003 Bringing Profane Worship

Malachi 1:6-14

November 6, 2022

As you are aware we have begun a study of the book of Malachi.

· Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament

· He preached 400 years before the time of Christ.

· He also preached a century after the Exile was over.

Israel is firmly reestablished in her land

And she has fallen into INDIFFERENCE.

Malachi is raised up to confront the indifference of Israel

And to break the news to them that despite their anticipation,

They are not ready for the Messiah they desire.

He has shown up to deliver GOD’S BURDEN to the people.

LAST TIME we saw looked at the indifference of Israel as seen through their INGRATITUDE.

God opened the book by announcing His love for Israel,

But was hit with the question, “How have You loved us?”

Somehow Israel had been able to grow short-sited enough

That they had failed to remember the sovereign electing love

Which God had shown in choosing Jacob instead of Esau.

Their poor memory had led to ingratitude

And this ingratitude was the root of their indifference.

THIS MORNING we begin looking at the FRUIT of their indifference.

THEIR INDIFFERENT WORSHIP OF GOD.

In our text this morning God is primarily taking issue with the priests

Because of the way they have instructed and led the people.

· They have made a mockery of worship.

· They have made a mockery of the sacrificial requirement.

· And in so doing they have made a mockery of God.

What you’ll see in our text is that

GOD IS TERRIBLY OFFENDED at what is being offered to Him

And the PEOPLE DON’T EVEN SEEM TO CARE.

THAT IS INDIFFERENCE.

SO THIS MORNING WE OPEN WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING WORSHIP.

· What does it mean to worship God as He deserves?

· What would acceptable worship to Him look like?

· Would God consider my worship to be profane?

· Does my manner of worship rightly exalt God or is it an insult to Him?

These are the types of things we must address in our own hearts

As we examine the profane worship of Israel.

Now, we ARE going to study this text in outline form,

But we are NOT going to look at it in chronological order.

I want us to examine it in a way where we’ll grasp the weight of the issue

So we’re going to bounce up and down through the text.

We’re actually going to start with what God says last,

But I assure that even though it is the last thing God says,

It is without a doubt at the forefront of His mind.

4 things

#1 GOD’S EXPECTATION

Malachi 1:6a, 11, 14b

(6a) “A son honors his father, and a servant his master.”

(11) “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,” says the LORD of hosts.”

(14b) “for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

I know that is to jump around a little, but I want you to recognize

In this passage that God identifies Himself with 3 titles.

· He is a FATHER WHO DESERVES HONOR

· He is a MASTER WHO DESERVES RESPECT

· He is a GREAT KING WHO IS FEARED AMONG THE NATIONS

We understand Him as FATHER

· The one who cares for us

· The one who provides for us

· The one who begot us as sons and daughters

We understand Him as MASTER (or Lord)

· The one who guides us

· The one who rules us

· The one we submit to and follow

We understand Him as KING

· The sovereign of the world

· The one deserving all glory and honor

· The one we honor and worship

You understand the basic implications to those titles.

GOD SEES HIMSELF AS ALL THESE THINGS.

And you see that with each of those titles

Comes GOD’S EXPECTATION as to how He should BE TREATED.

As a Father He expects to be HONORED

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”

As a Master He expects to be RESPECTED

Ephesians 6:5 “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;”

As a King He expects to be FEARED (reverential awe)

Jeremiah 10:7 “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”

YOU THE EXPECTATION OF GOD.

Verse 11 is certainly THE HEART of the idea.

“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,” says the Lord of hosts.”

· That is all people, everywhere.

· That is every knee.

· That is every tongue.

And this is certainly what is coming.

There is coming a day when God will stop all rebellion

And all men will worship God with all their hearts.

Isaiah 66:23 “And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord.”

Psalms 22:27 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.”

Philippians 2:10-11 “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We are currently in a time of God’s mercy

· Where He is redeeming His enemies to Himself.

· He is right now saving men from their sin

· He is transferring His enemies into His kingdom.

But there is a day coming when salvation will be complete.

There is coming a day when God will destroy His enemies.

And there is coming a day when every knee will come and bow to Him.

AND ALL THE EARTH WILL GLORIFY GOD.

· There will be no rebellion.

· There will be no insubordination.

· The day is coming in which all will worship God fully.

· On that day “incense is going to be offered to My name”

· On that day there will be “a grain offering that is pure.”

The day is coming when worship will be the chief priority of all men Their one desire will be to worship God as He deserves.

THAT WILL HAPPEN.

It has already been determined by God.

God says (14b) “for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

There’s just none like God.

· He is destined for glory and He will receive it.

· Some day He will be worshiped by every tribe and tongue.

