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Malachi 1:1-2:16
We are in the Exile Stream reading from the New Century Version.
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Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis
Lord, we pray that the offerings of our lives, a contrite spirit, is acceptable to you. Amen.
Israel was back in their land and had been for about a century now. Nehemiah had finished the wall. The Jewish people thought that the Messiah would come soon now. And yet there were attitudes among the Hebrews that would bar any Messiah coming the way they wanted Him to arrive. Malachi is living/prophesying in the block of time between 450 and 400 B.C. The Jewish people were not rampantly idolatrous as they were 200 years prior but the problems were that they were neglecting the house of God. The priests were lackadaisical, ill-attentive, and not fervent in their assignments at all. The population was somewhat lethargic spiritually as they were following their priests lead. So here they are thinking that Messiah coming would fix everything to make them vibrant and glorious again – like in Solomon’s day. Messiah was going to come one day, but he would pronounce judgment on such attitudes as theirs’ v.s. endow them with God’s glory. Basically some serious “house-keeping” is in order come Malachi’s day. This is not a generation that had earned any trophies, not at all.
1:1- 14 – It doesn’t take Malachi long to address Israel’s passive aggressive whining and they are on a bogus lament, “God, you say you love us, how is it that you love us?…” I must say, I sit here and roll my eyes as I read this. But God is a bit more patient than the rest of us. And, hearing this, don’t get distracted by the “I hate Esau” wording as to what is really being said. God had prescribed that Babylon come through and destroy Easu and Judah. And it happened. But here is Israel inhabited and living and growing again, while Edom [Esau’s land] is a desolate area as it still is 2400+ years later. So God is quick to retort their pathetics akin to, “don’t tell me I don’t care about you and imply that my love has gone to another! Save that prattle for someone who isn’t listening!” [yes, that wording is accurate!] The Priests were not training the people right. The altar was disrespected, the offerings were sick and lame, their fires then were sending up an aroma that had Him plugging His nose. God even exclaimed, “just shut the whole thing down!” It’s unreal when God gets to this point, isn’t it?!. The people were not giving God their best by any means. They were bringing God their leftovers, if you know what I mean. How many of you would rummage through your rag box or dirty laundry basket to gift a pair of socks to an endeared loved one for Christmas? Well THIS is what the Israelites were doing to God with their offerings. And God had had enough of it. So God makes it known that in His next great moves, He is going to open the door to welcome other nations who do honor Him.
2:1-16 – Malachi is next prompted by God to “give the business” to the priests. They neede serious exhortation. They are so disgustingly derelict in their duties. If you ran a kitchen they way they were running the priesthood, absolutely no one would eat in your kitchen; not a soul. The illustration God uses as to how He is going to punish them is grotesque. No comment needed, you just read it, yeeeesh. Malachi also nails the matter of them dumping the wives that they’ve had since they were young and taking up with foreign women; pagans who were raised in all manner of religious filth. But this was intriguing to many of the disgruntled Jewish men who were past their prime. God hated this trend like He hated Esau’s shunning him in 1800’s B.C., like He hated Edom’s treatment of the Israelites when Moses brought them through in 1300’s B.C. This is how much God hated them ditching their wives for “interesting, spicy” women. Too many of the Hebrew men were doing this, and other cruel things, and bringing junk to offer to God,
and then going to the prayer altar and slobbering/crying/wailing to God “why don’t you accept meeee?” God more or less said, “oh, please! Knock it off!” And next week, we will see how the Old Testament ends . . .
