Listening in shell-shocked silence, the people glanced at one another in question. The prophet must finally have gone round the bend. His words made no sense. They hadn’t disrespected God. They weren’t dishonoring Him. Not really. They were still doing all the things. Attending church. Bringing sacrifices. Offering food. So maybe it wasn’t always new food. Maybe the bread didn’t have the right oil or flour in it. Maybe the animals were just whichever one they could catch the quickest after oversleeping that morning. But they still came. They still brought stuff. They were still adhering to the basic rules. So what if they had made a few alterations? Did it really matter? Did it give Malachi the right to sit there in his pomposity and accuse them of treating God with contempt? They weren’t, but even if they were, God sort of started it. (Malachi 1)
For decades, prophets had been telling them God was sending a rescue. For them. Preparing to bring them out of captivity. Planning to send a Messiah. A Redeemer. A King. He would be breathtaking in power and authority. Stepping onto the world scene, He would vanquish their enemies and establish a kingdom that could never be overthrown. His kingdom. Over them. They would be His people. His special people. Treasured. Precious. Beloved. They would live in comfort and ease. Their hands would no longer be calloused and workworn. The labors of life would be done by the neighboring people. People, their Messiah had conquered. People who weren’t them. When their King came, he would reign and they would reign with him. They absolutely could not wait for that glorious day! (Isaiah 9:6; 53; Psalm 2; Zechariah 9:9; II Samuel 7:10-13)
They were still waiting. Had been waiting. Released from captivity in Babylon, they had been home for a while. A long while. Long enough to rebuild the temple. Rebuild their homes. Rebuild their lives. Long enough, they expected the Messiah to have already appeared. He hadn’t. Neither had the comfortable lifestyle they believed He would bring. In the waiting, discouragement had filled the anticipatory spaces of their hearts. Disillusioned by their own expectations and the silent passage of their fabricated timetable, they began to question if it was worth it. Was it worth all the meticulous adherence to the laws of Moses? Did they even still apply in this new era? And how could God, with all the love He claimed He had for them, expect them to give Him their best when He clearly wasn’t giving them the best He could?
Rubber met road there. In that human, mental space where a God of love should have come through for His people, the way He promised, yet had failed to perform. At least up until now. Maybe things would change in the next weeks or months or years, but it wasn’t looking like it. Their hope that the words of past prophets would be fulfilled had long since dissipated in the years of nothing. Because their expectations hadn’t been met, it was determined God didn’t love them. Their coffers weren’t full. Their barns weren’t bursting. Their tables weren’t overladen with goodness. Life wasn’t easy. If God loved them, He would prosper them. By their measure, He hadn’t. So clearly, He didn’t. They couldn’t see His hand and chose not to trust His heart.
What they could see, what was so plain before their eyes, was the prosperity of the wicked. Evil seemed to flourish. Everywhere. Wealth fell on those who chose to follow their own desires. Blessings poured out on those who were arrogant against God. Whatever they were doing, it certainly seemed to be working. And, where the Israelites might not have been excited about completely abandoning God and all His ways, they were at least open to altering His commands. That’s how they ended up in this space in the first place. Right here, listening to Malachi not only rebuke their actions, but openly call out the thoughts and intentions of their hearts.
In frustration and an attempt to force God’s hand, the people had turned from obeying His commands. They hadn’t abandoned the practices, just modified them. Made them more palatable for their lifestyle, more comfortable in society. Yes, they still offered sacrifices, but they weren’t the best of the flock. Now they were mercy killings. Gracious ending of lives for animals living with disease or lameness. Their food offerings were not of the finest flour and oil. It wasn’t always even new bread. But one mustn’t waste, right? So grab the oldest bread, the lamest lamb, and hustle up to the temple. Any sacrifice is better than no sacrifice. And God, being a God of unfailing love, will overlook our disobedience and happily accept whatever we give Him, right? (Malachi 2-3)
No, actually. God is not in such a position as to be forced to accept your sloppy seconds. He is not desperate for any morsel of attention you deign to give Him. God asks for your best. Demands it. Expects it. There can be no substitutions, no half measures, no alterations. To offer God less than your best is to show flagrant disrespect for His sovereignty over the universe and His authority over the world. When we cheapen our sacrifices, we dishonor His name. The name that is above every name. The powerful name that makes demons tremble. The name before which every knee will one day bow. People then. People now. You. Me. We will all bow before Him. And we will give an account. For everything. Every sacrifice. Proper or not. (Romans 14:12; James 2:19; Philippians 2:9-11; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Colossians 1:18; Psalm 103:19; Matthew 28:18)
Living beyond the day of sacrificial animals and offerings of wheat and oil, it is easy to read the words of Malachi and think they don’t apply to us. Perhaps we should look again. We really aren’t so different. We are guilty of looking around, seeing the prosperity of the wicked, and wondering if all the sacrifices we make to follow God are really worth it. What earthly advancement are we gaining from our honesty and morality that makes it worth holding God’s exacting standard? What are we gaining by pouring ourselves into God’s work when that same time could be spent building our own fame and fortune? What difference does it make if we spend 3 minutes rather than 30 in prayer? What is truly hurt when we alter the commands of God to better suit our schedules, our society, ourselves? Based on the truth that God’s love never ends, we have convinced ourselves that God is desperate enough to take any scraps of ourselves we throw at His feet in passing and be grateful to have them. It simply isn’t true.
God doesn’t need your praise, your promise, your prosperity. He owns everything. Always has. Everything you have belongs to Him. Life. Breath. Time. Talents. Wealth. It’s all His. Always has been. We treat it like it isn’t. Like it is ours. Like we brought ourselves to where we are, built our own wealth, brought about our own fame. We didn’t. God did. And we owe Him. For every gift God has given us, we should be offering a portion back to Him. Not just monetarily. Although necessary and good, we need to sacrifice more of ourselves than simply writing a check or making an online donation. We need to sacrifice our time. Lay down the tablet, laptop, or cell phone. Turn off the television. Pick up the Bible. Dust it off, if necessary. Spend time reading and studying, and contemplating what God has to say to you. Pray. Really talk to God. Have a conversation. Listen to His voice. In the busyness of your life, make time to take time to spend time in the presence of God. Stay for as long as it takes to draw close to Him. Find yourself in a place to sacrifice your talents to Him. Get that instrument out of the closet, dust it off, and join the praise band. Find your way to the choir loft. Fill a spot in the children’s ministry. Help with the sound team, the tech team, the website. Be a janitor, a landscaper, a snow shoveler. Just don’t be a bystander. Don’t be so busy that church is simply another box to check on your to-do list. Be active for God in every part of your life. Sacrifice yourself. All of yourself. It is the only acceptable sacrifice, the ultimate act of worship. A sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord your God. (Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15-16; Colossians 3:17; I Samuel 15:22; Leviticus 1:9; Matthew 6:33; Psalm 46:10, 50:7-14; John 1:3)