Malachi Chapter 1 Introduction
The name "Malachi" means, "My messenger". In view of the statements in the book that describe various conditions found among God's people, this book fits nicely into the time frame of 445-432 B.C., when Nehemiah described some of the same conditions. Malachi mentions the "governor" (1:8) (indicating they were under foreign rule); the temple has been rebuilt (1:10; 3:1); so has the altar (1:7). And the mention of sacrifices (1:14) tithes (3:8) and incense (1:11) indicates that the worship had been restored. Robert Harkrider gives the following historical overview: “They had been back from Babylonian captivity for about a hundred years, and now the second and third generation of descendants had begun to lose sight of serving the Lord with wholehearted zeal. Though cured of idolatry, their outward formalism was worthless. Worship was in decay as the priests had been careless about insisting on proper sacrifices (1:6-8,13; 2:9) and tithing (3:810). Indifference and skepticism characterized the nation (3:14; 2:10). Furthermore, divorce and intermarriage with Gentile women was common (2:1116)” (The Minor Prophets. p. 131). In this book we find a new style of teaching. It has been called the "didacticdialectic" method of speaking. In simple terms this means that an assertion or charge is made, an anticipated response, which the hearers would make, or were thinking is given, and then the objection is refuted. This method of teaching became the predominant style of teaching found in Jewish schools and the synagogue. Ten times Malachi presents the people as interrupting with an objection (1:2 “But you say..”). A popular modern complaint that is often heard among religious people is that they are looking for a church that doesn't "preach to them". Malachi reminds us that we all need to be "preached to" now and then. Floyd Thompson used to
1
preach a sermon entitled, “God's People Have Not Endured Long”. If you read the Bible, you will find that such was sadly the case. It was true in the Garden, prior to the flood, after the flood, under the leadership of Moses, Joshua, during the Judges, the United and Divided Kingdom, the period of restoration (Ezra, Nehemiah), and the same would be true for the New Testament Church (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1-2). Proper perspective is vital, and when we realize that there will never exist a generation of God's people who will be immune to apostasy, apathy, formalism, legalism, and liberalism, then we will come to appreciate good, sound and solid preaching (2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 2:15). In addition, let it be noted that no amount of education, training, or bible study, can make a person immune to the above things, for in this book, not only the people, but especially the priests (those who were supposedly the experts in the Law of God), had let things slide (1:6).
Things Haven't Changed That Much The people to whom Malachi preached lived some 400 years before the birth of Christ, and yet the problems mentioned in the book are the exact same problems which plague congregations and Christians today. (1) Questioning whether God really loves us (1:2). (2) Giving God the leftovers (1:8). (3) Worship has become a chore! (1:13) (4) Making great promises to God, and never fulfilling them (1:14). (5) Preachers who lead God's people astray (2:8). (6) Unscriptural divorces and remarriages (2:14). (7) Robbing God in our offerings to Him (3:8). (8) Envying sinners, and complaining that we have been short-changed in serving God (3:14). (9) Losing sight of the coming judgment (3:17-18).
Chapter 1
1:1-2 “I have loved you” says the Lord. But you say, “How hast Thou loved us?” This amazing announcement by God is met with a cold reception. The people actually challenge God and ask for proof, they claim, “We can’t see such love and there is certainly no evidence that God does love us”. “This question reveals their shameful ingratitude, and their absolute failure to realize and appreciate what the love and grace of God had done for them. This ingratitude was, as we shall see, rooted in their selfishness, the prevailing sin of post-Exilic Judaism” 2
(Laetsch p. 511). Prior to the Exile, Israel had been guilty of idolatry, after the Exile another form of idolatry emerged, that is, the worship of “self”. To this day people complain that God isn’t doing enough for them, or, why should they serve Him? Other’s claim that they owe nothing to God, for God has never helped them with anything and that whatever they have achieved, they have achieved it on their own. 1:2-3 “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I hated Esau, and have made his mountains a desolation, and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness” God gives clear proof that He had loved the nation of Israel. Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, both were descendants of Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. Yet the history of the two nations, which came from these two brothers (Israel and Edom)-- the descendants of Jacob were far more blessed than the descendants of Esau. As I look at the problems addressed in the rest of the letter, every one of them could be tied back to the wrong attitude that underlies the response, “How hast Thou loved us?” When people start allowing themselves to think that God really hasn't done much for them, all noble feelings of obligation towards Him begin to fade. I stand amazed at how quick we are to question God's love for us. If the smallest thing goes wrong, immediately we starting thinking that God is being insensitive to our needs. Yet, at the same time we allow others to walk all over us while claiming that they do love us. Why are we so quick to defend someone who really doesn't love us, and yet so quick to question God's love? God feels that love is demonstrated by deeds and the past and present offer a host of deeds that prove that God loves us. God reminds these descendants of Jacob to compare their present condition with the descendants of Esau. Despite the unfaithfulness of their ancestors, God had allowed them to return to their land, rebuild, and start over. Yet God was not going to give the Edomites (descendants of Esau) a second chance. God quickly deals with something that might have being going through the minds of His people, “Though Edom says, "We have been beaten down, but we will return..They may build, but I will tear down”(1:4). Why is it that we tend to put more "faith" in what men say, then what God says? A study comes out that the media claims proves something unbiblical and we question our faith. Yet God says something completely opposite, and do we question the reliability of human wisdom or the so-called experts? Faith means that the issues of life are settled by the Scriptures for the 3
Christian (Romans 3:4). Notice that God does not buy any excuse concerning how a person could possibly believe that God doesn't love them. Just look at what God has done for us! (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Acts 14:17) 1:3 “But I hated Esau”: First of all, this doesn’t mean that Esau or his descendants were excluded from eternal life, apart from their own choice (Jeremiah 49:11; Amos 9:12; Obadiah 19,21; Mark 16:15). Neither does the verse mean that every Israelite was guaranteed automatic and unconditional salvation (Acts 13:46). God is not speaking about predestination of Jacob (Israel) to eternal life and damnation for every descendant of Esau. Rather, the word “hate” here means to “love-less” (see Matthew 10:37), in the sense of bestowing fewer favors on a nation. Compared to Israel, Edom was “hated”, for Edom would never exist again as a nation. 1:3 “Made his mountains a desolation”: “History has verified the prophecy. After the Chaldeans came, the Nabataeans drove them out. Then they were conquered by the Maccabees, and finally the Romans drove them into the eastern desert” (Hailey p. 407). 1:4 “Though Edom says, ‘We have been beaten down, but we will return’”: Like the world, the Edomites will boast that they will overcome these setbacks. Malachi may be dealing with an anticipated objection on the part of some Israelites, that is, “Yes God has judged them, but they say they will rebuild”. Some in Judah could be saying, “Edom has been beaten down before and has come back”. Yet all attempts by the Edomites to rebuild and reoccupy their destroyed cities, whether undertaken in the present or future, will be unsuccessful. “The men will call them the wicked territory”: “Men would rightly conclude that Edom had been punished for some grave wickedness” (Smith p. 623). 1:5 “Your eyes will see this”: “Israel would observe from a distance, safe and secure in their own land, the tragedies which would befall Edom. When God acts, people do take notice. Edom’s destruction and Israel’s preservation stood as proof that God exists. Compare with Exodus 9:16. Why not acknowledge this love now in grateful, loving service? Alas, God finds no joyous appreciation for His affection, no grateful return of love for love, but cold hearted contempt of His grace, and ungrateful, self-righteous, grumbling dissatisfaction with His ways” (Laetsch p. 514).
4
No Respect 1:6 “’As son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am 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 Thy name?’” 1:6 “But you say”: “Malachi depicted the priests pompously denying that they had despised God’s name…The Hebrew participle form denotes continuous manifestation of disrespect” (Smith p. 624-625). Like today, among many people, even professed believers, God is neither reverenced, respected, nor feared, just ignored. God did not receive the honor due a father, nor did He receive the dread or fear, which a servant should feel for his master.
1:7 “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled Thee?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised’” The term “food” in the above verse applies to all the various sacrifices that people would bring to the priests. It is called “defiled” because it was not what God had prescribed (1:8). “Their actions, however, spoke louder than their words. Instead of regarding the temple service as an undeserved honor, they regarded it as a contemptible, miserable job” (Smith p. 625). The “table” in the above verse, is the altar on which sacrifices were offered. Do God’s commands seem to be a burden to us? (1 John 5:3) Are we careless when it comes to worship and seeing that His will is fulfilled? Do we appreciate or do we resent God’s requirements, attention to detail, and His precise instructions? “If they had realized the true dignity of their office, they would have obeyed His least command in grateful love and in holy awe having performed every detail of their duty in strict observance of His ordinances” (Laetsch p. 516).
