Malachi Chapter 1
11/20/24 9:19 AM
Solitary Man
solitaryman.substack.com
20241112
Mal 1:1 The burden (mas-saw – an utterance, a doom, a prophecy) of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
Malachi (mal-aw-kee) comes from the root word mal-awk, which means messenger. The messenger may be human or angelic. Some commentators believe that since this name represents an office or function, that the author of this book remains anonymous, and that the first verse is simply telling us that the messenger of Yahweh has been commissioned to deliver a word.
Because the word mas-saw is used, the message implies one of heaviness, even a word of doom. When one takes the time to read all of the bible with a completely nonreligious heart, one will inevitably be struck by how great a portion of the bible is dedicated to warn mankind about the folly of sin and disobedience to their creator. If I could characterize the bible by one term and one term only, I would call it the book of warnings. Most of the church have been taught a diametrically opposite point of view, in that most think it is a book of primarily positive promises. Little of warning is taught, or retained, by the average believer in the west today. I hope that this commentary contributes to the remedy of this most egregious fallacy.
Whether or not Malachi was the prophet’s name or not, I like the fact that nothing else is known about him. We are guilty of idolizing our famous Christian personalities. Whether the great tent evangelists such as Billy Graham, or the prominent Christian television figures made famous by networks such as TBN and others, I am sure that most of us can recall the big names that were made famous by modern media, much more than the actual messages that they preached. A true messenger of the Lord shuns the spotlight, and becomes genuinely alarmed if his name is exalted rather than Jesus’. Let us all strive to emulate Malachi, and not concern ourselves with self promotion. The Lord knows those who are his, and it is up to him to exalt us. In this age of subscribes, and likes, and viral tweets, leave off the begging of your virtual audience and be not like the world. Rather, let us imitate the man of Galilee, who often was found conducting himself in the following manner:
Mar 7:24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
For those who believe being given the responsibility to deliver the true word of the Lord is some exciting and enjoyable assignment, let us pause for a moment and reflect on the word chosen in this verse. It was called a burden. Not a joy. Not a light duty. Not an easy task. It carries the implication of pronouncing doom. And indeed, doom is what is spoken when God pronounces his mishpat, or judgment, on the unrepentant sinner. Let us never forget that the most important message in the bible, apart from the plan of salvation in Christ, is all the warnings by Yahweh to every man and woman who is living their life in such a way as to guarantee that they will not be partakers of eternal life when their time on earth is done.
Mal 1:2 I have loved (aw-hab) you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3 And I hated (saw-nay – to hate personally, enemy, foe, odious, hate utterly) Esau, and laid (disposed of, treaded down) his mountains (figuratively his lofty place) and his heritage (nakh-al-aw – inheritance, heritage, heirloom, portion, patrimony, possession) waste (shem-aw-maw – devastation, desolation) for the dragons (tan-naw – from a root meaning monster) of the wilderness (desert).
What a strange way to begin! I suppose the fact that since the topic of love is being discussed, the New Testament reader is put at ease, as all Christians are well aware of the subject of God’s love. However what follows next will certainly not be the way love has ever been taught to the typical pew sitter of our day.
We see the first of many instances of the style of rhetoric that God wishes to employ through the prophet. A statement is made. Then a question is asked, which is then answered.
God wants to let his people of the 5th century BC know that he has loved them. The people respond by asking how is this so? God will reply with a short study in contrasts. He will recount his dealings with two brothers – Jacob and Esau. God will prove his love for Jacob by reminding them what he thought of Esau, and his subsequent actions towards him and his nation Edom.
Let us quickly recount some passages that describe this most striking example of God’s sovereignty.
Gen 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
Here Rebekah is told that the fates of two brothers has already been laid out, even from her womb, before they had done anything good or bad. This story is of such significance, that Paul refers to it in two separate places:
Rom 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person (beb-ay-los – heathenish, wicked), as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
This may be the most prominent passage that the hyper Calvinists use to defend the absolute sovereignty of God, to the near exclusion of free will. I will succinctly summarize why I reject that view, by the quotation of this one verse:
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
God’s predestination is based on his foreknowledge, preserving the doctrine of free will.
Let us now return to the text at hand.
Hitherto is the first significant controversy we encounter. God says he hates (saw-nay) Esau. Almost all Christians and commentators that I have read cannot accept this statement. Especially if we look at the fact that the bible taught that God had preselected Jacob over Esau before they were even born!
We know that the bible teaches foreknowledge. God ends up calling Esau a profane person in Hebrews, because of what he did in Genesis:
Gen 25:29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
Gen 25:30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Gen 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised (baw-zaw – scorned, held in contempt) his birthright.
