The Word: Malachi 1:6-10

“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ ‘You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.’ But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.’ ‘But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘But now will you entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘nor will I accept an offering from you.’”

Overview

Malachi prophesied to the people of Israel after the return from exile in Babylon. The purpose of the exile was to demonstrates the LORD’s faithfulness to His promise of curses for disobedience (Deut. 28:15-68). In other words, the exile was God’s grace toward a disobedient people to teach them the dangers of sin and unbelief. Before Malachi’s day, the people had returned to the nation and rebuilt from the ruins, reestablishing the walls of the city and the Temple and the Covenant of the Law (Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai). This context is confirmed by the reference to the priesthood and sacrifices throughout Malachi’s prophecy.

Sadly, a quick reading of the prophecy of Malachi reveals the LORD’s displeasure with His people for their apathy in worship and faithlessness to the covenant. Apparently, the lessons from the exile that the previous generations experienced did not have an enduring impact on the newer generations who began to test the LORD. Malachi was given a word from God to proclaim to His people to call them back to proper worship and faithfulness to the LORD and His covenant with them.

Explanation

In a series of disputations (arguments) presented in a question-and-answer rhetoric, the LORD began His confrontation with the priesthood and sacrifices. The greatest indictment against Israel was that they failed to give the LORD the honor He deserves. The statement, “a son honors his father, and a servant his master,” (1:6) is a proverbial principle that the people understood well. Children were expected to be obedient to their parents, and servants were expected to serve their masters faithfully. This practice may indeed have been something that the people were doing well. The issue arises from the following conclusion that the LORD gives: “Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?” (1:6)

Ouch. These words come as a sharp rebuke against the people. The LORD has established Israel as His own beloved people among all the nations of the earth (Exodus 19:1-6; Malachi 1:1-5). In this regard, He was their father, as He had given life and provision to them from the beginning. As LORD, He was also their master, the One who alone was worthy of their obedience and service as they were united with Him in a covenantal union. The failure of the people was that although they may have demonstrated honor in their social relationships, they failed to give greater honor and significance to their relationship with God. In other words, it is good for the children to honor their fathers, and it is better for the people to honor God. Yet, they failed to do so.

The LORD’s rebuke is directed specifically to the priests, as they are the representatives of the people before God in worship and offerings. They had despised the LORD’s name through their lack of giving Him His rightful honor. The rhetorical question is then posed on behalf of the priests, “How have we despised Your name?” (1:6) The immediate response: “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.” The priests are confronted for their lack of faithfulness to the regulations of worship and offerings that were laid out in the book of Leviticus. The charge of offering defiled sacrifices meant they were presenting offerings that God had clearly rejected or did not authorize.

Interestingly, when the LORD mentions their defiled sacrifices on the altar, the response is: “How have we defiled You?” The shift in focus from the altar back to the LORD appears to communicate the priests as saying, “Okay, so what, we defiled the altar. But what does that have to do with defiling YOU?” The LORD’s immediate response is, “In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.‘” Perhaps the people sought to disconnect the altar from the LORD as though they could be disobedient in their offerings but somehow still be faithful to God through the act of presenting offerings. Whatever the mentality, the LORD was clear: “This table is MY table, and when you despise it, you despise ME.” Therefore, what God has consecrated for Himself cannot be separated from Him.

The LORD continues: “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” (1:8) This verse reiterates the defiled nature of their sacrifices on the altar. The people were bringing blind, lame, and sick offerings which were contrary to the command for unblemished (perfect) offerings (Leviticus 1:3, 1:10). In apathy and unfaithfulness, they offered to the LORD less than what He required from them, less than the best.

Returning to social relationships, He challenged them to take the same offerings to their governor, a legal official who oversaw the nation. Who, in their right mind, would give a repulsive offering to a high official of their country? And upon receiving a repulsive offering, what should such a citizen expect this official to do? The expectation is that their offering would be rejected as an offense to the governor’s dignity, and they would even likely face severe consequences for such a lack of respect. The point is this: If you would not give such repulsive offerings to a governor of your nation, why would you think this offering was suitable for the Governor of the Universe? And if a human governor would rightfully become angry at such an offering, how much more rightfully should the LORD be angry at such defiled sacrifices? (1:9) Once again the priorities of the priests are shown to be out of order.