· Some day He will be glorified forever by all His creation.

That is the FUTURE expectation of God for all nations.

BUT IT IS THE CURRENT EXPECTATION OF GOD FOR HIS PEOPLE.

Someday every nation will bow, but God’s expectation today

Is that those whom He has redeemed will worship Him now.

· Certainly our Father deserves honor.

· Certainly our Master deserves respect.

· Certainly our King deserves reverence and awe.

That is what God expects from His people.

BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HE IS GETTING FROM ISREAL.

God’s Expectation

#2 GOD’S EXPLORATION

Malachi 1:6a

“‘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.”

What we see here is that God is on a search.

He is searching for the honor, respect, and glory that He deserves.

WHERE IS IT?

· God attended the worship service this morning expecting to be honored.

· God attended the worship service expecting to be respected.

· God attended the worship service expecting to be glorified.

WHERE IS IT?

You can see here that God is looking for it.

Jesus told the Woman at the Well:

John 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

God is seeking worshipers.

God is seeking those who worship Him as He deserves.

The problem seen here is that He is not receiving it.

· There is no honor

· There is no respect

· There is no fear

And the ugly problem of Israel has once again reared its head.

300 years prior to Malachi, Isaiah was saying the same thing.

Isaiah 1:2-4 “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”

And now here they are returning to that same problem.

God is searching for honor, respect, and glory from His people

And the people are not bringing it.

Instead, there is the OPPOSITE.

THERE IS ACTUALLY ENMITY.

God directs His question to the “priests”

Whom God says “despise My name.”

“despise” is BA-ZA in the Hebrew.

It is the same word for what Esau did to his birthright.

Genesis 25:34 “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

It wasn’t that Esau didn’t want an inheritance it is that he valued it so cheaply.

To Esau, his inheritance wasn’t worth as much as a bowl of lentil stew.

That stew was more valuable than his inheritance.

In comparison, he despised his birthright.

That is what God says to these priests.

You “despise My name”

The way you treat Me in your worship is despicable.

YOU VALUE ME SO LOWLY.

The manner in which you worship is despicable.

IT IS THE PICTURE OF A PEOPLE

Who come to worship and bring their gifts or offerings or songs or whatever to God.

God looks at it and says, “Is that all you think of Me? You must really despise Me to bring Me such an offering.”

I think we can agree this is getting serious.

· God came looking for glory and what He found was disdain.

· He is seriously offended by what His people brought Him.

· Their worship as profane to Him.

God’s Expectation, God’s Exploration

#3 GOD’S EXPLANATION

Malachi 1:6b-8, 12-14a

(6b-8) “But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised.’ “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts.”

(12-14a) “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ “You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the Lord of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord”

Here is where

· God chronicles their indifference.

· God lays out their offense.

· God specifies the profane nature of their worship.

God told those priests that they “despise My name”

And in utter arrogance and disrespect they immediately respond to God, “How have we despised Your name?”

It’s as if they don’t believe it.

It’s as if they think God is being too nit-picky.

So God is about to break it down for them.

To understand it best, we need to break it down too.

Let me give you 4 aspects which God outlines about their profane worship.

1) DEFILED FOOD (7a-8)

“You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.”

Leviticus 2:1-3 “‘Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. ‘He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. ‘The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to the Lord by fire.”

· A grain offering was very simply a voluntary expression of devotion to God.

· It was not to atone for sin; there was no blood involved.

It was just an offering given to God on His altar as a soothing aroma

To express your love and devotion to Him.

And the SIMPLE COMMANDS were

· That it had to be “fine flour”

· If it was a cake it had to be “unleavened”

And instead of bringing “fine flour” they were “presenting defiled food”

That word “defiled” can also be translated “polluted”

It wasn’t pure, it wasn’t clean.

Perhaps it was even rotten.

You see the similar expression down in verse 12, “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.”

It was just bringing something defiled and less than pure to God.

It wasn’t a fine meal, it was a plate of rotten leftovers.

Defiled Food

2) DESPISED OFFERINGS (7b)

Here again the priests are challenging God’s right to be disappointed.

They say, “How have we defiled You?”

And God responds, “In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.”

This is what the PRIESTS ARE SAYING.

Some commentators note that most likely it is what they said in their hearts

Which makes more sense for to say this out loud would be incredibly shocking.

But whether in their heart or on their lips,

God hears it just the same and He sees their disdain.

· They say that “The table of the LORD is to be despised.”

· We see it again down in verse 12, “you say, “The table of the LORD is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.”

There’s that same “despised” like what Esau did with his birthright.

WHAT IS THIS?

It is priests who have a very low view of what they bring to God.

