Malachi (1)

     The children of Abraham have come through the exile.  The city of Jerusalem and the temple have been rebuilt and the Jewish religious system has been restored.  It is a little over 400 years before the coming of Jesus.
     But, as we know from history, the situation does not remain favorable for very long.  The people neglect the instructions of God.  Their loyalty becomes one of zealous nationalism instead of faithfulness to Jehovah.
     In 168 the Maccabees lead a revolt against their foreign rulers.  Palestine is thrown into war and the temple is desecrated.  Three years later it is cleansed and worship is restored.  It goes through other periods of misfortune until it is torn down by Herod the Great and replaced with the structure that is standing during the lifetime of Jesus.  The city and temple are once again destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
     During the time of the restoration following the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian captivities, the prophet Malachi addresses the people in an attempt to encourage repentance.
     Malachi's book consists of a series of questions and answers.
     "How hast Thou loved us?" the people ask in Malachi 1:2.  The answer to this question deals with our attitude toward God.
     "How have we despised Thy name?" Malachi quotes the people in verse 6 of the same chapter.  "How have we defiled Thee?" they ask in verse seven.  "How tiresome it is!" the people express in verse 13.  These three deal with the same subject: our attitude toward worship.
     "For what reason?" they ask in verse 14 of chapter two as Malachi looks at false religion.
     "How have we wearied Him?" Malachi discusses in chapter two verse 17.  The subject here is evil life styles.
     Malachi takes a look at repentance with "How shall we return" in chapter three verse seven.
     He examines our attitudes about giving in verse eight with "How have we robbed Thee?"
     And the prophet points out our arrogance with the question "What have we spoken against Thee?" in verse 13 of chapter three.
     "I have loved you," the Lord says through the prophet in Malachi 1:2.  "How hast Thou loved us?" is the retort from those who should be the followers of God.
     To answer the question, Malachi points out that God chose the Jews to be His people, although they had done nothing to deserve this distinction and God could have just as easily chosen another group of people.
     Looking at this passage, we are quick to notice the improper attitude expressed by this question.  But are we often guilty of the same attitude? Do we sometimes say to God, "What have You done for me?"
     "For God so loved the world," John 3:16 points out, "that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
     "For while we were still helpless," Paul notes in Romans 5:6-8, "at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
     "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
     "A son honors his father," God points out in Malachi 1:6, "and a servant his master.  Then if I am a Father, where is My honor?  And if I am a master, where is My respect? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name."
     If God were to address us this way, how would we reply?  Would we accept His instruction, or would we argue?  The people in the text chose to argue.
     "How have we despised Thy name?" is the response recorded at the end of the same verse.
     As God points out, these people have despised His name in two ways.  They have not honored Him as Father, and they have not respected Him as Master.
     "If anyone loves Me," Jesus states in John 14:23-24, "he will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.
     "He who does not love Me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
     Jesus claims that His words are really the words of the Father.  So how can we honor the Father?  We can honor Him by honoring the teaching of Jesus.
     "They profess to know God," Titus 1:16 says, "but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed."
     Looking again at Malachi 1:6, we find that the second way we despise God's name is by not respecting Him as Master or Lord.
     "Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven;" Jesus notes in Matthew 7:21-23, "but he who does the will of My Father, who is in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
     "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."
     "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" is the way the statement of Jesus is recorded in Luke 6:46.

     In Malachi 1:7 we find directed to God another presumptuous question.
     "How have we defiled Thee?" the people ask God.  God's reply is found in verses 7-10.  God is defiled when the table of the Lord is despised, when the lame is presented for sacrifice and when God's favor is not entreated in the right way.
     God makes a wise observation in Malachi 1:8.  When it comes time to give to the Lord, we often have a lot of excuses.  "I would give more," we explain, "but I had some unexpected bills."  God says to try the same thing with the government.  Next year, try writing on your tax return the same excuses you give to God  and see what the IRS has to say.  And what about our time?  We have many excuses for not attending church services or not devoting time to the Lord.  What would happen if we would skip work and try the same excuses?
     God's comment in Malachi 1:10 is one of the saddest in the Bible when we consider that He may be saying the same thing about us today.
     "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates," He cries, "that you might not uselessly kindle fire on my altar!  I am not pleased with you, nor will I accept an offering from you."
     In Malachi 1:13 we notice another comment made by the people.
     "You also say, 'My, how tiresome it is!'" God points out.  "And you disdainfully sniff at it," says the Lord of hosts, "and you bring what was taken by robbery, and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering!  Should I receive that from your hand?"
     Are we able to see any of ourselves in this statement?  Are we ever guilty of saying "How tiresome it is!" when we look at God or the Bible or the church?  We should be careful about denying that we have this attitude.  According to this passage, we make this statement when we "disdainfully sniff" at God and what He wants us to do.  For example, what is our attitude when it is time for church service?
     The second chapter of the book of Malachi contains a discussion that is as important to the religious world today as it was to the Jews who first heard the words of this prophet.
     "And this is another thing you do," we read in verse 13, "you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand."
     The following verse contains the question that these people ask of God.
     "Yet you say," the verse records, "'For what reason?'  Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant."
     This discussion about a husband and wife can be taken literally.  But it can also be taken figuratively, since the relationship between God and His people is often compared to a marriage.  Notice that this passage refers to a single relationship.  Remember, too, that this is a prophetic book.  So much of the language is to be taken figuratively.
     The people are crying and feeling sorry for themselves because God is not accepting their acts of worship.  "Why not?" the people ask of God.
     Years later, Jesus would provide the answer to this question.
     "God is Spirit," Jesus informs the Samaritan woman that He meets at a well, "and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
     Looking back at the first part of Malachi chapter 2, we find that the Jewish people were in fact not worshipping God in truth.  That is, they were not practicing the kind of religion that God had prescribed.
     And is our attitude as important as our practice?  Does it do any good to have the right form if our hearts are not right?
     There are two dangerous roads being traveled by much of the religious world: false practice and false attitudes.  But those who would worship God must do so with the right practice and the right attitudes: those found in the Bible.  For true religion consists of true practice and true attitudes.  And only the truth will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.lockman.org)