MALACHI SERIES 3: GOD’S FIRST CHARGE OF SIN (1:6-2:9)

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES

II. GOD’S LOVE FOR JACOB (1:1-5)

III. GOD’S FIRST CHARGE OF SIN (1:6-2:9)

I. INTRO Malachi now addresses the issue of

worship as seen in the offering of their sacrifices at the altar.

~ God charged the priests with failing to give Him the honor due to Him and failing to be good spiritual examples to the people. The temple was rebuilt under Ezra in

516 B.C., and worship was being conducted there but Israel and its religious leaders soon fell again into their sinful, rebellious ways.

~ The worship of God was longer stemmed from heartfelt adoration;

instead, it simply became a burdensome job and

routine for the priests.

~ When duty replaces devotion, human nature is such that it

seeks minimum steps, barely enough to meet an obligation. So in this section, God rebukes the

priests for their unacceptable worship.

~ This alone should tell us that not because we worship does it

mean that God is pleased with us.

~ Here we will see that our worship must match the Object of

our worship.

A. THE SIN OF THE PRIESTS (1:6-14)

B. THE CHASTENING OF THE PRIESTS (2:1-9)

A. THE SIN OF THE PRIESTS (1:6-14)

1. The Priests Present Defiled Offerings (vv. 6-8)

2. God Rejects Their Offerings (vv. 9-12)

3. The Priests Resent the Bringing of Offerings (v. 13)

4. God Pronounces a Curse on the Defilers (v. 14)

1. The Priests Present Defiled Offerings (vv. 6-8) Read Mal 1:6a.

The passage begins with a statement of the problem, which starts with two premises/principles.

The first concerns family relationships: children honoring their parents.

~ Ex 20:12

~ Honoring involves treating someone with respect, lifting them up, and

showing that they have worth. The second involves the relationship

between servants/slaves and masters.

~ Obedience to authority is expected, since it defines the relationship.

God then goes to the next step in His deductive reasoning.

~ God is indeed their “father” (e.g., Isa 63:16) and “master” (Deut 10:17).

~ But then He asks, “… where is My honor? … where is My

respect?” “Respect” refers to the emotional

response of reverence and awe produced by mighty acts of God (Isa 8:13; Mal 2:5).

And God is saying all this “to you, O priests who despise My name.”

~ Cf. Lk 6:46

~ He addresses the priests first because they ought to be leaders in devotion and reverence to the rest of the people, but they are, in fact, the first in despising His name! Instead of honor and respect, God is

despised; He is shown contempt (NIV) and treated lightly, not even worthy of notice.

Six times in this chapter the Lord refers to His name (vv. 6, 11, 14), which refers His character and His reputation.

~ How do we despise the Lord’s name? We show disrespect to His name by

questioning His love (vv. 1-5). We despise His name by doing His

work in a careless manner (vv. 7-11). We despise the Lord’s name when we

offer Him less than our best (vv. 12-14).