" ‘A son honors his father, 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. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ " You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised.’ "But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the Lord of hosts. "But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?" says the Lord of hosts. "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord of hosts, "nor will I accept an offering from you. "For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of hosts. "But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ "You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ 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?" says the Lord. "But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King," says the Lord of hosts, "and My name is feared among the nations."
My thoughts -
Does God require too much? It seems here that the people and the priests may have thought so. God delivered them from captivity. God restored them to their land. God restored their relationship with himself. God saved them. And God asked for their devotion in return. God held up his end of the bargain. God was faithful. Now it's the people's turn.
What does Malachi (which is less a name and more a description - God's messenger) hold against the people? Their offerings. They are required by God's law to offer unblemished animals. They are to give their best. It's not that God needs this. What would God do with it? God is God. God needs nothing. But offering God their best is a sign of dependence, reliance, devotion, and trust in God. To not do so is selfish, half-hearted, and weak.
The people are not offering their best to God. Instead they are offering blind, sick, and lame offerings. The best they keep for themselves. They pass on to God that which they could not profit from. They are giving God second rate offerings and in doing so are profaning the holy purpose of giving an offering. God doesn't need it. The people do. They need to give their best to show to themselves that they rely on God, not their own wealth, power, and strength. God is not out anything material in this. God is just out their devotion.
And what of the priests? Malachi indicts them for allowing this. The people present their offerings to the priests. The priests must inspect and approve. And the priests are not doing their job. They have decided, it seems, that any offering is close enough. They have allowed the people to give half-heartedly to God. They have allowed the people to be lukewarm. They have allowed the people to be lax, to be selfish, and to not be fully devoted. Priests fully engaged in their priestly duties do not allow this to happen. The priests have failed, in this regard, no less than anyone else.
God says that the people and the priests have robbed God. They have denied God full devotion. They have denied God unblemished offerings. They have taken for themselves what is rightfully God's, and they have done so after God had just redeemed and restored them.
Do we ever learn? Are we any better? Are we restored to God through Christ and yet still denying God our best? I must say that my own offerings of myself (and yes, my stuff) have been rather lax and perfunctory.
It is easy to know how much you need God and to dedicate yourself to God when you feel the gaping absence of God in your life. It is equally easy, when restored, to become complacent. We followers of God have been doing so since the beginning. We have a long, long history of lukewarm complacency.
As Van Morrison asks, so do I: "When will I ever learn to live in God?"
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