COMMENTARY ON MALACHI
LESSON NUMBER 5
Mal 1:7 “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. 8 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 1:7-8)
OFFERING UNACCEPTABLE SACRIFICES
INTRODUCTION
God is doing through Malachi what He did earlier through Isaiah – reasoning with the people. Through Isaiah He said, “Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them. . . . Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa 1:14-18). When God reasons with men, He is the One who asks the questions – not men. His words are designed to confirm the state of those with whom He reasons, and to induce them to abandon their unacceptable ways. The true God is not merely trying to get people to give Him something, for He has need of nothing (Psa 50:12). Neither is He asking the wayward ones what they need from Him. Sin so dulls the human conscience that God cannot reason with men from that point of view. When men drift from the Lord, they lose the ability to think soundly. That is why it is so ludicrous for the ones withdrawing from God to image they can come to Him whenever they want. The longer they are away from the Lord, the less they want to return to Him. That is what sin does to a person. All the while their conscience is becoming more and more seared, and their heart is growing harder and harder. This is why God intervenes in the life of Israel, sending them His “prophets, rising up early and sending them” (Jer 25:3,4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4). In view of His great power, He will speak gently, but in view of their condition, He will speak with forthrightness and a certain sternness. Their condition justifies Him speaking in this manner to them, for anyone who draws back from God has ignored all kinds of warnings, stumbling stones, and inhibitions thrown into their path. They have thrust the Word from them, and steeled their hearts in matters pertaining to God. They have wandered into forbidden territory, and have chosen to ignore the pangs of their conscience. Now, God will deal with such a people.
THE OFFERING OF POLLUTED BREAD
Malachi 1:7 “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.”
It is written that “the Lord looketh upon the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Through Isaiah the Lord told Israel, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways” (Isa 55:8). Both “thoughts” and “ways” are unseen to the human eye – yet both are fully known to God. That is where His examination begins. Men look upon the appearance, and therefore might judge that people like Ananas and Sapphira have been generous, when actually they had lied to God, totally misrepresenting their gift (Acts 5:4). God will tell the people what they have really done.
YE OFFER POLLUTED BREAD UPON MINE ALTAR. First, it is important to note that God does not begin with what men give to, or do for, one another. He begins with their dealings with Him. This is in perfect keeping with the first and great commandment of the Law: “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37). When the conduct of men is faulty toward God Himself, it really makes no difference what else they do, or whether their works appear good or not.
“Polluted” means desecrated, defiled, or impure. This refers to God’s assessment of what was offered. It did not meet His requirements, or fulfil His commandment. In the case of an animal, it would refer to a spot or a blemish. In the case of bread, it would be lacking some essential ingredient, or be of substandard quality. Here, the word “bread” is not limited to baked grain. The word “bread” is also a generic word for all kinds of food. In fact, in this text, other versions read “food.” NKJV/NASB/NIV It does not appear that this is the “showbread” placed within the Tabernacle, for that bread was never offered on the altar. There were “wave offerings” of grain that were offered upon the altar (Num 5:25). There were also “meat offerings,” or “grain offerings,” NKJV presented with animal burnt offerings (Num 15:3-6). “One loaf of bread and one cake of oiled bread” were also offered on the altar in sin offerings, and consecration and peace offerings, also called “heave offerings” (Ex 29:22-28; Lev 9:4).
These “bread” offerings were made from the grains that were brought in by the people, and stored up for Tabernacle use (Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22; Neh 10:38-39; 12:44; 13:12). The Jews were required to being a tenth of all produce and animals for the work of the Lord (Num 18:21). Whether of beasts or grain, the tithe was to be the first and best of what the people had (2 Chron 31:5; Neh 10:37).
In the case of our text, “polluted bread” would be bread made with grain that was either inferior in quality, not being the first fruits, or was less than the tithe. The heart of the people was not in their offering, and the priests should have rejected all offerings that did not meet the Lord’s qualification. Throughout the Law and the Prophets the Lord told the people He would not accept inappropriate offerings (Isa 1:11-13; Jer 14:12; Amos 5:22). Yet, these priests had no compunctions about offering inappropriate “bread” to the Lord, making it with unacceptable offerings – offerings that were unacceptable in the first place.
In addition to this, the Levites were to give a tenth of the tithes given to them to the Lord (Num 18:26; Neh 10:38). Offering “polluted bread” upon the altar could also involve the priests refusing to do this, offering a smaller percentage of the tithes, which seemed appropriate to them.
Thus, we have something impure being offered to a pure God; something that did not fulfill the requirements He had laid down – requirements that were well within the range of human ability. Something polluted was offered upon an altar that had been consecrated, and God would not receive it. He insisted that the person who offered it, and the offering as well, be pure. You may recall that both Cain and his offering were rejected (Gen 4:5).
