Malachi 1
COMMENTARY:
: 2 I have loved you, says the LORD. Yet you say, Wherein have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Says the LORD; yet I loved Jacob. (157 “loved” [’ahab] means to endear, to have great affection, have loyalty toward, to breath after, or have an affection toward someone you have a close relationship with.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is comparing HIS relationship between Jacob and Esau. Remember that Esau was the firstborn and older brother of Jacob. The LORD chose Jacob over Esau. The LORD can choose one person over another as HE knows the beginning from the end. HE knows who is going to follow HIM and who is not because HE doesn’t live in time. The doctrine of Election is a very hard doctrine to explain and understand fully when it relates to the LORD.
We live in time and don’t understand how someone, even God, can know the future. Our understanding of love and hate is not the same with the LORD. It is a matter of choice. One is chosen and the other is not.
When we used to play sports with pick up teams we had to pick one at a time. If we were the captain we would always try to pick the best player first and so on until the last player was picked. It wasn’t that we hated the last one picked but we liked the first one picked better. That is human choice. The LORD knows more than we will ever know about Jacob and Esau.
When we pick someone to be our spouse we chose them because we love them, not because we hate everyone else. But from the perspective of the one we didn’t chose it seems like we hated them sometimes. It is a wrong conclusion. God gives everyone a choice to be a follower or not. HE knows their decision but doesn’t make the decision for them.
The LORD judges Edom who was descendants of Esau for their actions toward Israel. They didn’t treat Israel well. God was just in HIS dealings with Edom. HE judged Israel as well.
HE chastened them at times and they responded to HIS chastening. The Edomites didn’t respond well to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Once we become a genuine follower of Jesus Christ we have a close relationship with the LORD. We need to believe this TRUTH!
: 6 A son honors his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honor? And if I be a master, where is my fear? Says the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And you say, Wherein have we despised your name? (5240 “despised” [namibzeh] means held in contempt, disdained, vile, or think lightly of.)
DEVOTION: Parents can cause problems for their children if they are not raised right in their relationship to the LORD. Teachers can cause problems in their students if they don’t train them right in the Word of God when they teach them in Sunday School. Pastors can cause problems for the children of the church if they don’t have the right programs for them to learn and enjoy their time in church. Members of the church can cause problems if they mistreat the pastor’s children or the other children in the church. We all have a part in training the future generation in the LORD.
The priests in Malachi’s day were leading the people in the wrong direction. They were going through the motions but there was no heart in their obedience. The LORD called them on their lack of truthfulness.
The religious leaders were causing the people to hold the LORD’S name in contempt. They were offering sacrifices that didn’t meet the standard the LORD had set. They were not obeying the LORD and in doing so they were training the people that they didn’t have to obey the LORD. They were giving the LORD a bad name.
When they were confronted they told Malachi that they were not thinking lightly of the LORD. Their actions proved a different story. Too often when the LORD confronted HIS priests they came up with excuses for not doing things right. The LORD didn’t accept their excuses.
We have to find out what the LORD expects of us as HIS priests today. If we are not living up to HIS standard and teaching others the same, we will answer to HIM.
CHALLENGE: We are to train up a child or young believer in the way they should go. This goes for parents, teachers and pastors.
: 8 And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor; will he be pleased with you, or accept your person? Says the LORD of hosts. (5066 “offer” [nagash] means to turn towards, bring near, to cause to approach, to present, or to step forward.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is very conversational in HIS teaching. HE talks to the priests through the prophet Malachi. HE wants them to understand things from HIS perspective. They have their perspective and HE has HIS. HIS perspective is always HOLY and PURE. The perspective of the priests is fallen humanity.
The way the LORD teaches is the same way Jesus Christ taught when HE walked the earth at HIS first coming. HE asked questions. The Pharisees would ask questions and HE would answer them with a question. It is a good teaching method. It causes the person to think about an answer to the question. The LORD wants us to think about what we are doing. HE knows that a lot of times we act before we think. At other times we act intentionally.
HE wants us to know the difference. If we are acting intentionally when we sin and not in ignorance then we know we deserve chastening. HE wants the priests to know that they deserve chastening.
HE compares what we do to HIM with what we would do to a fellow human being. HE wants us to think about how we treat people who have authority over us on earth with HIM who has authority over us for eternity.
What questions would HE be asking us today regarding our actions? How would we answer HIS questions?
CHALLENGE: Remember HE knows our deepest thoughts. Nothing is out of HIS sight. We can’t fake HIM out.
