Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.

And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’S altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

Malachi 2:10-11,13-14

Throughout Scripture, the imagery of the marriage covenant provides an example of both faithfulness and faithlessness to God and to each other.

In today’s passage, Malachi describes both. First, he describes spiritual adultery as Judah is mismatched with a spouse that worships a false god. God expects fidelity to the faith.

Second, a lack of faithfulness to God is often realized in our own relationships. As described in Scripture, marriage is a covenant between man and wife and the LORD and so when we are faithless to our spouse, we, again and again, are disregarding God as well.

We may kneel in prayer with “weeping and groaning” and still hold tight to our ways and somehow wonder why God doesn’t bless our faithless lives.

It’s something to think about, don’t you think?