This passage helps us to understand verse three a little more clearly. We all know that God is just. He rewards man according to his works. Esau despised, scorned, and held in contempt his birthright. God’s will was always to pass on the inheritance via the firstborn. By Yahweh’s foreknowledge, he knew even before the brothers were born exactly how they would turn out. That is why he could pronounce the blessing while they were yet in Rebekah’s womb. And sure enough, there came a day when what was in Esau’s heart was made manifest. God engineered a circumstance where the world could see what Esau treasured, and what he despised. He treasured the immediate gratification of his flesh. He despised the inheritance of the Lord.
Now that Esau’s heart was laid bare for all to see, how do you think God would react to one such as he? God calls him a profane person – heathenish, wicked. What do we know about God’s feeling towards the wicked? Does he not hate their evil works?
Jer 44:4 Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
Almost everything that I have heard and read tries to describe this word for hate (saw-nay) as meaning ‘to love less’. Thus it is not that God really hated Esau, but simply had more affection for Jacob, due to his righteous behavior, in comparison to Esau. They may refer to other verses where this word is used, such as this one where Leah is described as being hated by Jacob:
Gen 29:31 And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated (saw-nay), he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
From the above verse and its context, it does make for a compelling case that ‘love less’ would seem to be the preferred nuance, rather than: ‘ to hate personally, enemy, foe, odious, hate utterly’, which is what Strong’s concordance indicates. Strong’s does not have the nuance of loving less, so I do not know where the scholars get that idea. Perhaps they know Hebrew at a depth that others do not, or perhaps they just made it up, because the literal meaning of this word seems too harsh to accept.
The thing is, why do they pick that one verse as a comparison? Why not this one, in speaking of how Joseph’s brothers felt towards Joseph?
Gen 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated (saw-nay) him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
Do you think this verse also means to love less? How about this one:
Gen 37:8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him (saw-nay) yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
Moses’ father in law was giving instructions to Moses as to what sort of man to choose to help him rule:
Exo 18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating (saw-nay) covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
Was he saying to choose men who ‘love less’ covetousness, or men who actually hate (despise, abhor) covetousness?
Speaking of the Messiah, this psalm describes some of his characteristics:
Psa 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest (saw-nay) wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Do you think it is correct to say Jesus ‘loves less’ wickedness, or utterly hates it?
I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that in every case where one could possibly justify a ‘love less’ meaning to the word hate, there are a hundred verses where in no certain terms the word means hate.
I belabour this point in order to make a point. We seem to look for every sort of excuse in order to not have to embrace unpleasant truths. Whether it is a particular verse of scripture, or something that is happening in our personal lives, our fallen natures just do not want to embrace troublesome truths. For example, when my father got cancer and died, my mother would not acknowledge it. Even after he died, she never came to terms with it. As a result, she suffered significant personality changes, and eventually her lack of ability to accept reality led to her eventual demise herself, probably before her time. Think of how many have taken the poisonous death jab, for themselves, and for their children. Then they begin to find out exactly what they have done. How many are able to face the awful truth that they have poisoned themselves? They may reason that since there is nothing that I can do about it, I will refuse to think about it and pretend it never happened. We all have our mechanisms to cope.
I don’t believe we will ever heal fully unless we can accept the truth, and all of the truth. Similarly, I do not believe that we can enter into all that the Lord has for us if there is any portion of scripture that we simply cannot accept. This is why so many millions so eagerly and naively embraced the word of faith and prosperity gospel heresies. Who wouldn’t want a God that never curses you, never judges you, always loves you unconditionally, and is one that you never need to fear, only reverence a little. We built our own golden calf of Yahweh, just as Jeroboam did of old, when he created the northern kingdom. A major selling point in getting people to go along with breaking away from Judah is that his version of Yahweh was a gentle, kinder, nonjudgmental version.
How are we any different today?
Esau despised the blessing of God. In return, a righteous God paid him and his posterity back in kind. God laid his posterity, and his nation, waste. He brought down his pomp and his power. Since Esau cared not for his future, so God ensured that Esau’s future was destroyed.
Whatever you want to believe about God hating or not hating someone, the lesson here is never, never, never, despise the inheritance that God has laid up for you. And how do we end up despising it? By making light of his commandments in the here and now. Do we not know that we will all be rewarded according to our works? Note that I did not say that we will be saved by our works, but we will be rewarded by them, or not, as the case may be.
Let it never be said of any of us that God considers us profane, and disqualifies us from any inheritance in the Lord, even heaven itself, for those who persist in rebellious foolishness.
I would be remiss in trying to convince you that this is the sum and substance of the matter concerning Esau. I have tried to make my case as to the correct interpretation of a most troubling and controversial phrase that Yehovah has used here regarding Esau. I have attempted to show that it was Esau’s despising of his birthright that caused Yehovah to behave toward him in that way. Since God knew of Esau’s future choice, he made Esau subservient to Jacob right from the womb (Gen 25:23).
