Malachi 2:7
“For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →God states the high calling of the priest: to guard true knowledge and teach God's law, for he serves as the LORD's messenger.
What Does Malachi 2:7 Mean?
Here is the priest's calling distilled. His lips were to 'keep knowledge' -- to guard and dispense the truth of God so faithfully that the people would come to him to learn God's law. The reason is weighty: he is 'the messenger of the LORD of hosts,' a bearer of God's own word to the people. To be such a messenger is to carry something not your own and to handle it with care.
The dignity of this role is matched by its responsibility. A messenger must deliver the message faithfully, neither adding to it nor watering it down. When those who teach God's word guard it well, the people are fed and led aright; when they corrupt it, the whole flock is led astray. This verse honors the sacred task of speaking truth on God's behalf. It also points beyond every human messenger toward the perfect Messenger who would come bearing God's word without flaw, the One in whom truth and life are fully met.
In the Original Language
mal'ak (מַלְאָך), 'messenger' -- one sent with a message, whether human or angelic; the priest is called the LORD's appointed envoy to the people.