Ep. 216. Malachi 1-2 | Filthy Offerings

EPISODE 216

FILTHY OFFERINGS: MALACHI 1-2

The prophet Malachi poses a series of questions. He presents questions that God is asking of the Priests and questions that the Priests are asking of God.

God says, "I have loved you."

But the people respond, "How have you loved us?"

God asks, "If I am Father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is my fear? O priests, who despise my name."

But the people respond, "How have we despised your name?"

It is vital to the understanding of this short book that we understand God is having a conversation with rebellious priests. They are offering wicked sacrifices on the altar of the Lord in strict violation of the Law laid out in Leviticus. God is so repulsed by the wickedness of the priesthood he says, "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you. I will not accept an offering from your hand."

As we often do, we try to make Malachi a rebuke to the sinful people in the modern-day church. We switch out animal offerings for figurative offerings and ask those in the pews, "Are you offering to God profane offerings?" The message usually comes with an appeal for grief over sin, repentance, and a turning again to God. Look, I entirely agree that grief over sin is a good thing. I have some thoughts on repentance we should talk through sometime. But I certainly believe drawing near to God is a beautiful thing. Still, please don't lose sight of the context of Malachi, particularly when we roll into chapter two.

The opening line of the second chapter tells us that the intended audience is the priests who have rejected God. The word "covenant" is used six times in this short chapter. The faithlessness of the priests of God is in view. God is rebuking them for forsaking their covenant with him and joining themselves to the false gods and idols of the religions around them. But we tend to reduce this to a text on how God feels about divorce between a husband and wife, completely missing the grand intent of the discourse.

I'll never tire of teaching the importance of context. Indeed, wherever I find myself in conversations about Malachi, the context conversation will absolutely come up.

ADDITIONAL READINGS: Romans 9:13; 1 Corinthians 10:21; Ezekiel 16:24-33; Isaiah 5:20