But did God always hate Edom, the nation of Esau’s descendants, with such total conviction? Apparently not.
Gen 27:38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
Gen 27:39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
Gen 27:40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Gen 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
I would categorize this as more of a prophecy rather than a blessing, wouldn’t you? This ‘blessing’ certainly had some ominous tones to it. Esau would be a violent man. He would be fractious, always chafing at being under his brother’s yoke. He would not stay subservient forever.
Here we see another example of Esau’s heart. Yes, he was wronged by his brother. But there was no room for forgiveness, only hate. His heart was filled with premeditated murder.
Now we know that Esau came to decide not to act on his vengeful feelings, once twenty years had passed, and Jacob returned from serving Laban (Gen 33:1-16). Indeed, at the end of the wilderness wanderings, God instructed the Israelites not to make enemies of Edomites, regarding them with more respect than the sons of Ammon and Moab:
Deu 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
Deu 23:7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
However things did change. David battled Edom, and they paid tribute to him, and to his son Solomon. Over the years alliances constantly shifted, and sometimes the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom even fought together (2 Ki 3:9). but eventually the old enmity would rise up in implacable hatred.
Psa 137:7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
Edom cheered on the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians. They rejoiced in watching the Jews being annihilated. Kind of sounds like the Palestinians of today, does it not? That hatred of the Edomites and the Ishmaelites is an ancient hatred. By the time of king Zedekiah in 597-586 BC, it was set in stone. Because this nation group had made their choice as to which side they chose in this cosmic war, judgments such as this one found in Jeremiah were pronounced against this once proud and significant nation:
Jer 49:17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
Jer 49:18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
The nation of Edom is no more, though its descendants may be traced, at least spiritually, in the Islamic countries that surround Israel. King Herod was an Edomite, and we all know how God felt about him (Ac 12:20-23). It was not long after the Jewish Roman wars, leading up to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, that the Edomites disappear from recorded history.
I hope that this abbreviated treatment of the significant events in Esau’s and Edom’s history help us to understand why God has made such a statement as he did in Malachi 3:3.
Now that that issue has been dealt with, what can we conclude about what God is actually trying to say? I have made the case that God had more than a casual dislike of Esau, due to his utter contempt for the things of God. God chooses to contrast his treatment of two brothers. Even though Jacob did not have a sterling reputation, deceiving his father into obtaining the patriarchal blessing, God still saw something within his heart that he liked and chose him to be the heir of the Abrahamic blessing. By pointing out how God had utterly rejected Esau and his posterity in all totality, God makes it clear that it is the offspring of Jacob’s line that God has chosen. By proving that Esau has forever been rejected, God is implying that the opposite is true with Jacob. We may not prove our case by such a convoluted manner, but God has chosen to. Perhaps his priests at the time were observing a temporary resurgence of Edom as a local power, and were doubting God’s promises to Jacob. We shall see in the following few verses that Edom is bound and determined to rebuild after some sort of devastation, and perhaps it was alarming the descendants of Jacob. God is saying to never doubt his promises, regardless of what the current circumstances seem to indicate. We would do well to remember this lesson. Even though the wicked of the world seem to have the upper hand today, never doubt for one moment that this is only a temporary phenomenon, and that God’s chosen people, the body of Christ, are destined for ultimate victory.
Mal 1:4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished (demolished), but we will return (shoob – turn back, return to) and build the desolate (waste, decayed) places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down (haw-ras – break, destroy, overthrow, ruin utterly); and they shall call them, The border (boundary, territory) of wickedness (rish-aw – wrongness), and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation (zaw-am – to foam at the mouth, rage) for ever.
Who will forget the defiant utterances of our politicians after 9/11 that Jonathan Cahn made so famous in his book, The Harbinger? How every leader would publicly state that the bricks may have fallen down, but we will rebuild?
Isa 9:10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
Wicked men always think that they can bounce back, no matter the judgment bestowed upon them. God tries to wake us up with his punishments for sin, but we end up blaming any and every thing else. God sends fire, and we blame direct energy weapons. God sends hurricanes, and we blame military weather modification machines. God sends famine, and we blame chemtrails, the fake bird flu and subsequent culling of animals, and the buying up of farmland by the wicked. Our freedom is destroyed, and we blame the cabal. All of these things may be true, but it misses the point. God is behind all of it. Until and unless we get rid of compromised, sanitized doctrines such that God never hates, but simply ‘loves less’, then we will continue to miss the sound of God screaming in our ears to repent, repent, repent, lest something worse befall you!