To put it another way: THEY DON’T CARE WHAT YOU BRING.

IT MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN that

They ENCOURAGED the people to just bring whatever.

The verb tense there indicates them saying

“The table of the LORD IS TO BE despised.”

They encouraged the people to bring whatever because it didn’t matter.

They encouraged the people that their junk was enough.

· Don’t bother with the fine flour.

· Do you have any old flour?

· Do you have any flour with weevils in it?

Just bring that, it doesn’t matter.

Only it’s NOT JUST the grain offerings that they do this with.

It’s with all of them.

(8) “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

God had been extremely clear about this as well.

Leviticus 22:20-25 “‘Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. ‘When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. ‘Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the Lord. ‘In respect to an ox or a lamb which has an overgrown or stunted member, you may present it for a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. ‘Also anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the Lord, or sacrifice in your land, nor shall you accept any such from the hand of a foreigner for offering as the food of your God; for their corruption is in them, they have a defect, they shall not be accepted for you.’”

God was extremely clear about the type of offering He would accept.

But clearly the priests didn’t care about such rules.

They saw the sacrificial system as a good way

To get rid of your old sick and crippled livestock.

Just bring it to God, it doesn’t matter.

They crippled cow is gonna die anyway, might as well make an offering out of it.

(This is a sin offering, and the GOSPEL IMPLICATION

Is to bring something less than the righteousness of Christ to God)

To which God says, “Why not offer it to your governor?”

· Why not take it to the sale?

· Why not give it to pay off your debt?

WHY? Because it’s not worth anything!

And yet you bring it to God.

I hope your starting to make some connections here

Between acceptable worship and profane worship.

You bring God what no one else would accept and say,

“Well it’s good enough for God.”

My how you must value Him!

Defiled Food, Despised Offerings

3) DISDAINFUL ATTITUDE (13a)

“You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the LORD of hosts,”

“sniff” there is a word that simply means “to breathe; blow; sniff at; seethe”

It is the word used when God “breathed” life into man’s nostrils.

Here it is a mocking gesture of disdain.

IT’S A MASSIVE SIGH.

· It’s a priest in the temple charged with offering the sacrifices,

· But when the person brings something in to offer he’s all put out,

· And he rolls his eyes and sighs.

“I can’t believe you’re gonna make me go through this whole offering procedure before God. I’m tired, I want to go home.

Do you really have to bring it now?”

ARE YOU PICKING UP ON THE INDIFFERENCE?

· Just bring whatever, it doesn’t matter.

· Who cares what shape it’s in, only bring it tomorrow,

· I don’t feel like doing it now.

That is the attitude of their worship.

It’s too hard

It’s too tiring

4) DELINQUENT VOWS (13b-14a)

“and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the LORD. But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices as blemished animal to the Lord…”

· This is a guy who vowed to God to bring some animal or some offering.

· But he doesn’t want to give God one of his,

· So instead he goes and steals someone else’s and takes that.

· Or he told God he’d give him a male,

· but instead he sees the opportunity to off load some crippled old one instead.

Who enjoys purchasing something online with the promise of it being what you need only to receive a broken piece of junk in the mail?

That’s what was happening to God.

(Let Ananias and Sapphira come to your mind here)

You put it all together and it just resonated

How little honor, respect, and reverence they felt toward God.

He sure must not be worth much to them

If that’s all their going to give Him.

CHURCH we must evaluate our worship under this analogy.

We know what it is to give and receive gifts in our culture.

· Christmas is right around the corner and there will be a lot of gifts exchanged.

Perhaps you’ve bought your wife something for an anniversary

Or a daughter something for a sweet 16.

There are ways to look at a gift we receive

And through that gift assess our value to the person who gave it.

Was it quality?

Did they give me something nice or was it a piece of junk?

How much effort did it require?

It may not be something purchased, it might be something made or searched for. How much effort did it take, or did they just pick something up at a convenient store on the way over?

How valuable is it?

Sometimes we measure by what it actually cost. That they would spend such a high price on you certainly speaks to how they value you.

We think of David acquiring Onan’s threshing floor.

1 Chronicles 21:22-24 “Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the Lord; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained from the people.” Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all.” But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”

Or we think of Mary breaking that alabaster vile and pouring it on Jesus’ feet and that it was so valuable that the disciples actually scolded her for wasting it on Jesus.

Or we think of Abraham offering his son, whom he loved to God.

Or we think of the widow who gave all that she had to live on.

Or we think of the sinful woman who loved so much that she wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

You understand how a gift can make you feel loved.

Well it can also make you feel disdained

And that is what the worship of Israel was doing to God.

BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR WORSHIP?

How much effort did you put into that Sunday school lesson?