WHEREIN HAVE WE POLLUTED THEE? God is here reading the hearts of the priests. They have become so calloused toward God that they have no idea what they have been doing. Observe how personal this matter is to the Lord. Perceiving the intents of their hearts, He does not see them reasoning about the altar, but about the God of the altar. “In what way have we defiled You?” NKJV – for the ordinances of the Lord cannot be divorced from Him. The Amplified Bible reads, “Contempt for what God requires reveals a contempt for the Lord Himself.” This parallels the expression “MY altar,” confirming that God Himself is associated with that altar. This can be said of anything with which the Lord has associated Himself: “Lord’s Christ” (Lk 2:26), “Lord’s day” (Rev 1:10), “Lord’s table” (1 Cor 10:21), “Lord’s supper” (1 Cor 11:20), etc.
YE SAY, “THE TABLE OF THE LORD IS CONTEMPTIBLE.” Other versions read “despised.” NASB Here, the altar is viewed as the table at which the Lord is the host. Something was being placed on a table that belonged to the Lord, and it revealed a certain disdain that was held for that table. Personal assessment, although flawed to the core, overrode the true nature of this “table.” This contempt for what God had ordained revealed a certain contempt for Lord Himself. That is a statement of the real case. The priests held disdain for, and had no respect or reverence for, the Lord Himself. God did not have to ask them if this was true, their actions bore unequivocal testimony to this fact. That is why the all-knowing God said this
IS IT NOT EVIL?
1:8a “And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?”
The Lord is answering the objection found within the priests He has charged with despising His name: “Wherein have we despised Thy name?” They did not think they had done this, so the Lord is parading the undeniable evidence before them. He is showing them that what men do evidences what they are and what they think – all contradicting notions withstanding. This is in perfect keeping with what is said about the Lord: “by Him actions are weighed” (1 Sam 2:3). Correspondingly, when men are required to “examine” themselves to see if they be in the faith, it is good to start with what they are actually doing. If their works match their profession, they will be more able to probe the recesses of their hearts and minds. If they do not, then their works will identify what is really in their hearts and minds. This is the manner in which the Lord examines His people. To those who are examined by the Lord He faithful says, “I know thy works” – whether good or evil (Rev 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15). That is precisely what the Lord is saying to these priests. Even though their service was done in the privacy of the Tabernacle or Temple, and not before the people, yet the Lord had witnessed their deeds – what they were doing.
YE OFFER THE BLIND FOR SACRIFICE. The Law was crystal clear on this matter, specifying precisely what kind of animals were to be sacrificed to Him: “A male without blemish... whatsoever hath a blemish thou shalt not offer . . . there shall be no blemish therein . . . Blind . . . ye shall not offer these unto the LORD . . .” (Lev 22:21-25). Again the Law said, “And if there be any blemish . . . if it be . . .blind . . . thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God” (Deut 15:21-25). Was there any ambiguity in God’s requirement? It was repeated at the beginning of their journey to Canaan, and when they finally arrived at the promised land after forty years. No one should have had any questions about this. Moses had declared and read it to them. Joshua read it to them also, as well as their kings. It was wholly inappropriate to offer a blind sacrifice to an all-seeing God!
YE OFFER THE LAME AND SICK. Again, the requirement was clear with not a speck of vagueness.“A male without blemish . . . whatsoever hath a blemish thou shalt not offer . . . there shall be no blemish therein . . . maimed, or having a wen [running sore], or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD . . . either hath anything superfluous or lacking in its parts . . . Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut . . . Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you” (Lev 22:21-25). Again the Law said, “And if there be any blemish therein . . . have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God” (Deu 15:21).
These were also sufficiently clear, with not a single element of mystery surrounding them. Any visible flaw, how minuscule, disqualified the animal from being offered to the Lord. That means that an examination of what was offered had to be made before it was brought to be given to the Lord (Lev 1:3; 5:12; 17:8-9).
WHAT WAS INVOLVED IN THIS TRANSGRESSION? Here again, the animals that were brought to the priests came from the flocks of the people (Deut 14:23). The people themselves were apprised of the Divine requirements for these animals. However, they ignored the clear stipulations of the Law, and brought animals with blemishes to be offered unto God. Secondly, the priest who received the animals knew the Divine requirements, yet he received them anyway. Third, the priest not only received the animal, but proceeded to offer it to the Lord, twice transgressing the Law. A serious examination of the offering was not made by the people presenting the offering, or by the priest who offered it.
IS IT NOT EVIL. This is stated two times in the verse. Other versions read, “Is that not wrong?” NIV Some versions read, “It is no evil,” ERV which represents how the people were thinking. The word “evil” comes from a Hebrew word that means, “bad, evil, disagreeable, malignant, giving pain, and ethically wicked.” STRONG’S This has a twofold meaning: first, the sacrifice itself is evil, or defiled. Secondly, it has a disagreeable effect upon the Lord to whom, it is offered. God is repulsed defilement – that is one of the reasons for Him providing cleansing from it. Those who imagine that God is not affected by inappropriate sacrifices and offerings need to think more soberly. He rejected Cain’s offering (Gen 4:5), Israel’s feasts and solemn assemblies (Amos 5:21). their offerings (Amos 5:22), and their praise (Amos 5:23). It is because, like the offerings of our text, they were all “evil” – bad, disagreeable, and painful to the Lord.
