Levi or Jesus

By: Jo Smith--1/14/2004

Malachi 2

1. And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
2. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

3. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.
4. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

5. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
6. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

Now I made the statement that Jesus was called Levi in some of these Scriptures. So here in the above verses is proof of this.

In verses 1-3 God is speaking to the priests of the Levitical earthly priesthood. He said that unless they lay it to heart and give glory unto his name he would send a curse upon them. Then he said I will curse your blessings.

He is saying that the blessings, which they had under the law covenant, He is going to curse. He said Yea; I have cursed them ALREADY. He said I will corrupt your seed. This is the seed of children of the law; the OT Covenant.  They are corrupt.  And he said  I will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts. and one shall take you away with it.

Now this is strong words from God.  He is saying to those following the law, your get-togethers are dung to me.  I will spread dung on your 'faces'.  What is faces?  According to Strongs it meant that which was first or which went before.  So it means the first covenant of the law.

Moses was shown God's back part or the NT Covenant of grace.  The Israelites of his day saw only law; but Moses saw grace.  The seed of the law is corrupt.  So if you live by law or the things of the law, you and your converts will be corrupt.  You had better flee that law system of one ruling over others; of tithing; of Sabbath keeping and all other points of the works of the law.

That law covenant and that old nation of Israel, which followed that law, were already under a curse from God. God never at any time accepted this covenant. He has never accepted anyone under law or the blood of animals, which sanctified that old covenant. They have always been cursed. It was a curse. It was death.

God commanded Adam in the beginning not to eat of or partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the law. By the law is the KNOWLEDGE of sin. Some good is taught under the law; but it also gives the knowledge of sin. Without the law is no sin. So the law was death. It required killing an animal and offering its blood. But God has never accepted this.

This was the sin of Adam and Cain. They went to law and killed the animals. So God rejected them and their sacrifices. Now all the way down to the end of the old covenant, the people follow their father, the devil and offer the blood of animals. Even if you do not ever kill one, if you go by law, you are guilty, for this tramples the blood of Jesus and does despite to the Spirit of Grace.

If you go back to law, at any point, you place yourself back under the castaway old covenant of law and the blood of animals.

Now verse four: I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.

5. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

6. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

My covenant was with him of LIFE AND PEACE. There was NEVER any life given under the old Levitical priesthood. It was death. It was cursed. There was never any peace under this covenant. God said he never did give this people REST.

Grace and TRUTH came by Jesus Christ. The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips.

Now can this be true of the natural Levi? Of course not. In Genesis 34 we find that Levi and Simeon were the two brothers who tricked Hamor and unto Shechem his son and destroyed them. Jacob said to them you have troubled me with this.

So we see from this that the natural Levi could not be the one with whom was truth and in whose lips was no iniquity. This could only be said of Jesus Christ. So here, Jesus is called the Levi of a new covenant. He is the heavenly priesthood. But here he is called Levi.

It said he did turn many away from iniquity. This could only be Jesus.

But now read verses 7-10.

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.
8. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
9. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.

10. Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

See here God turns back to speaking to the natural Levite priests. He told them their lips should keep knowledge, that they should seek the law at his mouth, for they were the messenger of the Lord.

8. --BUT ye are departed out of the way. Ye have caused many to stumble at the law. Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi. (Here speaks of the Heavenly Levi, Jesus.) They had corrupted this grace covenant, as did Adam, Cain and most of the people since then.

If you go back to law, you are corrupting the covenant of Grace. If you say you must tithe, you are under law and corrupting the covenant of Grace. If you say you HAVE to go to church, you are under law and corrupting the freedom of grace. Anything of law is corruption of grace.

9. --Therefore God made them contemptible and base before all the people.

10. --Here they ask why are we dealing treacherously and profaning the covenant of our fathers?

12. The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.

13. And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

See in verse 12 that God cut off the men who do that and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of Hosts. See then that he did not want their offerings?

Verse 13 he said that he regards not their offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at their hand.

So this concludes his case again them and shows that he has cut them off, cursed them, and will not accept their offerings under law any more.