· Would you have studied more if your class had 200 people in it?

How much time did you put into that sermon?

· Would you have worked harder if John MacArthur or Steve Lawson were attending?

Was the song service an afterthought?

· Would you have worked longer if a group of worship leaders was coming?

The special music was it rehearsed as though it was for a King?

How about those who simply participate in the service?

WHEN WE SANG,

· Who were you most concerned about hearing you?

· Were you more concerned about what God was hearing or the people next to you?

WHEN WE GIVE,

· Is your offering a reflection of your love for God?

HOW ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF COMING TO WORSHIP AT ALL.

· Is it tiresome to you?

· Is it wearisome to you?

· Is it too long?

· Is it too boring?

· Is an hour to long to have to sit and contemplate the word of God?

· Is Sunday school too much?

· Is it too much to ask to return and worship on Sunday night?

· Is worship on a Wednesday night just unnecessary?

We tend to gravitate towards what is easiest for us

And then just tell God, “Here take this, it’s good enough.”

I wonder if that’s how you proposed to your wife?

“Here’s a ring I found in a cracker jack box, it’s good enough.”

Or how about when you have to pay your rent,

“I’m not going to pay what we agreed, here’s $100 that’s good enough.”

Or go to your boss and say,

“Work is too tiresome, I’m only going to work half of the day from now on.”

Those are things we would not consider doing to people

And yet we tend to offer it to God.

How do you suppose your worship today made God feel?

How do you suppose your preparation for worship this week made God feel?

Should He feel honored and respected and revered

By the way you worshipped or should He feel disdained?

DO YOU GET THE POINT?

· How about a real effort?

· How about a real sacrifice?

· How about we don’t just take the easy rode?

How about we show God through our worship how important He is to us?

Matthew Henry said:

“If we worship God ignorantly, and without understanding, we bring the blind for sacrifice; if we do it carelessly, if we are cold, and dull, and dead, in it, we bring the sick; if we rest in the bodily exercise, and do not make heart-work of it, we bring the lame; and, if we suffer vain thoughts and distractions to lodge within us, we bring the torn. Is it not a great affront to God and a great wrong and injury to our own souls?”

(Henry, Matthew [Matthew Henry’s Commentary; Zondervan; Grand Rapids, MI; 1961] Pg. 1195)

So God has an expectation, but that expectation was not being met.

And when God’s people said, “What do You mean?”

God gave them the explanation.

But there’s one more point to be made.

#4 GOD’S EXASPERATION

Malachi 1:9-10, 14a

Here is God’s response to what they brought.

And allow me to break this one down a little more as well.

1) EVIL (8)

God says a broken sacrifice like that isn’t just indifferent, it’s evil!

· It isn’t close…

· It isn’t the thought that counts…

· It is evil.

It is nothing less than a pathetic offering from a selfish heart

That cares nothing for God.

I heard a story once

· About a man who traveled and every time he came home he would bring his

wife a gift.

· Upon coming home one time he had bought his wife a watch out of one of

those 25 cent variety machines at a truck stop.

· When he gave it to her she was so upset she immediately slammed the watch

on the ground and crushed it with her foot.

Does she just hate plastic watches?

No, she hated what that watch said about the way he valued her.

TO HER THAT GIFT WAS EVIL.

That is what God says.

You bring Me what no one else would take.

THAT IS AN EVIL OFFERING.

2) USELESS (9-10)

Here God squashes any notions of effectiveness.

“But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us?”

Really?

You’re going to bring me a blind, 3-legged goat and then ask Me to bless you?

“With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

What do you think the answer is?

NO!!!

To which God goes on:

(10) “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.”

God would rather close the door of the church

Than to receive worship like that.

Isaiah 1:11-14 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”

God is not pleased!

Your worship is useless!

God wont’ accept it.

You’re not going to receive a blessing for such an offering as this.

3) HARMFUL (14a)

“But cursed be the swindler…”

Instead of receiving a blessing, you’re going to receive a curse.

I’m sure after that woman crushed the watch the man likely realized

He would have been better off bringing nothing home than that watch.

These people offended God by disdaining Him so greatly

And despising Him so greatly as to bring Him worship

Of such little cost and of such little effort.

CHURCH, IT’S WHAT WE CALL INDIFFERENCE.

We are forced to ask how valuable God is to us?

We are forced to ask what He is worth?

These people brought God junk and God was offended.

· He said, “I am a great King”

· He said, “My name will be great among the nations”

· How could you treat Me so disdainfully?

AND THUS WE SEE AGAIN,

THEY WERE NOT YET FIT TO STAND BEFORE HIM.

WE MUST BE A PEOPLE WHO

Worship Him like the King He is!