The pastor preached from Malachi

As I mentioned in my last post, Mary went to church last Sunday. When she got home I asked her, “What did the pastor preach on?” She said he preached from Malachi 2:10-17. So, using the Bible on my Nook Color, I turned to this passage and read it out loud and Mary shared a little about what the pastor said about this. As I read it this is what struck me.

2:13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

Later, I re-read the entire book. This is not the first or only time God told them He would not regard or receive their offerings or worship. If you think about it, this is a hard word. Imagine if at the end of your church service someone stood up and said, “The Lord just told me, ‘Your worship is not acceptable or pleasing to me.’”

As you read the book it is easy to see that things were not going well in Judah. They could tell they were not being blessed by God as they should have been. In 3:11 we read, And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. This was serious.

God had told the Jew many times what to do when they were not experiencing the blessings of God – they were to seek Him. In Joel we read, Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God and Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? All this was in the back of my mind and

So, my first thought was: They are doing exactly what God had instructed them to do in just such a situation. Yet He says, he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. This is scary. You do what God tells you to do and His response is, “This is not acceptable.”

Why is this?

Read the rest of this prophecy. Here is a brief summary of the issues God had with them:

Their sacrifices and attitude toward God’s worship 1:7-8, 12-14
The priests were corrupt 2:1-9
The family was falling apart – rampant divorce 2:10-17
Their giving 3:8-12

Or, as He sums it up in 3:5
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

They thought if they followed the proper form they could have God’s blessings - no matter how they lived. And God said, “Nope. No way.” What did God want? He wanted repentance. A change of mind and heart. A change of heart that showed up in how they lived. A synonym for repentance in the prophets is “return unto me.” It is even found in Malachi 3:7 Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. And God was gracious to point out to them the areas they needed to address. Yes, pray and weep. But also fix those areas that are broken. Put yourself in a position to be blessed.

This is Old Testament, right? Today, don’t we just say have to say, “Sorry, sorry, sorry” and God is obligated to bless us? I mean, if we have to change the way we live that’s salvation by works, right?

This is a tough question. This was spoken to God’s people, the Jews. It’s like a word to the church. I’m afraid that too often we tell Christians, “It doesn’t matter how you live or what you are doing, come just as you are and worship the Lord and everything will be OK.” But God says, “No. Pray, seek God, worship – Yes – but start working on those areas that are broken.” We have to put ourselves in a position to be blessed. I mean, how can God bless me when there is known sin in my life?

We are all probably familiar with that wonderful verse in Isaiah: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Amen. But let us not forget that the very next verse says, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

But back to the question, Is this just Old Testament? No. John preached: Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance. And so did Paul: repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. And Jesus counseled the church in Ephesus, Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works. This seems to be a principle with God. You don’t have to fix everything before you come to Him but there must be repentance – a change of heart about the way you have been living, a repentance that moves you to call upon the Lord and that motivates you to turn away from sin.

I can still remember when we used to go on Lay Witness Missions. One time a young man had heard the teaching and remained afterward to talk with the speaker. The speaker explained the Gospel and then asked the young man if he wanted to accept Christ. The fellow said, No. When asked why he explained, “If I do that I’m gonna have to change the way I live and I’m not ready to do that.”

That’s what I thought about when I read this passage. A sobering word of God.