A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a FATHER, where is Mine Honour? and if I be a master, where is My Fear?
saith THE LORD of Hosts unto you,
O Priests, that despise My Name.
And ye say, Wherein have we despised Thy Name? *MALACHI 1:6
Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine Altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted THEE? In that ye say, The Table of THE LORD is contemptible. *MALACHI 1:7
And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?
and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?
offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith THE LORD of Hosts. *MALACHI 1:8
And now, I pray you, beseech The Face of GOD that HE will be gracious unto us: this hath been [done by your hands] by your means:
Will HE regard your persons?
[ Will HE lift up your faces to HIM ?]
saith the LORD of Hosts.
*MALACHI 1:9
[ Words in brackets were taken from the literal translation of the Hebrew by Dr. John Joseph Owens, Analytical Key to the Old TESTMENT, Vol 4, Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989, p.933, Malachi 1:9 ]. In THIS verse, the Italicized words were not taken from Dr. Owens, but were added for clarity by the writer of this article. ]
Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? Neither do ye kindle fire on Mine Altar for nought.
I have no pleasure in you, saith THE LORD of Hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. *MALACHI 1:10
[ THAT IS: “ Who, moreover, (would that one WERE among you !), let him shut the doors and not cause to light My Altar for no purpose, (in vain); there is not to ME pleasure in you all, said :YAHWEH OF HOSTS, and an offering I will not accept from your hand. “… adapted from Dr. John Joseph Owens, Analytical Key to the Old TESTMENT, Vol 4, Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989, p.933, Malachi 1:10 ]. In THIS verse, the italicized words are directly from the literal translation of Dr. Owens.]
For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, My Name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My Name, and a pure offering:
for My Name shall be great among the heathen,
saith THE LORD of Hosts.
*MALACHI 1:11
But ye have profaned HIM***,
in that ye say, The Table of THE LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even HIS Meat, is contemptible. *MALACHI 1:12
*** Please Note: There is NO “it” in the Hebrew language; there is only he/ she or him/her, depending on the grammatical gender indicated, usually in the suffixes. In this particular verse, the Hebrew word is literally HIM, ( not a suffix attached to a word) with the direct object indicator added as a prefix:
אֹותֹֹ֗ו
Ye said also,
Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at HIM***,
saith THE LORD of Hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering:
should I accept this of your hand?
saith THE LORD. *MALACHI 1:13
But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male,
and voweth,and sacrificeth unto THE LORD
a corrupt thing:
for I am a Great KING,
saith THE LORD of Hosts,
and My Name is dreadful among the heathen.* MALACHI 1:14
*The prophet Malachi, the last recorded Prophet of the First Covenant, prophesied correction to the wayward People of GOD during the post-exiled period. The Jews were permitted to return to the Holy Land by the Babylonian king and were allowed to rebuild the Temple. However, their offerings in the Temple did NOT please THE LORD.
Blemished, corrupted , impure, and defiled --- that is how THE LORD GOD evaluated the “sacrificial” animals the Priests of Malachi’s day offered to HIM. The blind, lame, sickly, and even stolen animals had been offered on the Altar of GOD.
How , then, would HE evaluate
the men who OFFERED such defiled “sacrifices?”
+ + +
The PRIMARY sin: Corrupt Offerings break the TYPE , the PATTERN, the IDENTITY that The LORD was establishing of The Coming MESSIAH+… HIS pure SON+ Who+ had no unrighteousness in HIM+.
In all the requirements of the LAW of Moses, The LORD GOD set the Pattern, the TYPE, of an unblemished Sacrifice for the purpose of POINTING HIS People to The unblemished LAMB+ of GOD Who+ taketh away the sin of the world… Whose+ Blood was much more precious than that of a bull or goat. [See HEBREWS 9:13-14]
NOW, take a minute to NOTE THIS WELL: When we “break the TYPE, or break the PATTERN” which identifies the Character of The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, it is called SIN. Everything which defiles before the eyes of man the True Character of GOD WHO made us in HIS Image is defined as SIN with serious, eternal consequences. HE wants HIS People to reflect to the world WHO HE IS. Whether in the Old Testament or New, this principle is what “makes” a thought, word, or behavior to be SIN.
THE LORD says: “ Offer these blemished animals as a gift to your governor. Will he be pleased with YOU ?” MALACHI 1:8
NO , indeed !
Instead, your governor will seek vengeance of you
for thinking him to be a fool !
+ + +
And HE shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver: and HE shall purify the SONS of LEVI, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto THE LORD an offering in righteousness. MALACHI 3:3
+ + +
From the SONS of LEVI, through Aaron, came the appointed Priests of THE LORD , doing Priestly service of offering the Sacrifices in the Temple.
WHO are the “Priests of THE LORD” nowadays,
while there are no Temple Services?
THE LORD allowed the destruction of the last Temple around 70 AD.
Those who follow The LAMB+ wherever HE+ goes REVELATION 14:4, those who are “NEW CREATURES in CHRIST” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 … these are the NEW Priesthood, yes ?
Ye also, as Lively Stones, are built up a Spiritual House,
AN HOLY PRIESTHOOD, to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices,
acceptable to GOD through *GK: διὰ JESUS CHRIST.
1 PETER 2:5
“NEW CREATURES in CHRIST” make Spiritual sacrifices in the NEW Temple of GOD, which The LORD JESUS established: Our Consecrated-to-The-LORD Body.
