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.
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.
My name shall be great bamong the Gentiles;
cIn every place dincense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
eFor My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
In that you say,
a‘The table of the1 Lord is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
‘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.
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 is to be feared among the nations.
| << Malachi 1:10 | Malachi 1:12 >> |
What Does Malachi 1:11 Mean?
Malachi 1:7-13
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.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fourth Commandment (Part 4)
Malachi 1:11-14
Israel profaned God's name by giving offerings in a lying and deceitful attitude, as Ananias and Sapphira did (Acts 5:1-11). They kept the best animals for themselves while offering blemished ones to God. We fear God's name, not only by keeping all of God's law—including the statutes and judgments (Deuteronomy 28:58)—but also by giving God our best effort in doing His will.
Martin G. Collins
The Third Commandment
Malachi 1:11-14
God wants us to realize how great He is, and when we give an offering, we are to do so with His greatness in mind. The offerings Israel made at this time were not done with a right heart. They were becoming indifferent toward God and the way they conducted their lives. They were treating the commands of God with familiarity and carelessness. They came to look upon them as simply ordinary. Thus, He says that He has no pleasure in Israel and would not accept their offerings.
We are to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)'from our heart and with a right attitude. We should be deeply appreciative of all His love toward us, the good that He does for us, and the care that He gives us. Whatever we do before God must be done with a right heart, and whatever we give must be given in a right attitude. Abraham reflected this, and he is known as the "father of the faithful" (Romans 4:16). God knew that Abraham would instruct his children to follow suit (Genesis 18:19).
John O. Reid
Tithing
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Malachi 1:11:
| << Malachi 1:10 | Malachi 1:12 >> |
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