1:8 “’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”
5
Apparently, it had become a common custom for the priests (who were supposed to teach the people and preserve the integrity of worship), to accept from the people animals for sacrifice that were obviously unacceptable. Blemished offerings were clearly forbidden in the law (Lev. 22:19-25). Observe that the priests may have reasoned that times were hard (3:10), and that this is the best that the people could provide. They may have reasoned that God’s requirements were flexible, and difficult circumstances gave them the right to relax God’s expectations. They may have become very “practical”, and reasoned that if they insisted on what God required, that they would offend their brethren and people simply would not come to worship. Consider carefully that the priests did not see themselves as doing anything wrong (1:7). Their conscience wasn’t bothering them at all. So much for the idea that sincerity or a clean conscience makes up for disobedience. 1:8 “Why not offer it to your governor?”: A human superior would be insulted by such offerings. Yet, have we learned this lesson? Honestly look at the effort you put into serving God, if you put the same effort into a job, would you be promoted or hired? Does God get our best? Do hobbies, secular goals, and human projects get our best?
Practical Applications
1. Are we never late for work, but late for services? 2. Do we give the job lots of overtime, but rush off right after services? 3. Do we burn the mid-night oil for school, job or hobby, but never seem to have enough time to do our bible lesson? 4. Do we enthusiastically support a team, but have a hard time staying focused during worship? 5. How much money do we spend on a hobby—compared to our giving? 6. How much involvement does the local congregation receive from us, compared to our involvement in other things? God is offended by half-hearted efforts (Revelation 3:16; Luke 14:26). All token service will be rejected.
6
These verses present us with a practical measuring-stick in examining the quality of the service we have been offering to God. If we treated our wives, husbands, children, or employers in the same way we have been treating God--would they be impressed? (1:8) Are employers impressed when we develop a habit of tardiness? Would our wives be impressed if we could never seem to concentrate on what they were saying to us? Could we ever make it through college, if we never studied or prepared for a lesson? Would we be successful in a career if ten years later, we still did not know the basics of our job? Would we ever be successful in sales, if we never talked to anyone? Would we still have a job if we gave the following excuses-“You should just be glad that I am here”, “I couldn't get out of bed this morning”, “I was up late last night”, “I've been discouraged”, “a lot of things have been going on in my personal life”, “I know you hired me three weeks ago...but I finally got around to finding out where the building is located”, “I took this job to improve my self-esteem, but please don't give me any responsibility”. Would you still be married if you told your wife or husband: “What is the least I have to do to keep you from leaving me?”, “Just because I haven't been around for two weeks, doesn't mean that I don't love you”, “You should just be glad that I am here laying on this couch”, “I want a marriage relationship in which I can come and go when I want, and I am never confronted concerning where I have been, and your conversations with me are always positive and uplifting, and they always mention what a wonderful person I am”, “I think wanting me to cook you dinner in addition to breakfast is being legalistic”. Treating God with respect means that we give Him our best, including best attention when praying to Him and listening to His Word, and that we always manifest great appreciation and gratitude for the instruction that He has given us. We never complain about His restrictions, never second-guess His law or never wish that anything He has said were different (Psalm 119:160; 1:2 “his delight is in the law of the Lord”). You give Him your best in trying to further His cause (2 Corinthians 12:15). Whatever time and effort is needed to do the job right is the time and effort expended. No attitude of bare minimum service here (1 Corinthians 15:58). God is the center in which all other activities and priorities are in subjection (Matthew 22:37; 6:33). That in everything we do for God, we are concerned about doing it right and first-class (1 Cor. 11:28; Colossians 3:16; Galatians 6:1; 2 Thess. 3:15).
7
1:9 “’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” Here we have irony. The priests actually thought that God would be pleased with such sacrifices (“With such an offering on your part”). A common mistake that people make to this today, is thinking “God should just be thankful that I am giving Him something”. Or, that God will just naturally accept whatever I offer, whenever I have the time to offer it. People sometimes treat God as a beggar, who is pleased with any little scrap that they offer Him. We see this attitude in the person who thinks that they are doing God a big favor by coming once a year to some religious celebration, and in the person who reasons, “God understands why I am not faithful at this time”. God certainly didn’t “understand” these people.