The judgment of the LORD is finally given in verse 10: “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on my altar!” (1:10) The irony of this judgment is that the people likely convinced themselves that they were still obedient to God in offering defiled sacrifices because this would be better than no sacrifices, right? Wrong. The LORD makes clear that it would be better for the people to NOT offer sacrifices for a righteous reason (i.e. to not defile the altar) than to try to offer shallow, heartless obedience through defiled offerings. The LORD says He would prefer them to shut the gates, and no one be allowed to enter His sanctuary and offer sacrifices. This would be better than dishonoring His Temple, His altar, and ultimately, Him!

Those final words ought to have cut deep into the hearts of the people: “I am not pleased with you…nor will I accept an offering from you.” (1:10) These words are the most frightening words to here from the LORD. They are not unlike those which Jesus declared in Matthew 7:23. God is clear: the people are not free to worship Him however they please. He has expectations and standards that He calls them to joyfully obey. Anything less is outright disobedience. Anything less, and it would be better to just keep the gates closed!

The Confrontation

The most obvious application from this text is to examine whether or not we are honoring God above all in our lives. Although we are not in the context of ancient Israel, and as Christians we do not have a Temple, or priesthood, or offer sacrifices in the cultic (religious institution) sense, the rebuke of the LORD from this passage still strongly applies to Christians under the New Covenant established through Christ in the Spirit. The New Covenant does not signify a change in God’s nature or character; rather, the New Covenant demonstrates a change in how God relates to His people.

As Christians, we are the Temple of God through the Indwelling of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 2:4-5). We are the priesthood of God that is meant to serve Him on behalf of the people, i.e. the world (1 Peter 2:4-12). We are the sacrifice on the altar that is to be an unblemished offering to God (Romans 12:1-2). In light of these New Covenant realities, which were shadowed in the Old Covenant (Colossians 2:17), we must understand that the rebukes of these passages are much greater for us as Christians, not lesser (see the warnings passages of 1 Corinthians 10:1-14 and Hebrews 2:1-4; 3:12-19; 6:1-8; 10:25-21; 12:14-27). God’s rebuke and judgment for those who bear the name of Christ unfaithfully and apathetically will be much greater than the rebukes given to Israel through Malachi.

Another interesting connection is found in the use of the term “table.” Although this connection primarily exists in the English language and not the original Greek and Hebrew languages, the concepts of the Lord’s table in the Old and New is significant as well. In Christ, we have a new and better table that is not a physical altar. Rather, this table is the Lord’s Supper, in which the Lord is present with His people as they share in the remembrance of the sacrifice which He gave of Himself on their behalf (Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; 22:14-23). How much more should this New Covenant table be undefiled than the Old? The Apostle Paul addresses the issue of many reaping judgment because of their lack of reverence during the Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-34). As we gather as believers for the Supper, we should not gather flippantly or carelessly, but with a serious recognition of the sacredness of the Lord’s table.

A final word of application can be drawn from the call to close the gates. Far too often, we as believers (and churches) are too concerned about keeping up the appearance of obedience without actual obedience to God. How many of our churches, church ministries, church programs, etc. exist only because “this is what we’re supposed to do,” or “this is how we obey God.” Then, upon examination, these things are characterized by bitter, heartless, joyless, divisive individuals who have forgotten what it truly means to serve God. In light of God’s Word through Malachi in this passage, would we not be better off “closing the gates” on many of our programs, ministries, and yes, maybe even our churches, as a greater act of obedience to God? If repentance is not on the horizon, and the renewal of the Spirit is not happening, then maybe we should consider that perhaps the LORD would be better honored and served by our ceasing in shallow obedience.