If people won't take God's commands from Malachi 1 to heart, they'll come under a curse. The priests are already grotesquely unclean in their hearts, so God will mirror that by spreading dung on their faces.

A priest should be a messenger of God! But these priests are corrupting the priesthood, showing partiality in their instruction. They were poor representatives of God to the people.

- Matthew 18:6... Don't cause God's little ones to stumble! Represent Christ well.

The nucleus of the book of Malachi is in verses 10-16...

Do we not all have the same God? Then don't live contentiously!

The priests mistreated their wives. They were looking for reasons to divorce their spouses, and instead turning to women who worshipped Baal.

God will have none of this. He tells the priests: guard yourself in your spirit, and don't be faithless! But the priests chose sexual deviancy over a faithful life. (Previously in Numbers 25, when Phinehas had seen Baal worship creeping in, he put an end to it rather definitively!)

These priests weeped and groaned before God, but they were willfully living in sin and they knew it, and God said he no longer accepted their offerings! Their "repentance" was not genuine.

Similarly, in Matthew 7:23... "Did we not do mighty works in your name?" And God says, "I never knew you."

1 Sam 15:22... To obey is better than sacrifice.

God wants faithful people! Are you following the Lord, obeying the teachings of Christ? The obedience is proof of the belief.

--- That's today's text ---

Looking back at verses 6-7...

Phinehas may be the example of a faithful priest alluded to here. But whoever it is, he's the model of faithful service.

What does God want (and so richly deserve)?

He's worthy of our lives...

1. Truth: speak the truth! Our words matter, both their literal meaning and their tone. Our voice, how we use our mouths, matters deeply to God.

- A good example: John Wesley, the Holiness Club... members asked themselves 22 questions, starting with, "Am I a hypocrite" and "Am I honest, or do I exaggerate?" Also, don't feed ourselves on exaggeration from other sources (biased news programs, social media, etc). We're to be a people of clear, precise truth, without deception or manipulation!

2. Peace: a marker of the faithful. Living in wholeness, in peace with the world around you as much as possible. Work hard at not being contentious!

Hosea 6:6... I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice.

3. Uprightness / consistency: Levelness, straightness, being consistent. Serving God consistently. Also don't be wavering in your devotion! Be level, consistent, disciplined! Be an example, a living epistle, of Christian maturity. Be consistent in devotion, prayer, church attendance.

So these three points: live in the truth, as peacemakers, with consistency!

We should be "all in" for the Lord, and uncompromising!