Half-hearted Worship (Malachi 1:1 -14)

Introduction

Biblical History

Restoration of Israel (Ezra/Nehemiah)

God used Cyrus, Zerubabbel, Joshua, Ezra, Nehemiah, and others to accomplish His will of restoring Israel to the Land.

Books during and after Return.

Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

Zechariah, Haggai, Malachi

Malachi is the last book written in the OT (most scholars agree that Malachi was probably a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah in the mid-fifth century B.C.)

“The warm response to Zechariah’s call to repentance had grown cold, because God apparently had not restored the covenant blessings. Malachi, writing a short time later, called the people to repentance with respect to: the priesthood, which had become corrupt; worship, which had become routine; divorce, which was widespread; social justice, which was being ignored; and tithing, which was neglected. ... Malachi predicted the coming of both John the Baptist and Jesus, referring to each as a “messenger” of God (3:1).” (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Print.)

History after the return

After the return of Israel into the land, there is about 400 years of silence called the Intertestamental Period. “Events and writings originating after the final prophet mentioned in the OT (Malachi, about 450 B.C.) and before the birth of Christ (about 4 B.C.).” (Harrop, Clayton. “Intertestamental History and Literature.” Ed. Chad Brand et al. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary 2003: 829. Print.)

Events - Rise and fall of the Greeks under Alexander the Great, The Maccabees revolt, Rise of the Roman Empire.

During this period of time is when the Apocryphal books were written. Because God was silent during this period, we do not see the books as authoritative and therefore not a part of the Bible.

Malachi is the last message to Israel to repent and live according to the Law of Moses.

God’s Love for Israel (1:1-5)

God’s Love questioned (1-2a)

Malachi 1:1–2 (NET 2nd ed.)

1 This is an oracle, the Lord’s message to Israel through Malachi: 2 “I have shown love to you,” says the Lord, but you say, “How have you shown love to us?” ...

This is a message from God to the Nation of Israel.

“I have loved you,” (ESV), “I have shown love to you,” (NET)

“How have you shown love to us?” (NET)

God’s Love demonstrated (2b-5)

Love and Hate (literary use in the Bible) (2b-3a)

Malachi 1:2–3 (ESV)

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. ...

It is really about choosing one over the other.

Malachi 1:2–3a (NET 2nd ed.)

2 “I have shown love to you,” says the Lord, but you say, “How have you shown love to us?” “Esau was Jacob’s brother,” the Lord explains, “yet I chose Jacob 3 and rejected Esau. ...

Example from Jesus.

Luke 14:25–26 (ESV)

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Jesus is not saying to Hate family, because elsewhere we are told to honor our parents.

“This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)

Matthew 10:37 (ESV)

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

God is using the literary style of Love/Hate here to help Israel know that He loved them.

This text is not about Jacob and Esau, But Israel and Edom. The rest of the text does not talk about Jacob or Esau, but Israel and Edom.

God’s love for Israel, and rejection of Edom (3b-4)

Malachi 1:2–4 (NET 2nd ed.)

2 “I have shown love to you,” says the Lord, but you say, “How have you shown love to us?” “Esau was Jacob’s brother,” the Lord explains, “yet I chose Jacob 3 and rejected Esau. I turned Esau’s mountains into a deserted wasteland and gave his territory to the wild jackals.” 4 Edom says, “Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places.” So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies responds, “They indeed may build, but I will overthrow. They will be known as the land of evil, the people with whom the Lord is permanently displeased.

Look at the covenant relationship with Israel and not Edom. God showed Israel love through how He provided for them. (exodus, promised land, exile/restoration)

Edom lived against God and Israel, and were destroyed. Edom was always at odds with Israel even back in the Exodus.

God has shown us His love for us through His Son and the gospel.

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We know that God loves us through the life death and resurrection of Jesus and the forgiveness we receive.

Israel’s half-hearted worship (1:6-8)

God questions Israel’s worship (6)

Malachi 1:6 (ESV)

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?’

God uses 2 well known relationships to make a point of how Israel is treating Him.

Father/Child, Master/Servant

God is their Father/Master, so why are they not Honoring Him?

This message is for the Priest that are responsible for the sacrifices and teaching/leading the Israelites into appropriate worship of YHWH.

How they despised His name (7-8)

Malachi 1:7–8 (NET 2nd ed.)

7 You are offering improper sacrifices on my altar, yet you ask, ‘How have we offended you?’ By treating the table of the Lord as if it is of no importance. 8 For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them to your governor! Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

The Appropriate Sacrifice.

Leviticus 22:19–20 (ESV)

19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.

They are keeping the best of their flocks for themselves and offering to the Lord the lame and defected ones.

This is about submission to the Lord.

Doing things the way He says. Reality of Master/Servant is that the Master gets to indicate how things are to be done and the servant obeys. God has clearly expressed the way the sacrifices are to be done and what is to be offered. Even if we do not understand the why of what is asked, we need to be obedient to the command.

