Malachi 1

Malachi 1:1-14

Lesson Passages

Malachi 1:1-2, 6-14

Lesson Passages Outline

1. Do You Trust God's Love? (Mal. 1:1-2)
2. Do You Honor God's Greatness? (Mal. 1:6-11)
3. Do You Love God Wholeheartedly? (Mal. 1:12-14)

Biblical Truth

Anything less than wholehearted devotion to the Lord is not acceptable to Him.

Life Impact

To help you demonstrate wholehearted love for God

Prepare

One of the joys I had as a pastor and as a seminary teacher was to see people make or renew their commitment to Christ and then watch how that changed their lives.

In one family the husband fell away from putting God first and following Him. All of the family suffered. Then in a family crisis the husband repented of his disobedience and came back to the Lord.

Immediate changes began to become apparent in his and his family's lives. Love for the Lord revealed itself in the family's attitudes and actions. They once again sought to put Him first in every area of their lives and to give Him their best praise and service. That commitment has held up throughout the subsequent years.

Has your commitment to the Lord ever become routine and lost its meaning? If so, how did He lead you back to Him? What is the state of your relationship with Him now? What changes, if any, should you make?

This lesson will help adults who:

• doubt God's love to them due to one or more disappointing experiences in their lives.
• serve the Lord but do not offer Him their best service from their hearts.
• fail to see the importance of spending time in God's Word, prayer, corporate worship, and giving.
• doubt the validity of serving the Lord and look with disdain and scorn on further service.
• long to have a meaningful and fruitful relationship with the Lord in their living and serving.

As you study about how God's people in Malachi's day lived and worshiped God in an unacceptable manner, focus on ways you can encourage adults to experience the Life Impact of this lesson by demonstrating wholehearted love for God in their lives.

As you continue your personal Bible study, prayerfully read the Background Passage and respond to the Study Questions as well as to the questions in the margins for the August 12 lesson in Explore the Bible: Adult Learner Guide.

The Bible in Context (Mal. 1:1-14)

The content of Malachi [MAL uh kigh] begins with an emphasis on the greatness of God as seen in His love for His people in Israel. When they questioned His love for them, God reminded them He had chosen their forefather Jacob and his descendants—not Jacob's brother Esau and his descendants—to be His servant-people. Because of His love for Israel, God also brought judgment on Edom, the descendants of Esau, for the way they persecuted His people (Mal. 1:1-5).

God accused Israel's priests of disrespecting Him, saying they did not even give Him the honor a son should give his father or a servant his master. When they asked how they had dishonored Him, God pointed to the defiled food they offered on His altar to Him—food they would never have offered their governor. Those kinds of offerings revealed a contemptible attitude toward God and dishonored the greatness and holiness of God (Mal. 1:6-12).

People who brought stolen or lame or sick animals to the priests to be offered to God revealed how little He meant to them. They had come to believe that following God's instructions about offering perfect animals was a nuisance. Their lack of devotion to God as evidenced in their unacceptable offerings brought them in danger of the Lord's curse (Mal. 1:13-14). Wholehearted love for the Lord would have influenced the attitudes and actions in all their lives and moved them to obey the Lord and to offer Him their best.

Do You Trust God's Love? (Mal. 1:1-2)

1 An oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.

2 "I have loved you," says the Lord. But you ask: "How have You loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" [This is] the Lord's declaration. "Even so, I loved Jacob,

Verse 1. One way Malachi urged the people to love God wholly was to remind them of God's love for them. They needed to trust God's love.

The word Malachi means "my messenger." This word is likely the name of the prophet who wrote this book. Or it could be the title ("My Messenger") of the book and not someone's name. These lessons assume Malachi was a prophet who spoke and wrote to Israel for the Lord.

The word oracle refers to "a burden," "saying" or a "weighty message" from God. The Book of Malachi, like the other prophetical books in this series of lessons, is a communication or revelation of what God said to Israel through His prophet.

Israel needed the message of Malachi. The prophet served between 450 and 400 B.C. and preached to Israelites who were in Jerusalem. His ministry followed that of Haggai and Zechariah and was sometime around the coming of Ezra and Nehemiah to Jerusalem. Probably, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi were contemporaries.