WHAT ? Know ye not ?
that your BODY is the Temple of the HOLY SPIRIT
which is in you, which ye have of GOD, and ye are not your own? 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of GOD, and that the SPIRIT of GOD dwelleth in you? 1 CORINTHIANS 3:16
If any man defile the Temple of GOD,
him shall GOD destroy; for the Temple of GOD is HOLY,
which temple ye are. 1 CORINTHIANS 3:17
+ + +
What are our OFFERINGS unto The LORD in this “NEW” Temple ?
What KIND of offerings do we, as Priests, put upon The Altar for The LORD ?
The LORD JESUS CHRIST was
the SUPREME, ETERNAL offering for us ALL,
WHO+ washed us from our sins by HIS+ own Blood.
REVELATION 1:5
So…. what is left, that WE are required to put on the Altar ?
We offer Sacrifices WITH Joy !
Now then, our acceptable Sacrifices are Commitment, Consecration, and Companionship with CHRIST JESUS at all times and in all seasons.
Yes, we offer the Sacrifice of Praise with Joy… when we feel like it, when things are going good and working out for our pleasure.
HOWEVER… Are we “offering Praises with confidant Joy” during those HARD times ? Do we affirm HIS+ LORDSHIP with Joy and embrace HIS+ WILL without complaint ?
Now then, let us “new” Priests consider another area of “our” required Temple Sacrifices, which JESUS consistently practiced:
Rising for PRAYER and QUIET TIME
Think: Where does our energy come from ? Our Food, naturally.
We MUST eat the same food daily which HE+ ate.
What HE+ ate while by the well in Samaria was HIS+ Meat every day.
Being weary with HIS+ journey, JESUS sat thus on the well.JOHN 4:6 Later, HIS+ Disciples brought food for HIM+, urging HIM+ to eat. JESUS said to them:
“I+ have meat to eat that ye know not of.” JOHN 4:32
“My+ MEAT is to do the WILL of HIM that sent ME+,
and to finish HIS Work.” JOHN 4:34
HIS+ FOOD: Doing The WILL of GOD His+ FATHER.
DAILY, we must eat the SAME food our LORD JESUS ate.
+ + +
What are we New Priests OFFERING to The LORD in “our” Temple Sacrifices? Are we “sleeping in” every chance we have ?
I beseech you therefore, Brethren, by the Mercies of GOD,
that ye present your bodies a Living Sacrifice,
Holy, Acceptable unto GOD,
which is your reasonable service. ROMANS 12:1
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the Renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, WILL of God. ROMANS 12:2
[NOTE: WILL is singular, not plural. There are NOT “three” wills of GOD presented here for our choosing. HIS WILL is Good, Acceptable, and PERFECT ! ]
Do we say, “ I love YOU+, JESUS “ … and then do our OWN will ?
Do we sing, “ I praise YOU, Heavenly FATHER” … and then ignore HIS express WILL to be like HIS Beloved SON+ JESUS ?
Do we follow The GOOD SHEPHERD+ … but turn away from the Still Waters where HE+ leads us and refreshes our soul ? There is NO OTHER place to go to “renew our mind” and access the Mind of CHRIST.
Do we forsake HIS+ menu, and instead, dine on “many good activities” … which distract us from HIS+ Stillness and keep us in a perpetual state of agitation…
. . . SO THAT WE CANNOT ASCERTAIN HIS+ WILL in daily situations ?
What does The LORD think about those “many good activities” which we do in HIS+ Name ,
forsaking the Stillness that is ESSENTIAL in order to find HIS+ Will …
that Divine, Holy WILL which is HIS+ Priority for our daily life ?
Let’s read what HE+ thinks:
Not every one that saith unto ME+, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the WILL of My+ FATHER which is in Heaven. MATTHEW 7:21
Many will say to ME+ in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? and in Thy Name done many wonderful works? MATTHEW 7:22
And then will I+ profess unto them, I+ never knew you:
depart from ME+, ye that work iniquity.
MATTHEW 7:23
Thus, is our DAILY offering AS BLEMISHED AS IN THE DAY OF MALACHI ?
Is our “Sacrifice of Praise” empty because we are NOT still enough to SET OUR PRIORITIES to seek HIS+ WILL ?
Are we DETERMINED to seek the Heart of JESUS ?
Have our Temple Sacrifices to The LORD of Time, of Priorities, become such “lame, weak, sickly, blind animals” that we could not even honestly sell them at market price to the un-Redeemed public ?
[ Unless we lie, of course, pretending they are “pure” … stealing their money which they have invested in our blemished livestock ? Even the secular government would arrest us for fraud. ]
Do we treat our Heavenly FATHER, our LORD JESUS CHRIST, with such fraudulent daily sacrifices while our hearts are SET on accomplishing our OWN Will ?
HE that planted the ear, shall HE not hear?
HE that formed the eye, shall HE not see? PSALM 94:9
Be not deceived; GOD is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap.
GALATIANS 6:7
Let us hasten to REPENT, dear Brethren in CHRIST.
Let our daily prayer be: “LORD JESUS, save me from my SELF. “
+ + +
And now, O LORD, we present unto THEE+
our Self, our Soul, and our Body,
to be a Holy and Living Sacrifice unto THEE+,
which is our Reasonable Service.
