Thus far in the prophecy
from Malachi the Lord has told the people of Israel that He loves
them. They wondered how, so He gave them the example of choosing
Jacob over Esau. The Lord then told them they disrespected and
dishonored Him, but they wondered where? In chapter one and verse
seven, the Lord gives them an answer to their question where we read:
You offer polluted
bread upon mine altar; and you say, Wherein have we polluted you? In
that you say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
The
verse begins, “You offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and you
say, Wherein have we polluted you?” God told Israel where they
dishonored Him in that they “offer polluted” or “defiled
and desecrated” “bread” on His “altar”.
Though they were going through the motions of offering “bread”
sacrifices to the Lord, the “bread” they offered was
like moldy bread or inedible grain. Even though the Lord told them
this was where they were disregarding Him, still they wondered
“Wherein have we polluted you?”
The verse goes on to say, “In
that you say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.”
The Lord answered their question
with their words, “The table”
or “place of sacrifices” “of the LORD is
contemptible” which means
“despised, hold in contempt, or disdained”. Rather than
being a Holy table of the Lord, the people within Israel were saying
by their words and actions that the “Lord's table” wasn't valued
and precious. They were going through the motions of sacrifices, but
had no heart toward the sacrifices they made.
When we think through these
words brought by Malachi, we may be challenged to ask ourselves, “Are
we going through the motions when practicing the sacrifices to God?”
Has church attendance and activities become more mundane, routine,
and going through the motions? It is easy for us to stand in judgment
against the people of Israel, but have we treated the things of the
Lord with contempt as well? Perhaps these words will help us to know
the heart of the Lord as He beckons Israel to understand what He sees
in them, and when He discovers pollution within us, may we turn our
hearts and lives toward His Holy ways and never disdain our
relationship with Him.
Next
time God tells the Israelites about their poor sacrifices,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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