Allow me a brief digression. I enjoy observing. After observing in local churches, I discovered an abundance of curses. Yet, God's word stands firm in heaven, unchangeable. Initially, in my self-righteousness, I imposed curses upon establishing the church! But thanks be to God, this covenant endures forever!

Priests Showing Partiality in the Law

The office God has given you is to make demands of people. Priests are to make demands. Consider Nehemiah; he dared to make demands. In truth, people benefit from being held to account.

Nehemiah and Malachi were contemporaries. Malachi made demands of the people, and they obeyed and were blessed. Later, I grasped this principle: church building must involve raising standards to God's level.

Some object, "Who can attain that?" Indeed, you cannot attain it initially, but you must recognize it as a goal. Though unattainable now, you can progress towards it incrementally. If you achieve it immediately and become complacent, you are content with being under a curse.

For instance, in a 100-meter race, if the goal is 30 seconds, or just over 3 meters per second, many elderly individuals could win. Because it is easily attainable, what is the point of setting such a low standard? It is meaningless! Then you ask, "Can I participate in the Olympics with a 30-second 100-meter time?" It becomes a joke! We must understand that lowering standards is a tragedy.

I once told some pastors that a crucial secret to building a church is to set high standards. They responded, "That's impossible!" Listen to that! It may be impossible, but the standards must still be set high, because lowering them is detrimental.

Thus, priests show partiality in the law and dare not speak out, fearing that members will leave. If it were me, I would thank God for those who leave, for they are not among us! They are not Mingding to remain with us. Demands must be made!

Why make demands? Because it is the priest's responsibility, not to show partiality in the law. For instance, if someone gives generously, you refrain from rebuking them, while you scold someone who gives less. Is that still the law?

In Malachi's time in Israel, priests showing partiality in the law was commonplace! When people faced legal issues, they sought the priest's judgment. But if the person was an official, the priest dared not offend them.

The "Judahites" in the scripture refer to the nobility. In Malachi's time, there were still many aristocratic classes among the Judahites, wielding real power to govern various lands. Did the priests dare to manage them? If they did, their livelihood would be at risk! These Judahites were formidable, and they remain so to this day.

Human relationships naturally lead people to deviate from God's law, to stray from the right path, causing many to stumble in the law, resulting in the priest being despised.

Judahites Profaning God's Holiness

Priests are to receive the law, but when they saw the Judahites profaning God's holiness, they dared not rebuke them. Many prophets in Jerusalem lost their lives for such matters. Who would dare to rebuke them?

Isaiah, the prophet from the Book of Isaiah, was sawn in two because he severely rebuked the Judahites. Consequently, he was sawn in two by the local nobles.

How could you rebuke them? The nobles of Judah thought, "You dare say I live under a curse? You are the ones living under a curse! Tomorrow, I will ensure you live under a curse." Then they sawn the prophet in two. Is the priest's job easy? It is not!

How did these Judahites profane God's holiness? They married women who served foreign gods and divorced their original wives. Although each generation had its own laws, with enough money, one could twist the law like taffy, distorting God's word.

I tell you, people are adept at crafting stories, explaining things in a way that justifies themselves. Unlike today, in that era, men were the primary providers. In modern times, men may not always have the final say at home. Some wives can divorce their husbands. While not common, stories of divorce and asset grabbing abound, filled with deceit.

The dignitaries of Judah not only divorced their wives but also deprived them of their property, using cunning to resolve the matter! Thus, the Judahites profaned God's holiness, and the priests could not control it.

Cursed, Yet Blaming God for Injustice

"You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, 'In what way have we wearied Him?' In that you say, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,' or, 'Where is the God of justice?'" (Malachi 2:17)

Because on the land of Israel, they truly acted corruptly, and unjust deeds occurred daily, becoming commonplace. As a result, the Israelites said, "Alas, where is the God of justice?"

When the wealthy were cursed, perhaps not called cancer then, but a terminal illness, they contracted some incurable disease and said, "Where is the God of justice?"

My summary is excellent. The cancer patients I have ministered to all believe they are good people, very kind. But is that truly the case? No! It is merely their perception. People are self-righteous, a common phenomenon. Even if they acknowledge some flaws, they still believe they are decent.

When I minister to people, I can be quite sharp. As I speak, I am not entirely correct, and they show me some leniency. However, they also realize their shortcomings, yet remain stubborn. In truth, we are all flawed, but we seek a scapegoat. This is normal.

Do not assume these are isolated cases; they are the norm. Thus, when cursed, people do not reflect on themselves but blame God for injustice.

The poor love money, and the rich also love money, loving it to the point of being cursed, then blaming God, saying, "God, why didn't you stop me?" Can curses be stopped? Do curses not come from God?

God allows you to do this, and then you blame God, asking where the God of justice is? He is here! This is called the God of justice! When God's judgment falls upon people, they should recognize it and not contend with God, but first examine themselves.

The theme of the previous chapter was "wrong attitudes in giving lead to curses." This chapter is about priests turning your blessings into curses. Consequently, all of Israel lived under a curse. Later, Israel became a wandering, homeless people, a tragic fate.

In Jesus' time, Israel was still a colony. In the following decades, the Roman Empire completely destroyed the temple. God does not care about temples made by human hands; they are merely for show.

Are you awake, brothers and sisters? I tell you, we often say this is a curse, and everyone should reflect carefully. Even Job was mistaken. Initially, Job felt he was right, so he argued with God. After much arguing, Job, being intelligent, suddenly realized, "Alas, I was wrong."

You must know that "I was wrong" is the golden rule. People are not afraid of living under a curse, as repentance easily removes it. But the fear is living under a curse while believing oneself to be righteous and good. That is the end.

Do not wait until the guardians of the afterlife appear before you to think of repenting. By then, the opportunity is slim. Repent while we are still in good condition.

Our Bible study sharing concludes here. May God bless you all!

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