Mal 1:6-7 | KingComments | STEP | The people will have nodded approvingly to Malachi’s words about Esau. But then he turns to them. God has treated Israel as a son, but have they honored him as a Father? They are also in contact with God as a servant to a master, but have they served Him with the due respect? True knowledge of God is always a combination of childlike trust and deep awe. Trust never leads to inappropriate familiarity and awe never leads to slavish creepiness. These two relationships are the pillars of society. If these relationships are respected, it is a blessing for society. If they are not taken into account, society is disrupted. God addresses these questions, which are an indictment, to “you, O priests”. The whole section of Malachi 1:6-2:9 is addressed to them. God says unequivocally to them that they despise His Name. They are called to teach the people the distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean ( ). But the priests in the days of Malachi do not care about that. They do not think about the fact that they owe their existence to God. The name “Father” means that as a nation they owe their origin to Him. The fact that He is their Master, to whom they owe obedience, does not interest them. They think only of their own interests. For the New Testament believer, the name ‘Father’ implies a personal connection with Him. Every believer in our time is called to priestly service. Gaining new insight into the practice of priestly service has been one of the blessings of the revival at the beginning of the nineteenth century. But if we forget that it is a gift from God and be proud of it, we become fat and our sacrificial service is an abomination to Him. The priests react almost in an aggrieved way to the accusation of the LORD. Their insensitivity to this accusation is shown by their hypocritical question which they ask with a straight face: “How have we despised Your name?” On the contrary, they think of themselves as very faithful servants of God. No, here the LORD is very much mistaken, they think. Their question makes it clear that they completely disagree with the reproach of the LORD that they despise His Name. God confronts His people many times with this way of reacting: 1. “But you say, ‘How have You loved us?’” ( ) 2. “But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’“ ( ) 3. “But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’“ ( ) 4. “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’” ( ) 5. “Yet you say, “How have we wearied [Him]?”” ( ) 6. “Or, ”Where is the God of justice?”” ( ) 7. ““But you say, ‘How shall we return?’” ( ) 8. “But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’” ( ) 9. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’“ ( ) Each time, the people in a questioning sense indicate that they do not agree at all with what God is telling them. It always comes down to them asking God why He blames them. And each time God, in His great patience, gives an answer that cannot be misunderstood. However, the answer does not penetrate them because they see themselves as faithful servants of God.

‏ Malachi 1:6-7

Honor and Respect Are Missing

The people will have nodded approvingly to Malachi’s words about Esau. But then he turns to them. God has treated Israel as a son, but have they honored him as a Father? They are also in contact with God as a servant to a master, but have they served Him with the due respect?

True knowledge of God is always a combination of childlike trust and deep awe. Trust never leads to inappropriate familiarity and awe never leads to slavish creepiness. These two relationships are the pillars of society. If these relationships are respected, it is a blessing for society. If they are not taken into account, society is disrupted.

God addresses these questions, which are an indictment, to “you, O priests”. The whole section of Malachi 1:6-2:9 is addressed to them. God says unequivocally to them that they despise His Name. They are called to teach the people the distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean (Eze 44:23). But the priests in the days of Malachi do not care about that. They do not think about the fact that they owe their existence to God.

The name “Father” means that as a nation they owe their origin to Him. The fact that He is their Master, to whom they owe obedience, does not interest them. They think only of their own interests.

For the New Testament believer, the name ‘Father’ implies a personal connection with Him. Every believer in our time is called to priestly service. Gaining new insight into the practice of priestly service has been one of the blessings of the revival at the beginning of the nineteenth century. But if we forget that it is a gift from God and be proud of it, we become fat and our sacrificial service is an abomination to Him.

The priests react almost in an aggrieved way to the accusation of the LORD. Their insensitivity to this accusation is shown by their hypocritical question which they ask with a straight face: “How have we despised Your name?” On the contrary, they think of themselves as very faithful servants of God. No, here the LORD is very much mistaken, they think. Their question makes it clear that they completely disagree with the reproach of the LORD that they despise His Name.

God confronts His people many times with this way of reacting:

1. “But you say, ‘How have You loved us?’” (Mal 1:2)

2. “But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’“ (Mal 1:6)

3. “But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’“ (Mal 1:7)

4. “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’” (Mal 2:14)

5. “Yet you say, “How have we wearied [Him]?”” (Mal 2:17a)

6. “Or, ”Where is the God of justice?”” (Mal 2:17b)

7. ““But you say, ‘How shall we return?’” (Mal 3:7)

8. “But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’” (Mal 3:8)

9. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’“ (Mal 3:13)

Each time, the people in a questioning sense indicate that they do not agree at all with what God is telling them. It always comes down to them asking God why He blames them. And each time God, in His great patience, gives an answer that cannot be misunderstood. However, the answer does not penetrate them because they see themselves as faithful servants of God.

Defiled Food and a Despised Table

The LORD answers their question from which it may be clear that they despise His Name. It is not a question asked in honest ignorance, but out of outright hypocrisy. Yet the LORD answers. He points out to them their actions with which and how they approach Him. In the way in which they serve God, their contempt for Him is clearly expressed.

