6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a 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 your name?’ 7By offering polluted food upon my altar.
But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord's table may be despised. 8When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.
9And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.
One of the things you may have noticed in this passage is that the
phrase, “Lord of hosts” is used
three times. In fact, in the whole first chapter of Malachi the phrase appears
eight times. This title for God is only ever explained, and even partially at
that in 1 Samuel 17:45, where David says to Goliath, ““You come to me with
sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of Yahweh Sabaoth the God of the armies of Israel.”[1] This
title of God is used frequently throughout the Old Testament and often times
refers to an entity that is greater and wholly other than simply the armies of
Israel. Some tentative explanations of the meaning of “hosts” include Yahweh as
a God of War, the commander of the heavenly armies, stars, or heavenly
counsels, or as “the ruler of all the powers in the world”[2].
Additional interpretations of this expression found in various English
translations are: “Lord Almighty”
(NIV), “The Lord of Heaven’s
Armies” (NLT), “The Lord of Hosts”
(NASB, Amplified, KJV, ESV).
Now, the use of the phrase, “Lord
of hosts” makes perfect sense when taken in the context of the rest of the
chapter and book. The first part, 1:2-5, spoke of God’s power and might and
glory in preserving Israel and thwarting Edom. He is a mighty King, and a
valiant warrior. Now God turns to accuse His own people of their blatant
disrespect. That it is the Lord of
hosts that says these things is a vivid reminder of just who it is the people
are insulting with their less than perfect offerings.
Now it might not make sense to us as to why God would care about what
kind of animals were brought to His altar. Leviticus 22:2 says, “‘Tell Aaron
and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites
consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 22:17-25 proceeds to
explain in detail what offerings were acceptable and just what was meant by
“without blemish.” Verse 25 ends by saying, “They will not be accepted on your
behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.” God had made it pretty
clear that imperfect animals were not to be used for sacrifices. After all, if
God is a great King with power and honor, why would you shame yourself by
presenting less than your best?
God drives this point home in Malachi 1:8. If the people would not give
an imperfect animal to their governor, why do they think they can give it to
God? The temple was not meant to be a convenient drop off point for unwanted
animals, like the local thrift store for unwearable and junky clothes (most of
which end up as rags, or sent overseas[3]).
The people have time and time again said that they would be faithful to God,
yet they consistently fall short. In the book of Malachi, you begin to get the
feeling that they aren’t even trying anymore.
As mentioned in the previous post, the people of God have a problem:
belief. They no longer believe the good about God, or the bad. They have
forgotten that this is the same God that sent them into exile for their insincere
worship and blatant disobedience. The have forgotten that this is the God that
is slow to anger and abounding in covenantal love. They have forgotten that God
never said that following Him and being faithful and obedient would be easy,
but that if they did, they would be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests –
that is, intercessors between the rest of human kind and God himself.
Have we forgotten this as well? God calls us to be His ambassadors and
representatives to a world that desperately needs to know Him and His good
promises for our futures in this life and the next. God calls us to be His
ministers, to intercede for others in prayer and petition and to bring people
into real encounters with a loving God who wants to see us fulfill the purposes
He set out for us before time began. Where do we offer God less than the best?
Is it in our time, finances, families, forgotten promises and vows? I write
this realizing that life is not black and white, there is more gray area there
than any of us would like to admit, so it is always messy. There is no
one-size-fits-all answer – except to pray and seek God’s will for our lives,
and that means our whole lives, every part of our lives, and not just the
little bit we are willing to offer when it is convenient. If we wouldn’t treat
the “governor” that way, why do we treat God that way?
[1]
G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, Heinz-Josef Fabry, eds., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament
(Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003) 12:214
[2]
Ibid, 220.
[3]This
is a fascinating article about just what happens to the clothes you take to your
thrift store. Might make you want to rethink that next Goodwill run, or you’re
your next shopping trip to get that blouse you just have to have. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/fashion/2012/06/the_salvation_army_and_goodwill_inside_the_places_your_clothes_go_when_you_donate_them_.html
Good application questions!
ReplyDelete