Now let another Prophet tell you what it is like to God to offer the OT sacrifices.

Isa. 66:3. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's

neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
4. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

5. Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

See here God is showing that to offer the slain ox or sacrifice a lamb is the same to him as if one cut off a dog's neck and offered it to God. If one offers an oblation (OT Oblations) it is the same as offering swine's blood to God. If one burns incense (OT Incense; work of priests) this is blessing an idol.

So this proves that it is idol worship to go back to anything of that cast away with old covenant. If you now try to serve God under the law at any point, it is idolatry. Then He said that they chose this their own ways, their soul delights in this their abominations. To do the OT way of worship is an abomination to God. It tramples the blood of Jesus and does despite to his spirit of grace.

People, this is very serious business. Please do not take it lightly. If you go back to law at any point you fall from grace and Christ is of no effect to you. If you cling to any part of law God said he would chose you a delusion and bring your fears upon you.

In verse 5, it speaks of the NT Christians who would be hated by all for his Name's sake. We, the people who have truly been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and put on Christ by the Baptism of the Holy Ghost are this people who are hated for his name's sake. He shall appear to our joy and they shall be ashamed.

You who take people back under law now to get their money and worship, will someday be ashamed when Jesus appears again. But we who turned our backs on the world and their ways, and rejected law and idols will be filled with everlasting joy and gladness. Why would you desire to stay under that law and loose out with eternal life?

 Yarsille,  Zech. 11 is speaking of the fall or cutting off of the O.T. covenant of law.  This is the covenant given to Moses and his people.  God declared that this covenant was never given to anyone before their time.

Without seeing the truth of this cutting off, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures.  I have a very lengthy message here on the Fall of the O.T.  In it I explain all these things here.

Jesus is speaking here.  He is saying tht he cut off three shepherds in one month.  These were the shepherds of the O.T. ~  the prophets, the priests, and their kings.  They despised Jesus and he hated them.

He goes to when He was dealing with or 'feeding' them of that old covenant.  He called it the staves of Beauty and Bands.  With these he 'fed' that old covenant. 

But then, (verse 10)-- he cut beauty off, that he might break THAT COVENANT, he had made with the people.

That was not the everlasting covenant made to Abraham.

The poor of the flock that waited on Jesus = the disciples of Jesus- those who recognized the change from the old to the new Covenant - knew that this was the word of God, to cut off that old covenant and turn to the new.

Blessed are the 'poor' in spirit, for theirs is the KINGDOM.

Then you see the betrayal of Jesus, the 30 pieces of silver.   Then Jesus breaks the other staff, bands = Law,  that he might break the brotherhood between Judah (natural Jews) and Israel (spiritual Jews, Christians, see, no fellowship between law and grace).

Then he speaks of the 'foolish shepherd'.  This is those who tried to stay with the old Moses covenant instead of coming into the New Grace Covenant.  Those were the Pharisees, the priests, the ones who faught Christianity.

Verse 16- This speaks of the true Ministers, Jesus and His disciples.  They were the ones who would not visit the ones Jesus cut off = the prophets, the priests, & kings of the O.T.  The law group.  They were cut off; so these true N.T. ministers would not 'visit' them.  They could not  'feed' them; because they 'ate' law.  That is their spiritual 'food'.  So they were left starving.

They stood still and would not move on with God's new move, so the true shepherd did not feed or heal them.  Instead they 'ate' = spiritual food - the 'fat' which means they who had an abundance of real food from God = the message of Salvation by Grace = the gospel of Jesus.  This is where the 'fat' food is now.

So they tore up that old way = tore their 'claws' in pieces.

v17--Woe to the idol shepherd= (standing still, not going on with God)--that leaveth the flock.  Left the true Christians, the new flock of God.  So his 'arm' = his group or power, army, the ones who worked that Old Covenant, was clean dried up and their right eye = their spiritual vision, was utterly darkened. 

In other words, they lost out completely with God because they stayed in that cast away with Old Covenant of law and did not come into the New Testament.

Sorry I took so long to get back to this; just had so much else to do.  But this is a very good study.

Jo