We are now in an extremely critical moment in history. Especially in America, God has answered the people’s prayer, and has restored your rightful president. The first time around, too many began to relax, thinking that the president will now save America. Hopefully, this time around, we will use this unexpected blessing as a scourge to drive us into our prayer closets as never before. Unless we dedicate our hearts and our lives to sacrificial intercessory prayer, all that has been tenuously won thus far shall be lost in an instant. America is on life support. Only the unceasing cry of his people will cause God to prolong and postpone his righteous judgments, which are so long overdue.
Edom tried to rebuild, but God kept destroying. But notice that Edom never changed its ways. They obtained a reputation as the place where wickedness reigned. They obtained an eternal label of shame. They also defied Yehovah to such an extent that God finally declared that I will have foaming at the mouth rage against these people for ever.
Think about that. What sort of hearts did these people have that could cause God to say such things about them? What sort of deeds did they commit that would cause God to declare himself an eternal enemy of the Edomites?
Remember that Esau grew up in the household of the one to whom the eternal covenant promises were made. However from the outset, Esau held that birthright, that blessing, of absolutely no value. In other words, the favor of God meant nothing to him. All that mattered was the here and now. All that mattered was today. What was God doing for me right at this moment?
Is America in danger of falling under the same indictment? Vowing to serve God forever at its inauguration, being favored of God in so many ways, has its deeds now provoked the wrath of God to the same foaming of the mouth rage? Has not her sins piled even higher and deeper than the Edomites ever had? Think of the child sex trafficking, the consumption of adenochrome, the treacherous betrayal of every moral precept by her leaders. Think of unleashing a global bioweapon upon the entire planet, unprecedented in its scope and audacity. Of the fomenting of endless wars, whose only purpose is the accumulation of wealth by the obscenely wealthy. Of the lies and slander and character assassination that has now become the staple of the mainstream media.
Don’t you think that God’s wrath is about to explode, and indeed, has begun to explode already?
Mal 1:5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified (gaw-dal – exceedingly honored) from the border of Israel.
The last verse of this initial passage tells us that God obtains great glory when his judgments are on display. The cross of Christ is an event unsurpassed in human history. Obviously, the sacrifice of his son for the salvation of the world is a singular event. But what events in history is God most noted for? Is it not in some of his greatest judgments? Think of the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the ten plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. Think of the fire from heaven in Elijah’s day that led to the slaughter of the false prophets. Think about the horrors of the book of Revelation yet to come. And even when we look at Calvary, can we not agree that this pivotal event in all of creation was also essentially an act of judgment – the final judgment pronounced on the son of God as he bore the sins of the world on our behalf?
God’s ways are judgment (Dan 4:37). It took seven years of madness for king Nebuchadnezzar to realize this basic fact.
Dan 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
Why does most of the church not yet recognize this? How much more judgment will it take before all Christians fall flat on their faces, and truly give God their lives in their entirety, body and soul, as he demands and deserves?
Mal 1:6 A son honoureth (kaw-bad – heavy, gives glory to) his father, and a servant (eh-bed – bondman) his master (aw-done – owner): if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master (aw-done), where is my fear (mo-raw – dread, terribleness, terror)? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests (ko-hane), that despise (baw-zaw – to scorn, disesteem, think it vile) my name (shame – authority, character, honor). And ye say, Wherein have we despised (baw-zaw) thy name (shame)?
We now get to the heart of this book. That is, the indictment of God’s priests, his spiritual leaders, those in authority in his temple. Several commentators attempt to downplay the severe rebuke that is solely directed to the pastors of Judah’s day by saying that these pronouncements were applicable to all the people, and that the priests simply represented the people as a whole. While there is truth in the fact that all chastisements have applicability to anyone it speaks to, I feel that this idea takes away from the fact that this book is primarily written as a severe rebuke and condemnation of the wicked pastors of the land.
Pastors may or may not be quick to point out the faults of their congregations. Few are quick to point out their own. Malachi needs to be preached loud and clear, especially to this dying, Laodicean church in the west of our day. Our churches were exposed during covid as the empty, cowardly, useless, nonessential shells that they truly were. The one truth that the government spoke during the covid scamdemic was the fact that they labelled the churches as nonessential. They were absolutely correct. Men with no backbone, who were quite used to keeping silent in the face of any opposition, now not only locked out the sheep from their sanctuaries, rendering the name sanctuary a most unholy mockery, but then actively participated in the mass culling of humanity by turning their so called sanctuaries into charnel houses of death by making them the preferred destination of receiving the deadly jab to their parishioner’s demise.