The temple had been completed in 515 B.C. By the time of Malachi, however, Jerusalem was in a bad shape spiritually and economically. High morale among the people had degenerated greatly. Economic conditions were poor. Nehemiah mentioned parents who sold their children into slavery to pay debts (Neh. 5:5). Revenue for the temple was so low the Levites moved into the country to make their living by farming (Neh. 13:10).

Read "Spiritual Climate at the Close of the Old Testament Era" in the Summer 2007 issue of Biblical Illustrator or Biblical Illustrator Plus (CD-ROM).

Faith had given way to doubt and skepticism. The people ignored God's commands. They neglected worship or offered unacceptable sacrifices when they did attend. They married non-Hebrews, thus losing their identity as God's people. Malachi verbally attacked sorcerers, adulterers, those who swore falsely, and those who oppressed helpless people (Mal. 3:5). Yet a faithful group of God-fearing people supported each other and sought the Lord (3:16). Malachi was the spokesman for this group who kept alive God's purpose to bring forth the Messiah.

Verse 2. This verse introduces the unique format of much of Malachi. That format includes the Lord's statements, questions about the statements, and then the Lord's answers to the questions about His words. This first statement is the Lord's affirmation that He loved His people, Israel. Many had questioned His love due to their hardships and the conditions in their country. God said, I have loved you, indicating He had loved them in the past and He still loved them.

The people's reply was, How have You loved us? God answered by reminding them why they were His covenant people. He had chosen them! They were descendants of Jacob, the twin brother of Esau. Of the two, God chose Jacob, not Esau (who was born first), to be the father of His special people. God's choice of Jacob and his descendants, not Esau and his descendants, to be His people demonstrated supremely His love for the nation Israel.

The Lord said, I loved Jacob. That love for Jacob is often referred to as "covenant" or "election" love and points to the covenant God entered into with Israel. The advantages and privileges shown to Jacob and his descendants were so great that it was as if God had loved Jacob and hated Esau. [See Exploration: "Loved Jacob . . . hated Esau," p. 118.]

Christians are the chosen ones of God today. They have repented and placed their faith in Christ. God loved believers in the past. That love continues today and can be trusted.

What helps you trust God when He seems not to hear your prayers?

Do You Honor God's Greatness? (Mal. 1:6-11)

6 "A son honors [his] father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is [your] fear of Me? says the Lord of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name." Yet you ask: "How have we despised Your name?"

7 "By presenting defiled food on My altar." You ask: "How have we defiled You?" When you say: "The Lord's table is contemptible."

8 "When you present a blind [animal] for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick [animal], is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts. 9 "And now ask for God's favor. Will He be gracious to us? [Since] this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts.

10 "I wish one of you would shut [temple] doors, so you would no longer kindle a useless [fire on] My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord of Hosts, "and I will accept no offering from your hands.

11 "For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of Hosts.

Verse 6. Malachi emphasized the greatness of God. In this verse, and for a total of 24 times, Malachi used the title Lord of Hosts of God. This title implies the greatness of God. LORD translates Yahweh, the personal and covenant name for God. Hosts often refers to a military force or to war or to an army. When applied to God, it shows He is commander-in-chief of all forces in heaven and on earth. All are subject to the greatness of His sovereign power and will.

The priests were the first to be accused in God's word of prophecy through Malachi. God complained they despise My name. They did not render the proper respect and reverence His great name deserved.

They even failed to act as any good child or servant would act toward a father and master. A faithful son honors his father, yet the priests failed to honor their Heavenly Father. A faithful servant has fear or reverent respect for the master. However, the priests despised or scorned the name of the Lord whose servants they were. The priests asked the Lord to show them how they despised His name.

Verse 7. God's answer had to do with the actions the priests did in the temple and in the religious services they conducted. Their actions shouted: The Lord's table is contemptible. They offered defiled food on the Lord's altar. Defiled food referred to the bread, grain, and animal sacrifices the priests offered on the temple altar. The next verse reveals why their offerings were considered defiled or polluted. The priests' actions revealed a lack of deep reverence for the greatness and holiness of Almighty God and the ministry He had called them to do for Him. They had become a decadent priesthood.

Verse 8. A specific example of how the priests' despised God's name was in offering blind or lame or sick animals as sacrifices. God had declared sacrificial animals had to be perfect, not sick or physically deficient (Lev. 22:22). God asked if their governor would be pleased to receive such an offering. The implied answer is no. Such a gift would be a disgrace and an offense to the governor.

