Malachi 1:6-10; 3:8-15 (The Gospel Project)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

57 TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO DO NOT DESTROY. A MIKTAM OF DAVID, WHEN HE FLED FROM SAUL, IN THE CAVE.

1  Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

2  I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

3  He will send from heaven and save me;

he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

4  My soul is in the midst of lions;

I lie down amid fiery beasts—

the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.

5  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

6  They set a net for my steps;

my soul was bowed down.

They dug a pit in my way,

but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah

7  My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast!

I will sing and make melody!

8  Awake, my glory!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

9  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

10  For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

11  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

Pray

Prayer

Father in heaven, holy is your name. We come before you a broken and sinful people saved by your grace alone. Above all else, we recognize that our purpose in life is to bring you glory. By the help of your Holy Spirit, help us to walk in righteousness and show us how best to accomplish this purpose. We repent of our sins and ask for your forgiveness. Likewise, we also ask for your help in forgiving those who have wronged us. Bless our time together this morning. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to understand as we approach your holy Word. Amen.

Understanding the glory of God

God’s Glory

“The glory of God is His manifest work, the way He represents His perfect character through His activity. It also refers to His excellent reputation and is given as one of the reasons we are to praise His name. Another sense of the word is the inherent beauty of God, the unbearable brightness and beauty of His being as He radiates His own attributes and characteristics for all to witness. The Scriptures speak of humanity as having ‘fallen short’ of God’s glory () because we have rejected the purpose for which God created us–to glorify Him.” -The Gospel Project

English Standard Version Chapter 33

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

English Standard Version Chapter 33

18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

When Moses came down from the mountain, his face was shining from the glory of God and the people were afraid to come near him. He had to put a veil over his face. ()

Lesson

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English Standard Version Chapter 1

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.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.

13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’ ”

The word worship means to express one’s admiration, awe, reverence, or love for someone or something. In Christian circles, we know worship as the way we express our love back to God.

What comes to mind when you hear the word worship?

Biblical worship is far from the idea that most Christians have in their minds. Worship is not about what we want. We must remember who we are worshiping. God has prescribed to us in His Word how he is to be worshiped and this passage, among others, is evidence of that. He is worthy of our best and most sincere worship.

Malachi 1:6–10 ESV

“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?’ 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. 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. 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. 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.

In the first part of the text, God indicts the priests, who were supposed to be the ones holding others accountable. They no longer held honor or fear toward God. They despised God’s name.

This served as a reminder to the rulers that there is one above them.

They would offer up the worst of their lot–the blind and cripple animals rather than the perfect and unblemished ones that the Lord prescribed. They were basically just checking a block when it came to making animal sacrifices.

Keep in mind that what is said to priests is said to all. If that doesn’t hit close enough to home, it is said to us as Christians who proclaim that we are not only the people of God, but priests to him.

Sacrificial system - complex

every animal (dove, bull, pigeon, goat, or lamb) was supposed to be perfect because these sacrifices prefigured the coming sacrifice in Jesus.

Jesus was the perfected once-for-all sacrifice

Despising means having an attitude of ongoing disrespect for someone or something. It refers to the act of conveying insignificance or worthlessness upon an object, idea, or individual.

In what ways do people despise God’s name today?

How can you guard against this in your life?

Malachi 3:8–12 ESV

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

Now we move to the second part of our text today.

Under the law of Moses, it was required to bring a tithe, literally meaning a tenth, of their annual agricultural produce

This was a mark of the Lord’s ownership of the Promised Land.

Everything that we own belongs to the Lord. Therefore, God has rightly accused them of robbing him in withholding this tithe.

Under the New Covenant, we have no “tithe” or specific requirement, but Paul calls us to excel in the grace of giving

This wording calls us to give even more than the Old Testament law was requiring and it calls us to give it graciously and generously.

God invites us to put him to the test

Not many instances of this in scripture

Does not suggest a prosperity gospel

In being more generous with others, we often realize that we have much more than we actually need in the first place. It changes our perspective. God blesses us through this.

Questions in book (time-permitted)

How does all of this point toward the gospel?

We should not simply read this as a historical narrative. These passages are speaking directly to us today. All of us are sinful people. We are in desperate need of a Savior. Jesus was the perfect and unblemished lamb that was slain for us. The Bible calls this a propitiation for our sins. That means that his death appeased the wrath of God for us. We no longer have a need for animal sacrifice. That is a good thing, but it can also be a scary thing. Here’s how it can be scary: Since we’ve been given something completely free that we definitely don’t deserve, there is literally no limit to what God can require of us. There is no way to skirt the system, follow the letter of the law, and disregard its intent. That should instill in us a genuine and healthy fear of the Lord. Therefore, our response to this grace should be wholehearted repentance and obedience.