For the sake of simplicity, I will mostly refer to the priests as the pastors of their day. God begins to ask them a couple of simple questions, after he has laid out a couple of obvious facts. We all know in any normal course of events, a son honors his father, a slave his master. Since God is the ultimate father, where is his honor? If God is the ultimate master, then where is the respect owing? Note that that respect of God should be manifested in the fear of the Lord. And what does that fear look like? Reverence? Awe? Not even close. I so despise that utterly false and tepid teaching that the fear of the Lord simply means reverence and awe. What utter rubbish. Nowhere in the entire text of the bible does that insipid idea predominate. No, it is a dread, a knowing deep within the innermost part of man that to truly fear, that the fear is to understand by divine revelation the terribleness of his nature for those who rebel against him. It is to be in uttermost dread of falling into his hands, should you be found in wilful breach of his ordinances. Do you truly fear God? Do you shudder in terror, when you finally come to your senses after you have stubbornly gone your own way, and now realize the error of your path? Do the certain punishments of the Almighty keep you from succumbing to temptation, regardless of the pressure that you are currently facing to give in? Or is the fear of the Lord some abstract thing, one of many doctrines that you have accumulated for yourself, sitting on a shelf in your carnal mind somewhere, unused, unpolished, only brought out during certain religious occasions, to impress your friends and fellow church goers?
From mostly rhetorical questions to crushing rebuke, is where God takes us next. In essence, God says that his spiritual leaders show no honor or fear towards him. Not only do I present the evidence, or lack thereof, of no honor and no fear, but now I charge you with despising my holy name.
When it is said that you have despised someone’s name, it is the same as saying that you are impugning their character. God’s name is all tied up with his character. These priests then respond in bewilderment. They are so spiritually blind that they honestly have no idea what God is talking about. They ask God how have they despised him? What do you mean?
This may be the most terrible of all truths listed in this book. Not just the various indictments that God will bring upon the leadership, but the fact that the leadership has absolutely no clue regarding how much they are sinning against the Lord. And isn’t that the same reality we find in most churches today? Probably less than 1% of western churches defied the covid mandates. All mandates were lies. The authorities asked us to embrace lies, and tell others to do so. Almost all churches complied. They embraced each and every lie, and condemned those few sheep who dared to resist. And even today, almost 5 years since the madness took hold of the land, very, very few have admitted to the evil that they participated in, much less repented of it. I am sure that the few who may have now realized that what they did was a lie, to admit what they did could mean certain backlash from many prominent, wealthy parishioners, which could lead to all sorts of financial complications that do not bear contemplation!
Mal 1:7 Ye offer (naw-gash – come near to worship) polluted (gaw-al – desecrated, defiled) bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted (gaw-al) thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible (baw-zaw – despicable, vile, to be disdained).
God indicts the priests for their mode of worship. The accusation here is not as clear as we would like. Several meaning have been suggested. The priest may have stated that God’s altar is contemptible as a cover for their greed. In other words, the people are not bringing the quality and quantity of offerings that they should. Therefore, don’t blame us if we keep more for ourselves than we should, or if we burn up the worst of them, rather than the best, since there’s hardly anything left for us to live on. This interpretation has merit, as the following verses speak about the priests offering inferior offerings. Also, isn’t it human nature to find someone else to blame? I can’t do what God has called me to do because the people aren’t giving enough! I have to disobey the call of God because the people are too stupid and too cheap to support my ministry! The way many preachers speak, they make it sound as if it’s always the people’s fault if something is not getting done, doesn’t it?
Another way of looking at this verse is that by your actions, you show how little you care for the things of God. You don’t care how quickly your rituals are done, or how sloppily.
We are all guilty of going through the motions. How many times do we read the word, just to say that we’ve read our three chapters for the day? Do we even remember one verse that we have just read? Or how many of us watch the clock closely, waiting for that exact minute when that exact hour of prayer is up? Or during that sermon, when the pastor is clearly anointed and the Holy Spirit is trying to touch your heart, but all you can think of is how hungry you are, and just can’t quite decide where to go to eat after the service! We do these things sometimes because the service is really dead as a graveyard. If most of your church services are like that, then why are you there? But if that is not the case, it is usually because the cares of this world are winning the battle for control of your soul.
Either way, these priests have an attitude problem. The things of God are of no value in their hearts. They were still there in body, but their hearts had departed the temple long ago.
Mal 1:8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice (zaw-bakh or zabach), is it not evil (rah – morally bad, wicked)? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil (rah)? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person (paw-neem – the face)? saith the LORD of hosts.
The word paw-neem carries the thought of meeting someone face to face. Blemished animals were prohibited as sacrifice, according to verses such as Lev 22:22-24 and Dt 15:21.
If you take this verse by itself, as some unscrupulous preachers may try to do, in order to drum up larger offerings, it sounds like God is indicting the general populace as to the quality of their offerings. But let us not forget that this entire chapter is speaking to the priests of the Lord, as noted in verse six. Do not let greedy charlatans try and misapply verses such as this to the wrong crowd!
