Malachi 1 - He Said They Said
The world grows weary of hearing God call them back. Wake up and answer His call in your life!
Watch the overview video on the book of Malachi, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Malachi accuses Israel of selfishness after the exile and announces that the day of the Lord will purify Israel and prepare them for God's kingdom.
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Malachi 1 (ESV)
1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.
But you say, “How have you loved us?”
“Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord.
“Yet I have loved Jacob
3 but Esau I have hated.
I have laid waste his hill country
and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”
4 If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,”
the Lord of hosts says,
“They may build, but I will tear down,
and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’ ”
5 Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!”
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master.
If then I am a father,
where is my honor?
And if I am a master,
where is my fear?
says the Lord of hosts
to you, O priests,
who despise my name.
But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’
7 By offering polluted food upon my altar.
But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’
By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised.
8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice,
is that not evil?
And when you offer those that are lame or sick,
is that not evil?
Present that to your governor;
will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.
9 And now
entreat the favor of God,
that he may be gracious to us.
With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.
10 Oh that there were one among you
who would shut the doors,
that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain!
I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts,
and I will not accept an offering from your hand.
11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting
my name will be great among the nations,
and in every place incense will be offered to my name,
and a pure offering.
For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.
12 But you profane it when you say
that the Lord’s table is polluted,
and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised.
13 But you say,
‘What a weariness this is,’
and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts.
You bring what
has been taken by violence
or is lame or sick,
and this you bring as your offering!
Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord.
14 Cursed be the cheat
who has a male in his flock,
and vows it,
and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished.
For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts,
and my name will be feared among the nations.
Read the chapter on BibleGateway
Malachi 1 Summary
Malachi wrote a short book that unfolds a series of six disputes between God, and His people Israel, who by this time have returned from their exile in Babylon and have already returned to the same wicked ways as before.
Perhaps the most glaring symptom of their apostacy is when the LORD of Hosts (v4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14) levels charges against His people, the people have the gall to argue back against Him! This is what happens when we lose grip on our theology - our understanding of who and what God is. When we forget that God is omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing), then His Word to us is of no more value than any other prognostication that bombards our screens.
Chapter 1 contains the God's first dispute, and the beginning of the second. God's first accusation is actually a reminder that He still loves His people, yet His people are incredulous, responding to Him with how have you loved us (v2)?
In His second dispute, God takes issue with Israel's worship. They were putting forth the bare minimum, bringing lame & diseased offerings but yet expecting God to shower them with blessings in return.
Dig Deeper
Our sinful nature causes us to elevate ourselves and subordinate God; in other words, we reverse reality and treat God as if He works for us. When God calls out their weak, worthless worship, the people respond as if they were some sort of pompous boss, snorting out in reply:
What a weariness this is... (v13)
The next time you hear a voice calling you back to orthodox teaching, worship and practice, be sure not to just blow it off as if you have something better to be doing.