1:10 “’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’”
“Not only does the Lord disregard their offerings, He “even” wishes that someone among them would close the doors so that the entire Temple service, useless as it has been made, might be stopped” (Laetsch p. 518). Let us learn this lesson. God would prefer no service, no worship, rather than corrupted or compromised worship. It is either all or nothing. Some are under the mistaken impression that a true love and zeal for God will only lead you to do and say "positive" things. Yet here God wishes that someone, maybe one the priests, would have enough love for God that they would do something very negative, i.e. refuse to accept the worthless sacrifices being brought by the people (1:8). Too many people think that God is desperate for worshippers, after all it seems that so few give Him any attention at all, but God has a far different attitude. He is more relevant than we are (Acts 17:24-25)! God actually does refuse to accept worship that doesn't conform to His standards. The fact that God rejected the "corrupted" Lord's Supper in which the Corinthians were engaging (1 Corinthians 11:20), and would judge those who participate with unworthy motives (11:28-29), stands as proof that God still feels the same way about the worship that His professed people offer Him. Now some people roll their eyes when they hear a preacher discuss how God rejected 8
Cain's sacrifice, or how God struck Nadab and Ahibu dead for offering Him worship that He had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1-2). Some might say to themselves, “not those worn out illustrations or examples again.” Yet God's attitude toward the Corinthians reveals that those "old examples" still accurately express God's feelings about the type of worship that He desires.
Have we ever thought that half-hearted worship is viewed as an insult to God? That God is offended when we sing songs to Him about our love and hunger for the Word of God and yet we haven't read our Bibles in weeks or months? Or when we observe the Lord's Supper, the memorial that reminds us of the high price paid for our sins and yet in our daily lives we try to live as close to the line of sin as we can? Proverbs 15:8 “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1; Isaiah 1:11-15) Modern Application God expected the leaders among His people, the priests, to do something about this situation. God holds elders accountable for the purity of our worship services. This is why elders cannot bend on modern corruptions of public worship. 1:11 God is telling those who professed to be His people, but who were taking Him for granted, that there is coming a time when others would appreciate Him and would offer Him the worship that He desires. True worshippers will always exist (John 4:23-24; Acts 10:2; 16:14). I am expendable (Romans 11:19-21). If I can't get excited about serving God, if I can't get motivated, then someone out there exists to take my place (Acts 13:46 “behold, we are turning to the Gentiles”; 18:6; 28:28 '”Let it be known to you therefore, that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen”). These verses should remind us that the church belongs to none of us, if we don't insist upon and make every effort to maintain quality and a high level of spirituality, we may just find ourselves withdrawn from by God Himself (Revelation 2:4-5).
1:12 The Jews, the people of God, should have demonstrated a living example of gratitude in their worship, yet by their actions they were making a mockery of the entire sacrificial system.
9
1:12 “Snd as for its fruit, its food is to be despised”: Part of the priest’s compensation or wages came from what was offered. “Apparently the priests were complaining because God got the best part of the sacrificial animals while the priests were only getting the leftovers” (Smith p. 628). 1:13 “You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’”: The great service at the temple had become “tiresome”. Today, some people will say, “Worship is boring”, “I don’t get anything out of it”. Well, is it? Do we eagerly look forward to times of prayer, time spent in the Word of God, and being together with Christians on the first day of the week? How about what David said in Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord”. Do we view Scripture as reflecting a childish and naive attitude? When we pray, sing, study, or gather with Christians, does the time pass by quickly, or does it drag? Harkrider notes, “Not only did they offer inferior sacrifices, they felt BURDENED to do even that much” (p. 132). We need to be impressed that when we are tempted to treat God's requirements as a burden, the person who is really burdened, is God! (Isaiah 43:24 “Rather you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities”).
1:13 “And you bring what was taken by robbery”: The priests were so apathetic and careless, that they even looked the other way when stolen animals were brought to be sacrificed. The fact that God holds them accountable for this, implies that they knew the animals were stolen! 1:14 A curse rests on the person who doesn’t give God their best! See Ecclesiastes 5:4-5. This verse makes it clear that the carelessness of the priests did not exonerate the worshippers. Just because the priests weren’t rebuking the people or saying anything, doesn’t let the man in the pew off the hook. The modern excuse, “Well, the elders didn’t have a problem with it”, is not automatic permission from God to proceed. Members will be held accountable for their sins, even if God’s leaders never rebuke or teach them. The Lord has the right to demand our best, for He is the Great King. “Once more He calls attention to the fact that heathen despised by Israel will glorify and revere the great and dreadful name of the Lord” (Laetsch p. 520). Israel doesn’t appreciate God—but others will! “The situation envisioned is that a worshiper had available that which fully met the requirements of a vow which he had taken. Once the emergency was past, however, he cheated God by offering a less valuable blemished animal” (Smith p. 629). 10
11