As long as we fully understand that this entire chapter, and indeed most of the book, is a rebuke to God’s spiritual leaders, then there is nothing wrong in applying any underlying spiritual truths to our own lives as well, especially if the shoe fits.
The verse is straightforward. The priests were taking the worst of the offerings, and offering them to God, keeping the best for themselves. God calls it wicked. He then goes on to say rhetorically that you would never think of doing the same thing if you were entertaining an important political personage. Therefore, by your actions you have far more respect and fear of man than of God. Essentially, this is an act of pure unbelief. The important person that you can see, you fear far more than the God whom you cannot see. You scrupulously care what your governor thinks of you, but you could care less what God thinks of you. Is it any wonder that God is upset? When we get to chapter two, we will find out how truly upset he really is.
God is singling out his shepherds because they provide the example for the flock. If the shepherd does not fear God, but fears man, then how is the congregation going to rise above that immoral example? Not only are you condemning your own soul, but you are leading other souls into error and eventual perdition yourself. James warns these leaders of the seriousness of this sort of folly:
Jas 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation (kree-mah – judgment, verdict, damnation).
To be faithful to the text, the priests are not said to be giving their absolute worst to God, but by giving that which is obviously defective and clearly prohibited by the law, they are in wilful disobedience. Whether or not they had even worse to offer is not the point. The point is that they were choosing to ignore the clear command of God, and do what was right in their own eyes. And doing a deed such that they would never even dream of doing to their human ruler, thus doubly damning themselves.
This indictment concerns offerings. We could now go into a detailed examination of the concept of tithing, but we will deal with that subject matter in a later chapter, where it is specifically mentioned. Let us stick to the concept of righteous giving. And let us not limit ourselves to our money. The Jews had a very specific law to follow. Over the centuries, the priests and scribes, then the rabbis and the Pharisees kept adding to that law. There was not much room for interpretation or free choice amongst the laity.
For the Christian, all of that is changed. Although we certainly are not exempt from any of the moral laws of God, being eternal and unchanging, Christ has completely fulfilled the sacrificial and ceremonial aspect of the law once and for all. As a result, the many specific laws regarding giving and sacrifice have been done away with in Christ. We have been given much more freedom than the Israelites ever had. For example, we are to offer a sacrifice of praise rather of rams and goats (Heb 13:15). Paul speaks of offering his service to the church as an offering and a sacrifice to the holy one (Phil 2:17). We offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice to our God (Rom 12:1).
The question that we need to ask ourselves is whether our particular sacrifice that we are offering is wholly acceptable unto God? When we praise and worship, when we perform a service to our fellow brethren, or when we attempt to deny some sinful indulgence that our body craves, are we offering up a sacrifice that is whole, spotless, and unblemished? Or is it a weak, lame, or sick offering? Are we half hearted or whole hearted in the performance thereof? Is our praise and worship weak and sickly? Do we grudgingly go and do some menial task in the church, or for a brother or sister, solely because we promised and don’t want to look bad in front of others, or with genuine sincerity, as if serving the Lord? I am certain all of us offer the weak and the lame and the blind sacrifice from time to time in our lives. They key is to recognize it when it occurs, to pursue repentance, and to ask the Lord for help in transforming our attitude going forward.
Mal 1:9 And now, I pray you, beseech God (el) that he will be gracious (khaw-nan – to stoop in kindness or bestow favor) unto us: this hath been by your means (yawd – hand): will he regard your persons (paw-neem – face)? saith the LORD (Yehovah) of hosts.
Sometimes my wife accuses me of having a sense of humor that is too cutting, or sarcastic. I love the fact that there are verses such as this in the bible where God uses a severe form of irony and sarcasm in order to drive his point home!
After God has stated the fact that they would never serve their worst to their secular ruler, he then challenges them to have the audacity to ask El (not Yehovah) to bless their persons and give them his stamp of approval over what they have just done. Note how God uses the generic term El instead of Yehovah, as El refers to the most high one, or the mightiest deity, but can also refer to any so called god. You are treating Yahweh like any old El, where the pagan may think he can get away with any kind of offering, since there are so many gods out there that an inferior offering will hardly be noticed. God is being very sarcastic. He mocks them. The Hebrew can be rendered as ‘If you think you’re without sin, then demand of the most high his unconditional blessing on your actions. This has always been the way you have stretched out your hand, assuming that Yehovah will approve of you, even face to face.
Oh, if we could only catch the spirit of what is really being said here! We assume and presume, engaging in declaring inanities and making ridiculous demands, all the while labelling what we are doing, prayer! We claim God said this and God said that, when the fact of the matter is that we are imagining so much, and making things up as we go along. If we are truly honest with ourselves, how many times have we claimed that, God said this, or, God said that, and it turned out that he said no such thing? How many times have we heard others say things we immediately knew in our hearts that God said no such thing? We are so bold to publicly declare any and every outlandish thing that our heart has conjured, hoping that God will go along with our carnal desires. How many of us are equally quick to publicly repent, and admit to others when we have missed it, and acted presumptuously?