Verse 9. The priests were not the only ones involved in this charge of despising God's name by the kind of offerings given to Him. The people were also guilty, for they brought the unacceptable animals to the priest to be offered. Then the priest, on behalf of the people, had the nerve to ask for God's favor. Should the people expect God to be gracious to them when they had given such unacceptable offerings? Again, the implied answer is an obvious no.

Verse 10. What a strong statement in this verse! God wanted one of the priests to become so upset over the disregard for the sanctity of worship he would shut the temple doors. That would prevent such useless acts of sacrifices on the altar. God declared He was not pleased with the priests and the people. He would accept no offering from their hands that was just an act of outward ritual and not an expression of an inner commitment to and love for Him.

Verse 11. God emphasized the greatness of His name would be demonstrated one day among people from every nation. In the future throughout every day incense and pure offerings would come before the Lord from believers of every nationality, not just the Jews. God would bless abundantly all who worshiped Him obediently and appropriately from their hearts.

We need to honor God's greatness by offering God the best of our time, energy, service, and gifts. The quality of our offerings and the intent of our heart show how much we honor Him in our worship.

What are examples of unacceptable offerings today? What will you do about any such offerings you have given to the Lord?

Do You Love God Wholeheartedly? (Mal. 1:12-14)

12 But you are profaning it when you say: "The Lord's table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible." 13 You also say: "Look, what a nuisance!" "And you scorn it," says the Lord of Hosts. "You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?" asks the Lord.

14 "The deceiver is cursed who has an [acceptable] male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective [animal] to the Lord. For I am a great King," says the Lord of Hosts, "and My name will be feared among the nations.

Verse 12. After declaring His name would be exalted in the sacrifices of sincere believers in the future, the Lord returned to the attitudes the Jewish priests revealed in how they served in the temple services. He told them they were profaning it (His name) through their attitudes toward the temple sacrifices. A person's name stood for the essential being of that person. The word profane also means "to pollute" or "to defile" or to treat as insignificant something that is holy.

The people had ridiculed the Lord and His table (the sacrificial altar) by saying it was defiled. The word "defile" means "to soil" or "to desecrate." They scorned the food or meat from the animal sacrifices as being contemptible. They saw no need to meet any special standards for sacrificial offerings. They believed offering any kind of animal was all right as long as an animal was offered. They showed contempt by expressing doubts about the validity of the whole sacrificial system.

Verse 13. Evidently, the people no longer believed in the requirements of the law concerning sacrifices. Or else they were so far from God that they no longer cared. God accused them of thinking the whole process was a nuisance, a word meaning "distress"—a whole lot of trouble for nothing. God said: you scorn it (turned up their noses, sniffing at it contemptuously), believing the whole sacrificial system was worthless.

The people served in a perfunctory and mechanical manner, going through the motions with no heart or conviction about what they were doing. They came to believe that offering stolen or lame or sick animals as sacrifices to God was not a problem as far as worship was concerned. They had the nerve to believe God would accept these offerings and be pleased with them. Worship was a mere drudgery, a meaningless activity that they did out of habit.

How do you maintain your service for the Lord an expression of wholehearted love for Him and not just a habit or a nuisance?

Verse 14. This verse must reflect a case where someone sealed a vow by promising to offer a healthy ram to the Lord but instead brought a blemished animal. Such a person is a deceiver and is cursed instead of blessed through such an offering. Why are blemished animals unacceptable? Why is service that is mechanical and routine unacceptable? God is a great King. He decrees that His name be feared (held in highest reverence) among the Jews and among all nations. A priest who was bored and unhappy in his ministry and who offered a blemished animal as a sacrifice did not reveal any respect for God.

God's greatness requires a worthy gift and a loving giver. Israel's priests and people had failed both tests. The prophet sought to call Israel back to God and to repentance for unacceptable attitudes and actions. We need to have a wholehearted love for God and show that love through actions and worship worthy of His name. Times spent in God's Word, prayer, corporate Bible study and worship, and faithful giving will develop wholehearted devotion in our hearts to the Lord.

Biblical Truths for Spiritual Transformation

1. We can trust God's love for us because He redeemed us and brought us into His family of faith.
2. We are to honor the Lord's greatness by offering Him the best of our time, energy, service, and gifts.
3. We show wholehearted love for God when we repent of unacceptable attitudes and actions and serve Him willingly.

How might you demonstrate more faithfully your wholehearted love for God?