Malachi 1:6-14
(This sermon is a shorter sermon due to being delivered via Facebook/Live during the Covid-19 shutdown)
Today we will be reading from Malachi 1:6-14
If you would like to turn to that passage in your Bibles …
(Explain where it is found)
It is important to know what the situation was like when Malachi was written …
(Explain each point briefly and modify the list as you desire)
General history of Israel …
- Creation
- The Flood
- Yahweh - The LORD chose Abraham
- Yahweh - The LORD chose Jacob and rejected Esau
- Jacob became the nation of Israel - Esau became the nation of Edom (mortal enemies)
- Israel BELONGS to Yahweh, the LORD
- A famine is coming - God protects Israel in Egypt
- The people of Israel become numerous - Egypt enslaves Israel
- Moses …
- Yahweh, The LORD, sends Moses to Egypt with a message; “Let MY people go!”
- The 10 plagues - the Red Sea - pillar of cloud and fire
- Forty years in the wilderness due to disobedience
o The Lord provides for Israel
o The LORD almost destroys Israel due to rebellion
- Moses dies - Joshua leads Israel into the promised land
- Joshua dies - time of the Judges
o Each man did what was right in his own eyes
- Israel wants a king - so “they can be like other nations”
- Saul, David, Solomon followed by civil war and divided nation
- Northern kingdom turns completely pagan - they abandon Yahweh the God of Israel and worship the idol gods of other nations
o God delivers them into exile at the hand of the Assyrians
- Southern Kingdom of Judah
o Several good kings (worshipped God alone)
o Lots of bad kings (abandoned and worshiped idols)
o Taken into captivity by Babylon (for 70 years)
o First Temple in Jerusalem is looted and destroyed
o Babylon defeated by Medo-Persian empire
- Cyrus, the king of Persia, allows the exiled Jews to return to Judah if they wish (after 70 years)
o Jerusalem is rebuilt
o The second Temple is built
o Judah surrounded by enemies
- This is the timeframe of Malachi
Read Malachi 1:6-14
(Prayer for help in today’s message)
(Summary of Malachi 1:1-5)
- God has sovereignly chosen Israel as His nation
So what is it we are seeing here?
One of God’s attributes is omniscience which means He knows everything.
And because Yahweh, the LORD, knows everything He instructs Malachi to write:
“It is you priests who show contempt for My name.
“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for Your name?’
“By offering defiled food on My altar.
“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’
You see, the Lord knows!
If you think that He doesn’t know then think again!
You see, most of this remnant of Israel believes that God has abandoned them because they are not living in the prosperity He has promised to those who are faithful to Him.
At this point they don’t dare to worship the gods of the surrounding nations because they don’t want to go into exile again. But, their heart is certainly NOT in their worship of God. They are only going through the motions of worship and sacrifice and muttering about it at the same time.
What were they SUPPOSED to bring to the LORD as a sacrifice?
For various sins there were various animals that were required to be sacrificed. And, even though there were various sacrificial animals one requirement was the same for all of them.
They must be without defect!
This was an invariable requirement; the sacrifice must be WITHOUT DEFECT - PERFECT!!!
But what are we seeing here?
They are bringing blind, lame and diseased animals for their sacrifices! The sacrifice they are bringing so that their sins may be forgiven are sins in themselves because instead of bringing their best to the Lord they are bringing animals that they don’t even want in their herds or flocks!!!!
Not that the animals themselves are sinful but the people bringing the worthless animals are committing a sin. Their actions are saying that the Lord is not worthy of their best offerings. Instead they will bring the worthless animal as an offering and present it to Him.
Also at fault are the priests who should have refused to sacrifice the defective animals. They knew better. They should have defended the honor and the glory and the Name of the Lord, but, they didn’t care.
The whole situation was just a mess!
They knew the commandment that was established even before the law was given?
What was the commandment that was came before the ceremonial law of sacrifices?
It was, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” found in Deuteronomy 6:5
Would a person who has God as the ultimate love of their life bring defective animals for a sacrifice?
Would a priest who loves God with all his heart, soul and strength offer a defective animal on the altar of His Holy God?
Our God is a relationship God not just a ritual God?
He is NOT just interested in your religious activities. He wants to know that whatever you are doing in His name is driven by love for Him!
What about us? What about you? What about me?
When we pray does the Lord sense the love that is driving us toward Him? Are we yearning to receive direction from Him in order to serve Him better that day?
Or, are we praying because it is something we are supposed to do even though we really don’t want to and we’d rather be texting with a friend?
When (if) we read the Bible can the Lord sense the love that is driving us to know more about Him; driving us to know Him better?
Or are we reading the Bible because it is something we are just supposed to do whether we like it or not? In our hearts would we rather be watching funny cat videos on YouTube?
When we come to church do we come just to put in an appearance or do we come to honor the Lord and hope that He is pleased with our worship and with the opening of our hearts to all that He would teach us that day?
You see. We can be very much like the people of Malachi’s day if we have a loveless religion that speaks about a God we really don’t care to know anything about.
There are churches today where the name of the Lord is despised. Yes, they will mention the Bible but it is not considered to be any more valid than the book of any other religion; and so it is cast aside as an ancient book of fiction and fairy tales.
In such churches sin is never mentioned. Salvation is unneeded. The name of the god of any other religion is just as welcome or even more welcome than the name of the Lord.
In such churches the resurrection of Jesus is treated as something dreamt up by zealots wanting to invent a new religion and anyone who actually believes in the physical resurrection of Jesus is considered to be an unenlightened, uneducated dimwit.
In such churches there is no love for the Lord.
In such churches the Lord is saying as He said in Malachi 1:10
“Oh, that one of you would shut the (church) doors, so that you would not (hold godless gatherings in My house)! I am not pleased with you!!”
Is there hope? Is there hope for us? Is that how we worship Yahweh?
There is a small verse inserted at the end of Malachi 3.
In Malachi 3:16 it says,
“Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name.”
In this world that is filled with anti-Christ sentiment do we gather together to talk about our Great Savior. Do we gather to honor His Great Name? Do we gather to encourage one another in the Faith?
Let’s be one of those who fear and reverence the Lord.
He is listening.
Final thoughts and prayer.
We NEED to know this background!
Chronological Bible reading plan…
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/chronological.html