What I see in this verse is the need for an attitude adjustment. We call our behavior confidence and faith, God may be calling it cocky and presumptuous. We think we are being bold, God says look to my word. These priests knew that what they were offering was clearly wrong, but they had found a way to rationalize their disobedience in their own minds. They feared the governor, but not God. They even then presumed that they could ask God to bless their disobedience!
God calls all such behavior evil.
Mal 1:10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought (khin-nawm – devoid of cost, for nothing). I have no pleasure (khay-fets – desire, value) in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering (min-khaw) at your hand.
These priests’ stinginess and miserly conduct did not stop at money. No, they would not even give the smallest service without being paid for it. God is saying that there is none among you that even wants to open and close the doors of the temple to start or end the day without being compensated for it. None of you even wants to kindle the fire on my altar unless there is something in it for them.
God says that not only does he have no pleasure in such a servant, but that he finds no value, or worth, in them. In other words, they are worthless servants. Such people God rejects. Whether they are making an offering, animal or otherwise, or offering a prayer, God pays them no heed. Let us see the fate of these kinds of servants of the Lord, according to Jesus:
Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Mat 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Mat 24:49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luk 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Luk 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Luk 13:26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
Luk 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Luk 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
Strong parables. Strong words. Somehow we always think this applies to the other guy, never to us.
Let us examine our own hearts. Is there any meanness of spirit, such as these priests exhibited? Do we begrudge the demands our Lord makes upon us? Are we always worrying what’s in it for us? Maybe we never give, unless there’s a tax receipt that goes along with it? That is a whole can of worms right there! I know that the Lord has been dealing with me in that area. How easy is it to rationalize away the prompting of the spirit, when he wants us to give somewhere where there is no tax break. We hesitate and reason within ourselves that that would be poor stewardship, as isn’t it better to have the government give us a portion of our offering back, so that we have more to give? Funny, though, how that almost never translates into greater giving, only a greater refund!
Mal 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen (goy), saith the LORD of hosts.
When God vows a vow, there is no danger of it ever being broken. If you, the people of God, and especially you priests, the leaders of God’s people, won’t glorify me, don’t you think that I won’t find a way to glorify my name in all the earth! From one end of the earth to the other, there is coming a day when my name will be known by every man, woman, and child. Of course this prefigures the sending forth of the gospel to all corners of the earth. Whether or not the gospel has indeed gone to every corner up until now is neither here nor there. The fact is that the name of the Lord will one day reign supreme over this fallen, sin sick planet of ours. Israel was to be that nation that would manifest the glory of God to the Gentiles. Since they failed in that task, God has grafted in the Gentiles into the family of God to take over and complete that task. Ultimately, it will take the return of Jesus himself to fulfill this promise in its absolute fullness.
Mal 1:12 But ye have profaned (khaw-lal – defile, pollute) it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted (gaw-al – desecrated, something to be repudiated); and the fruit thereof, even his meat (food), is contemptible (baw-zaw – vile).
These shepherds may not have voiced these exact words, but their actions betrayed what they were really thinking. They profaned God’s name, or his holy character. How? By their whole manner of worship. Their hearts were not in it. Not only were the physical sacrifices unacceptable due to their imperfections, but the attitude of these shepherds was unacceptable as well. In their hearts, they despised the whole business. They believed that the people were giving only their leftovers, and they despised those offerings. As a result, they ended up giving God their leftovers, the things that they didn’t want. It was a vicious circle. The priests were corrupt. Their attitude affected the congregation, causing them to be slack in their service. This in turn enraged the priests still further, and soured their attitude more and more. In the end, they viewed their ministry not with reverence, awe, and gratitude, but with disdain, sarcasm, and contempt. They had become dead inside. God saw it all. He knew exactly what was going on in their hearts.
Mal 1:13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness (mat-tel-aw-aw tel-aw-aw – trouble, distress) is it! and ye have snuffed (puffed at, disesteem) at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn (plucked away by violence, robbed), and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering (min-khaw): should I accept (be pleased with, as to satisfy a debt) this of your hand? saith the LORD.
Two closely related words are used for weariness. You can feel the angst of the priest, full of self pity, telling us what trouble, trouble, or weariness, weariness, it is to serve God! What a terrible lot has been handed to me! In their minds, God should be grateful that he is getting any sort of offering at all, even if it was torn, or sick, or lame. God then asks them if they really believe that he is okay with this sort of behavior?
