Malachi 2:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

However, those who followed them, to whom this message is now directed, have “strayed from the way,” turning away from righteousness, causing themselves and others considerable harm, leading many to become disheartened in their pursuit of the law—that is, they rendered them feeble and inactive in living a life aligned with God’s commands. For if the leader disregards the law, is it not expected that those under his authority will also wander from it, and that those in lesser positions, lacking understanding, would follow the example set by those in higher places? Indeed, just as a virtuous priest aligned with the law inspires his subordinates to emulate his goodness, the opposite holds true as well; if they themselves violate the law of Levi, how could those kept under their influence regard the law as honorable?

However, you have strayed from the straight path, despite My exhortation that you should not turn aside to the right or to the left (Deuteronomy 5:32), and you have led many astray regarding the law, or seduced in their understanding of it, as interpreted by Aquila and Symmachus. To turn to the right signifies avoiding what God has created to be enjoyed, condemning sacred unions, while accepting that which He has forbidden: ‘Be not overly righteous’ (Ecclesiastes 7:17 in the LXX). Turning to the left involves indulgence in excess and temptation, leading many astray concerning the law; it would be better for such a person to be condemned with a millstone around their neck and cast into the sea than to cause one of the least of these to stumble (Matthew 18:5). Even those who have received the gift of faith through Christ may cause instability in the law due to their negligent actions; regarding them, it is appropriately stated: You have nullified my covenant with Levi, the covenant of life or peace, and matters related to the priestly office. Thus, He states: I have made you despised and rejected by all nations, so that they may humiliate you, trampling upon you as you are rejected and dishonored, for you have not upheld My ways and have acted with disdain in fulfilling the law. Among the numerous transgressions committed by Levi and the priests descended from him, the most significant is their hypocrisy in the observance of the law, focusing not on substance but on appearance, disregarding the humble righteous individual while favoring and honoring the wealthy and unjust. The address in the eighty-first Psalm applies to them: ‘Until you judge unjustly and show favor to the faces of the wicked’ (Psalms 81:2), and the Apostle Paul reminds the Galatians that ‘God shows no favoritism’ (Galatians 2:6). The Apostle James provides a more comprehensive denunciation of this wrongdoing (James 2:1-10). Let us consider that the counsel directed to the Hebrew people is equally applicable to us, urging us to guard against vices and not to take lightly our observance of the law, and as followers of God's law, we must uphold truth over falsehood.