We all love a good courtroom scene. Movies like The Rainmaker or Runaway Jury, and books like To Kill a Mockingbird, are popular because we enjoy the drama of a good courtroom scene where there’s the defendant, a jury, a judge, the prosecuting attorney, and of course the audience that sits in the back.
Let’s pretend you and I are in the audience of a court case as we read a passage from the book of Malachi. Israel has left their Godly ways. They aren’t following God like they should have. God’s going to try their case in front of us.
The accusation is stated in Malachi 1:6 when God points out the problem, “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if 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?’”.
Next God presents the evidence in Malachi 1:7-13 about how the priests and the people are not honoring God the way they should.
When God points out His evidence against Israel He lists the actions they were doing that were violating His name and holiness (Malachi 3:7-8). They were “presenting defiled food upon [God’s] altar” (v. 7a), they were presenting “the blind for sacrifice” (v. 8a), and were giving “the lame and the sick” (v. 8b)
God also lists the attitudes the Israelites held about what they were doing and how those attitudes violated God’s name and holiness (Malachi 3:12-13). They profaned God’s name when they said, “the table of the Lord is defiled, and it’s food is to be despised” (v. 12b). They showed their laziness for the sacrifices saying, “My, how tiresome it is!” (v. 13a). And we learn about their apathy for the sacrifices when God says, “You disdainfully sniff at it” (v. 13b). When we read this we need to ask ourselves if God might have any evidence against us.
We need to ask ourselves if there are actions we’re doing that violate God’s name and His holiness. Are we spending more time scrolling on Facebook than we do reading God’s Word? Do we talk badly about other people, gossip about them, and put them down? Are we watching things that are harmful to us and to others such as r-rated movies, porn, or inappropriate reality shows that encourage sinful behavior rather than a sanctified life?
We also need to ask ourselves if we have any attitudes that violate God’s name and holiness. Are we apathetic about attending a church service? Would we rather stay home on a Sunday than be with God’s people singing in worship to Him and spending time with other believers? Are we lethargic about reading God’s Word? When we see a person from church call us do we feel annoyed that they are calling to bug us and ask for prayer?
While God lists the shortcomings of the Israelites, He also provides a way for Israel to be right with Him. God might be prosecutor, judge, and jury, but He is also loving and merciful. Here He gives them a way to get out of the trouble they are in. He provides a way for them to be “declared innocent” even though they are guilty.
God wants dedication from his people, not perfection. “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” (Malachi 1:9). Now in the middle of God’s evidence presentation, He gives them a chance to be set free from their charges. As the judge, prosecutor, and jury, He takes the defendant into the back court chambers into his private office. He sits Israel down and says, Look, if you just try to do what is right, all is okay. I know you haven’t been perfect in the past, and you aren’t going to be perfect in the future. But if you just start making that effort, everything will be okay. The sacrifice presupposes that they weren’t going to be perfect. That’s okay. God doesn’t expect them to be perfect, otherwise the sacrifice wouldn’t be needed. But that sacrifice does need to be perfect because a perfect sacrifice is evidence of our dedication to Him. God knows we aren’t going to be perfect, but He wants people that are dedicated to Him.
God wants no offering at all if it’s not with the right motives. “’Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘nor will I accept an offering from you’” (Malachi 1:10). This verse reminds us that God does not need our offerings. He is complete and sufficient without us. And He does not need us to worship Him. But He wants us to worship Him as a sign that we are committed to Him. Those offerings were a sign that the people were indebted to God for life and every blessing. Giving Him offerings was a way for them to acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness.
God wants dedication from a people even if it is not Israel. God says, “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations” (Malachi 1:11). Notice the “for” here at the beginning of the verse. What follows describes what God is going to do because of Israel’s repeated disobedience and disregard for God. This verse predicts a future time when Gentiles will see the light of God and become worshippers of God (this occurs in the book of Acts). Because at this time—in the Old Testament—God’s focus is on the nation of Israel as His nation He’s chosen to display His glory. But after hundreds of years of the nation of Israel rebelling against Him, He will eventually turn to the nations for proper worship.