Is our Christianity so lifeless that we think God should be doing cartwheels when we offer him the bare minimum in service? If we show up to a meeting, or throw five dollars in the offering plate? If we actually made a guest appearance in our prayer closet to say hello, and not much more?
What we are talking about here is the attitude of the heart. Your actions will always ultimately reflect what is going on in the inside. Perhaps life has gotten you down. It may have been a long time since you believe God has answered a specific prayer of yours. Maybe you have been struggling with something for many years. Perhaps it’s a disability, or poverty, or a mean husband, or horrible kids. Maybe you have a boss that hates you, or a family that mocks your faith. Perhaps you have cried yourself to sleep on many a night.
Has your heart hardened? Has it grown cold? While not trying to minimize your grief, you must come to terms with your lot in life. Many are the saints who have had to travel a long and dangerous road. Many are the souls who have had to plod along in bewilderment and confusion. Our challenge is to find some way to accept the path that the Lord has laid out for us, whether for good, or whether for evil. The words of Peter come to mind:
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Mal 1:14 But cursed (aw-rar – to bitterly exorciate) be the deceiver (naw-kal – the treacherous one), which hath in his flock a male, and voweth (naw-dar – promises), and sacrificeth (zaw-bakh) unto the Lord a corrupt thing (shaw-khath – ruinous, decayed): for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful (yaw-ray – terrible, frightful) among the heathen (goy).
This verse reminds me of something in Corinthians:
2Co 8:12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
We cannot give what we don’t have. In the 80’s, I attended a church where the congregation was actually coerced and pressured into taking out second mortgages on their homes, in order to finance their lavish new auditorium that the pastor had demanded of his flock. Such criminality occurred in those days, it is little wonder that God is destroying so much of the visible church in the west, being the fornicating whore that it was.
Remember that God is still talking to his priests, or his pastors, if you will. He pronounces a curse on them! Wait a minute, I thought that this is impossible! That we were redeemed from the curse of the law! But this is so old testament, you say.
Is the word of God the same yesterday, today, and forever, or is it not? The only curse you have been redeemed from is trying to be justified, or made right before God, by obeying all the words of the law. That does not mean that all of the law is now defunct. How can any prohibition against doing evil ever be defunct? Are you nuts?
God did not feel that he had to continually repeat himself in the new testament. What is contained therein is mostly new revelation, hidden from the foundation of the world until the fulness of time. While Christ has fulfilled certain aspects of the law, the law itself is holy, and righteous, and good. Obedience brings blessing. Disobedience brings the curse. If it makes you feel any better, you are opening the door to the devil when you disobey God. That is a curse in anyone’s book, is it not?
God here is speaking to the priest who has an unblemished male animal, perfectly acceptable for sacrifice, but pretends that he has none, so that he can get away with a cheap offering. God says that this is the height of presumptuousness, thinking that somehow you can fool God with your deceit! In what universe do you think that God does not see all? Really, the man that does this has no fear of God at all, but rather only fears man. He wants to look good in front of his peers. He makes sure everyone knows that this is the best that he’s got, when in fact he has kept the best back for himself.
At the core of all sin is selfishness. You are thinking of yourself before you are thinking of God, or anyone else. If you offer God a corrupt thing, such as false worship from a treacherous, deceitful heart, you are placing yourself under a terrible curse. You have truly broken the third commandment, taking the name of the Lord in vain by profaning it with your actions. Do you not realize that you are dealing with the king of kings? You are not defrauding some petty potentate, you are trying to deceive the judge of all the earth! Can you behave any more self destructively than that?
God ends this chapter by reminding us that his name, the one true God, is dreadful, or truly frightful, among the Gentiles. Even the pagan generally fears God, as evidenced by the rituals and sacrifices that he offers to his gods. Some by conscience instinctively realize that there is a supreme judge of the universe, and fear the day when they must stand before him.
Yet these stubborn, ungrateful Jews, who should know far more about God than any other nation, have utterly abandoned the fear of God. Kind of sounds familiar, does it not?
We have now reached the end of chapter one. A chapter of rebuke, reproach, and rejection of God regarding his own people’s spiritual leadership. The Jews had lost their temple once already, yet hardly a century later, and their hearts have seemed to be lost once again. They may not have succumbed to the open apostasy and idol worship of their ancestors, but their hearts were well on their way in departing from the living God.
Just because you may not have apostatized, does not necessarily mean that all is well. Only you know the state of your heart. And even that is not true, as only the Lord knows what is really inside of us. If the actions of these shepherds of God’s flock in any way remind you of some things you have done, or some attitude you may hold, I urge you to shoob – to turn away from your lukewarmness, and to shoob – to turn toward your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, soul and body while there is still time to do so.
Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/
Photos courtesy Depositphotos