Look what they come up with. They bring “defiled food” upon His “altar”. “Food” means a sacrifice that is accepted by God as His food. It gives Him joy when His people present sacrifices to Him. He calls these sacrifices “My food” (Num 28:2; Lev 21:6 ; 8 ; 17). But the sacrifices they bring on God’s altar, the burnt offering altar, are defiled.

It is not about animals that God has declared unclean and which they are not allowed to eat. These are mentioned in a list in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. No, it is about clean animals, but that have a defect. And that is also forbidden by God (Lev 22:20). They bring clean animals, but He cannot accept them because they do not meet the standard of His holiness. He has laid down that norm in His Word and the priests should take it into account like no other member of God’s people. But they don’t do that, they flout God’s Word. This is what God accuses them of and what He holds them accountable for.

For the third time, the people react wronged through the mouths of the priests. They ask: “How have we defiled You?” How can God think that they defile Him? They really have no idea, because they are convinced that they are doing very well. Isn’t God getting something from them? And does He say of what they bring, that it defiles Him? Then something must be wrong with His eyes, because they are not to blame. They put the problem entirely with God. This is how countless Christians today manipulate the Word of God. God makes it all far too complicated. He should listen to them, instead of imposing His will on them.

They are blind to the fact that they bring inferior sacrifices, something expressly forbidden by God (Deu 15:21). They bring these sacrifices on His altar, which is also called “the table of the LORD” (cf. Eze 41:22). He has to be content with what they can afford to miss. What an insult to Him!

Don’t we also quickly forget how great the work of the Lord Jesus is for God and also for us? How and with what do we go to the Table of the Lord (1Cor 10:16-21)? Some easily stay away from the Table of the Lord. Others take part in the Supper of the Lord nonchalantly, without thinking of what it speaks of. Perhaps we may not be blamed for sin, but how often do we do what we have done so many times dutifully, without it touching our heart. The appreciation of the Table of the Lord depends on our appreciation of the Lord Jesus and His work.

The table of the LORD is His table from which He eats and from which He wants to eat together with His people. Their actions express their contempt for His table. They will never say it, but their actions make it clearly seen. They do bring sacrifices, but their content is nothing. They don’t really bring a sacrifice, but something they can miss.

How far is that from the mind of David who did not want to offer a burnt offering to the LORD which costs him nothing (1Chr 21:24). Also the sacrifice Mary brings to the Lord Jesus is a great contrast with these sacrifices (Mk 14:3-5). Even the disciples do not appreciate what Mary does. They say of her sacrifice that it is a waste. With the money she paid for it, in their opinion better things could have been done.

The Table of the Lord for us Christians is the place where we celebrate the Supper of the Lord. It brings about in us sacrifices of praise and thanks, spiritual sacrifices, offerings of praise. Anyone who thinks of the Lord Jesus in all that He has accomplished can only express himself in gratitude and admiration.

What did those sacrifices cost us? There are sacrifices that are very cheap. We can think, for example, of thanksgiving that is only a repetition of what others have said, or a selection from the old box of ourselves, an inanimate repetition of what we have said so many times already. If we live with the Lord, we will have collected much and our sacrifice will have more and more content spiritually, it will be more and more worthy.

And what do we give from our material wealth for the poor, for the work of the Lord, to those who have gone out for His Name without accepting anything from the nations? Do we give the best, the first fruits, or do we give a little of our abundance, of which we do not feel that we miss it, or do we even give our worthless things?

The animal the priests bring is an illustration of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. We must realize how perfect He was in everything. We must not affect Him in any way, nor affect the Word of God. To come to God with deformed, unhealthy sacrifices is a great denial of Christ’s sacrifice and a contempt for God’s appreciation of Him.

1. We bring a “blind” animal if we believe that the Lord Jesus did not know what He was doing, had no insight in it and did not constantly have His eye on the Father. Such a sacrifice is unworthy of God. The Lord Jesus perfectly knew everything that would come over Him and did in everything perfectly the will of the Father (Jn 18:4 ; Jn 17:4).

2. We bring a “lame” animal if we believe that the Lord Jesus was not perfect in all His actions, that He did not go the way perfectly. For example, we may think that He could have sinned, although He did not do it. That too is a sacrifice that God cannot accept. In the Lord Jesus there is no sin, He did not know sin and did not do it (1Jn 3:5; 2Cor 5:21; 1Pet 2:22).

3. A “sick” animal is an animal that is not internally healthy. That is what we bring when we doubt the motives by which the Lord was driven, as if He were not completely selfless in everything and sometimes did something for His own sake. When we come to God with such thoughts about the Lord Jesus, He rejects that sacrifice. Christ was perfect both inwardly and outwardly. He was “altogether that which I also say to you” (Jn 8:25, Darby Translation). He was the truth, and His speech was a true and exact presentation of Himself. His speech presented Himself, being the truth.

God tells the priests that they would not dare to offer the sacrifices they offer to Him, to their governors. If they gave such inferior sacrifices to them, they would not be very happy. No, they don’t want to irritate them, but to keep them as friends. But God, who is so much greater, they can buy Him off with something they can do without.

It is truly staggering what is being done to God by people, which those same people would never do to other people. God just has to accept everything, otherwise He can leave. This is how Christianity treats God.