This is in form: How God sets up the way things are to be structured. (Temple, Family, Authority, Roles, etc) (Temple set up, Authority in the Church)

This is in function: How God set up how to do things. (Worship, Sacrifices, offerings, relationships, salvation etc) (Sacrifices, salvation through faith in christ)

The Israelites were not submitting to the way God prescribed the sacrifices and were dishonoring Him. I see this message as similar to the events with Cain.

Genesis 4:3–7 (ESV)

3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Message to the Priest (1:9-10)

What worship should do. (9)

Malachi 1:9 (NET 2nd ed.)

9 “But now plead for God’s favor that he might be gracious to us”. “With this kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“Sacrifice should solicit God’s pleasure, imploring his graciousness and acceptance.” (Baker, David W. Joel, Obadiah, Malachi. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2006. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.)

How can they seek the favor of God the whole time dishonoring him with improper sacrifices. Can we expect the favor of God when we are living in sin or trying to honor him our own way and not His?

God’s utter frustration (10)

Malachi 1:10 (NET 2nd ed.)

10 “I wish that one of you would close the temple doors, so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will no longer accept an offering from you.

It would be better to close the doors of the temple (no longer worship through sacrifices), then continue with these sacrifices.

Lord’s Name will be Glorified (1:11-14)

God will be great amongst the nations (11)

Malachi 1:11 (NET 2nd ed.)

11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the LORD contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)

Messianic - “The prophets predicted a time when Gentiles will see the light and become worshipers of the Lord (Isa. 45:22–25; 49:5–7; 59:19). The Messiah will become King over the entire earth. Believers in all nations will worship Him (Isa. 11:3–4, 9; Dan. 7:13–14, 27–28; Zeph. 2:11; 3:8–11; Zech. 14:9, 16).” (Blaising, Craig A. “Malachi.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 1578. Print.)

Malachi (with many OT Prophets) is addressing a time when God will be worshiped by all nations. This happens in the church, millennial reign of Christ, and eternity.

Israel profanes the Lord (12-13)

Malachi 1:12–13 (NET 2nd ed.)

12 “But you are profaning it by saying that the table of the Lord is common and its offerings despicable. 13 You also say, ‘How tiresome it is.’ You turn up your nose at it,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and instead bring what is stolen, lame, or sick. You bring these things for an offering! Should I accept this from you?” asks the Lord.

“In verses 7–8 the actions of the priests were condemned; here their attitude was condemned. Their attitude was one of contempt. Apparently the priests recognized that these sacrificial practices were irregular, for they said that the LORD‘s table (cf. v. 7) is defiled and that its food … is contemptible. But they did not care to take the trouble to set things straight.” (Blaising, Craig A. “Malachi.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 1579. Print.

Hold to what is good (14)

Malachi 1:14 (NET 2nd ed.)

14 “There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is awesome among the nations.”

“The complementary relationship between the rhetorical questions of 1:6 and the pronouncements of 1:11 and 1:14 is significant. The first question (Where is the honour due to me?) has its reply in the declaration that my name will be great among the nations (v. 11b). The second question (Where is the respect due to me?) finds its rejoinder in the testimony that YHWH is a great king and his name is to be feared among the nations (v. 14d).” (Hill, Andrew E. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary. Ed. David G. Firth. Vol. 28. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2012. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.)

“The second unit (1:11–14) of the first speech-act (1:6–14) continues the indictment of the priesthood for profaning temple worship (v. 12). Their irreverence for God in discharging their priestly duties compromised Israel’s role as a model for the universal worship of YHWH (v. 11) and sullied his reputation among the nations as a great king (1:14).” (Hill, Andrew E. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary. Ed. David G. Firth. Vol. 28. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2012. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.)

Israel was a model of what it was like to live in relationship with God.

We have the same role in our world today.

Lessons from Malachi

God has full authority in the universe and our lives.

God is our creator and thus has full authority over his creation. God loves his creation and offers a relationship for mankind to Himself. Within that relationship, He has full authority and we submit to Him.

Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

“Follow Me” - We submit to Jesus as our authority.

“I will make you” - God is working in us through the Holy Spirit to transform us into the character of Christ.

“Fishers of Men” - Priority of the Mission of Christ.

A Disciple is submitted to God and is becoming more like christ in Character and Priorities.

We honor God by doing things His way and with our best.

“Judah tried to get by with “good enough” in their worship. They brought the required animals, but they were only second-rate (vv. 8, 13), ...” (Baker, David W. Joel, Obadiah, Malachi. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2006. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.)

When we examine our christian walk, are we seeking to honor God by doing things His way or ours? Are we offering to Him appropriate worship or good enough worship?

How we conduct our lives is a witness to the nations of who God is.

Again, God proclaims to the Israelites that their lives are a witness to the nations.

We are a witness to the nations as the Church of Jesus Christ.

Benediction

Ephesians 1:15–23 ESV

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.