Let no one imagine for a moment that the Divine nature has changed. He is still repulsed by things being offered to Him that He has disqualified. If they have the taint of flesh upon them, they are defiled. If they are offered only after men have taken the best for themselves, they are rejected. If they are offered reluctantly, begrudgingly, or without due regard for the Lord Himself, they are out of order. That does not mean God will receive a people who offer nothing, for men are not to appear before Him “empty” Ex 23:15). Solomon said “Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” (Prov 3:9). Paul said men are to give “not grudgingly, or of necessity, for the Lord loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). God is deserving of such giving.
OFFER IT NOW TO THY GOVERNOR
1:8b “ . . . offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.”
Everyone has someone whom they respect enough to do what they say. It may be one of their peers, the government, or some awesome foe. There are those for whom people are willing to alter their conduct, yielding to the will of another. The Lord now appeals to this kind of consideration, showing that men only refuse to do what the Lord says when they have no respect for Him. Such a posture is never innocent, but is always “evil.”
OFFER IT NOW. This refers to the offerings they have been presenting to the Lord – the things they have thought appropriate to be given to Him. It is as though the Lord is handing it back to them, asking the people to offer it to someone else whom they deem greater in some respect than themselves.
He asks them to offer it to their “governor” – the governmental head of a city, district, or country in which they live. Other versions read “ruler,” BBE and “prince.” DOUAY This is not referring to giving a mere gift to the governor, but to fulfilling an obligation that he has laid upon the people. The Amplified Bible gives the sense of the text: “Present such a thing [a blind or lame or sick animal] now to your governor [in payment of your taxes, and see what will happen].”
Under the Law, the people were regularly taxed, providing a designated amount of money as “the offering of the Lord” (Ex 30:13). It also apprised the people, “Thou shalt not . . . curse the ruler of thy people” (Ex 22:28). Solomon said, “Fear God and the king” (Prov 24:21), and “I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment” (Eccl 8:2). Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's” (Matt 22:21). Paul said, “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor” (Rom 13:7). Peter said, “Honor the king” (1 Pet 2:17). From the beginning of God’s revelation about rulers, therefore, God has demanded that His people respect their rulers. Anarchy and insurrection were never considered an acceptable reaction to government. The only time God’s people could refuse to obey the laws of the ruler, is when they contradicted or inhibited His own law.
Now, with this in mind, God calls upon the priests in particular, and the people in general, to take what they have been offering to Him, and present it to their ruler. Let them pay their taxes with what they have been giving to the Lord. Oh, in our complex society this has some alarming implications. Let me name a few of them for you. Let them pay their house loan with such funds as they give to the Lord, or their credit card balance, or their insurance premium, or their Federal and State taxes. Understand, that he is speaking of the nature of offering as compared with the requirement placed upon them. Let them make a $100 payment with $50. If they have made a contract to make a monthly payment of $300, let them attempt to do so with a $200 payment. In other words, let them have the kind of disregard for others to whom that are obligated as they have for the God who created them. Oh, it is a probing question indeed, and one that each person must take as personally as those Israelite priests, and the people who presented their offerings to them.
WILL HE BE PLEASED WITH THEE? Other versions read, “Would he be pleased with you?” NKJV “will be pleased with it?” DOUAY “will he be content with thee,” GENEVA “Would he accept it from you?” GWN and “see if he will accept it.” NAB Who does not know the answer to this question? If, when a poor widow came to the Prophet Elisha concerning a debt that she could not pay, he instructed her concerning a miraculous way of paying her debt (2 Kgs 4:6), precisely what kind of excuse can be offered for not giving the Lord what He requires? Her debtor would have been satisfied with nothing less that a full payment, and thus God enabled her to pay it. Will God do less for His people? Should men strive less to please God than their rulers and debtors? Remember, we are being exposed to the Divine nature, not a fickle God!
OR ACCEPT THY PERSON? Other versions read, “receive e you kindly,” NASB “accept you,” NIV “show you favor” NRSV and “regard thy face.” DOUAY The idea is this: “Will the king’s personal acquaintance with you move him to put aside what He has required of you?” or, “Will your friendship outweigh his demand of you?” Oh, there are countless professing Christians who would answer in the affirmative to both of those statements. They feel as though their acceptance in Christ obviates all Divine requirements. Such people might respond, “The Lord knows my heart.” However, is this really how God has presented Himself at any juncture of human history? The Scriptural record is filled with accounts of the punishment and chastening of God’s people who did not do what God told them., and did not give what God required of them. God will never give His favor to those who despise His Person!
SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS. These words have been spoken by the Lord whose innumerable hosts stand poised to fulfill His every command. In the light of those remarkable hosts, how ought men to regard disobedience, compromise, and deferring to their own will over yielding willingly and in the fear and honor of the Lord? This is an arresting text, indeed!