: 14 But cursed be the deceiver, which has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen. (3372 “dreadful” [yare’] means to fear, frightful, revere, be afraid, to stand in awe of, to inspire reverence, honor, respect, or be awed.)
DEVOTION: This is written in the time period of Nehemiah. He was the governor who built the walls of Jerusalem. The Temple had been built under the ministry of Ezra. Now the land had the Temple and the walls around Jerusalem.
However, the people were not honoring the LORD. This books starts by condemning the priests for their actions. They were bring sacrifices that were polluted, blind, lame and sick. They thought that the LORD would accept anything as long as they were offering sacrifices.
Malachi told them to offer these offerings to their governor. The LORD was not pleased with their offerings. HE had commanded clean wholesome animals to be offered to on HIS altar. The priests thought that the LORD would bless them no matter what they offered. They were wrong.
The LORD has no pleasure with the leftovers. HE wants the firstfruits. HE wants the best of the flock. HE wants to be honored for all that HE does for HIS people. IF the leadership don’t care, then the people will not care. Malachi starts with the leadership. The LORD wants the leadership to honor HIM.
This verse that ends the chapter curses the priests for their offerings. They will not receive any blessing. They were promising a male from their flock but giving either nothing or imperfect animals. They were offering corrupt things to the LORD. This was very wrong.
The verse continues to make the statement that the LORD is a GREAT KING and because HE is a great king the heathen are going to FEAR OR STAND IN AWE of HIS name. The chosen people didn’t honor HIS name but those outside of Israel were going to honor HIS name. It is a sad commentary.
The truth for today is that those who are not active in the church sometimes have more respect for the LORD than those who attend church every Sunday. Remember that judgment BEGINS at the house of the LORD. Those in leadership are going to receive the greater judgment.
Pastor what kind of offering did you offer to the LORD this last Sunday? Was it the best of the flock or just leftovers? Was it fresh meat or leftovers from days gone by? Did your people leave the service with a full meal? Today we have no excuse for not offering the LORD our best. There are so many tools available to all pastors that the meals they serve should be filling. Sad to say that many in our pulpits are not drinking at the well of LIVING WATER. Remember to pray for the leadership of the church you are attending.
Our responsibility to those who have rejected Jesus Christ is to continually show what a genuine Christian is like according to the Word of God.
CHALLENGE: Our witness should never change whether they respond to the gospel or not.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
LORD will not answer prayersverse 9
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Priestsverse 6
Offering on God’s altarverses 7, 10, 11
Table of the LORDverses 7, 12
Sacrificesverse 8
Incenseverse 11
Vowverse 14
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORDverse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 2, 4-14
I have love you (Israel)verse 1
LORD of hostsverses 4, 6, 8-11, 13, 14
LORD says of Edom: They shall build, but I
will throw down, and they shall call
them, the border of wickedness and
the people against whom the LORD
hath indignation foreververse 4
Indignation verse 4
LORD will be magnifiedverse 5
Fatherverse 6
Masterverse 6
Table of the LORDverse 7
Graciousverse 9
No pleasure in Israelverse 10
Not accept offering of Israelverse 10
God’s name great among Gentilesverse 11
Lord (Owner, Master)verse 14
Great Kingverse 14
Name dreadful among heathenverse 14
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)verse 9
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Edomverse 4
We are impoverished
Gentilesverse 11
Heathenverses 11, 14
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wickednessverse 4
Dishonor Godverse 6
Unfaithful priestsverse 6
Despise the LORDverse 6
Polluted offeringsverses 7, 8, 10, 12-14
Contemptible use of table of the LORDverses 7, 12
Offer blind as sacrificeverse 8
Evilverse 8
Not pleasing Godverse 8
Heathenverses 11, 14
Profaned name of the LORDverse 12
Bring improper offerings to LORDverse 13
torn and lame and sick
Complained that offerings were wearinessverse 13
Deceiver – sacrificed corrupt thingsverse 14
Broken vowsverse 14
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Love of Godverse 2
Honor fatherverse 6
Honor Godverse 6
God is masterverse 6
Fear of the LORDverse 6
Pray verse 9
Graceverse 9
Pure offeringverse 11
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israelverses 1, 5
Malachiverse 1
Burden of the word of the LORD
Loved the LORD
Esauverses 2, 3
Jacob’s brother
LORD hated Esau
Jacobverse 2
Loved of the LORD
Governorverse 8
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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