6 “A son ahonors his father, And a servant his master. bIf then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name. cYet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
7 “You offer adefiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, b‘The table of the Lord is1 contemptible.’
8 And awhen you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Isit not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Isit not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he baccept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.
9 “But now entreat God’s favor, That He may be gracious to us. aWhile this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.
10 “Who isthere even among you who would shut the doors, aSo that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” Says the Lord of hosts, b“Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
11 For afrom the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shallbe great bamong the Gentiles; cIn every place dincense shallbe offered to My name, And a pure offering; eFor My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts.
12 “But you profane it, In that you say, a‘The table of the1Lord is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
13 You also say, ‘Oh, what a aweariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! bShould I accept this from your hand?” Says the Lord.
14 “But cursed beathe deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord bwhat is blemished— For cI am a great King,” Says the Lord of hosts, “And My name istobe feared among the nations.
The halfhearted service, the halfhearted obedience, and the profanation are evident. The sacrifices that were being offered to God were being done in a way that was not acceptable to Him.
There is no indication that what these people were doing was deliberate. It seems that it was not a reasoned conclusion that it should be done this way. They were not purposefully worshipping God this way. It was not in their heart to do it! But it was nonetheless being done that way. They were treating God as though He and the things of the altar—the service and the sacrifice of the altar—were less important than other things. The way they performed the ritual showed that in their hearts they considered it a secondary matter. Other things were squeezing out what should have been their first priority.
"Offer this to your Persian governor," says God, "and see how he receives it." The appointees of the Persian government would not allow Israel to bend an inch. The tributes had to be perfect. God said, "Take your offering there, and see how it flies! See if he will be at all pleased or accept you!"
How does God react to those who should know better but live before Him a poor-quality life? Malachi 1:6-10 pictures God's reaction—He is not pleased.
Here God indicts the people of Malachi's day for offering inferior, sometimes even deformed animals on His altar! The spiritual parallel concerns the offering of our lives in service to Him and fellowman. Are we, out of love for God and His people, giving the best we have to offer in life's circumstances? Solomon admonishes in Ecclesiastes 9:10, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going." A Protestant hymn, "Give of Your Best to the Master," expresses this requirement well. Though God accepts us because of Jesus Christ, He expects us to give the very best we can in return.
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