Malachi 1:1-2:9
A study of the post-exilic period concludes with the prophet Malachi (my messenger)
3 distinct sections emerge
1:1-2:9 (The Sinful Priests)
2:10-3:15 (The Sinful People)
3:16-4:6 (The Faithful Few)
The book contains a series (7) of questions & answers, usually in the following format
God: "You have (wicked thing)"
Israel: "How have we (wicked thing)"
The 1st of these questions is provoked by God's statement "I have loved you." It's upsetting just to recognize that Israel had the nerve to question this simple statement from God. It reveals the hardness of their hearts during this time period. "How have you loved us?" What an ungrateful question! God mercifully replies by pointing out the fact that He had not blessed the Edomites despite the fact that they were from the same family. Instead, he had turned Edom into a wasteland and promised to continue to demolish Edom throughout its existence.
In the 1st section there is a key statement variously interpreted:
"I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated"
A number of things should be pointed out
1. This seems to be about national election for God's sovereign purposes, not individual election for salvation. The passage isn't talking about the individual salvation of Jacob or Esau, but the national election of Israel vs. Edom. The election of Jacob was never about individual salvation (see Genesis 25:23). Paul isn't speaking of individual salvation in Romans 9 (where he quotes this verse) either. No, the passage is corporate in nature. Jacob is the representative of 'Israel' while Esau is the representative of 'Edom.'
2. We must be careful in how we understand the 'love' & 'hate' relationships in this passage. Biblically, 'hate' doesn't always mean the kind of bitter disdain of contemporary usage. Hate can simply mean to 'love less.' And 'love,' itself, has many meanings. In this case, it seems to me that love refers to blessing. God had blessed the Israelites while He had not blessed the Edomites nearly as much.
3. One clear point from this passage (and from Paul's usage) is that God's election is all of grace. It wasn't b/c of heredity since Jacob & Esau were twins. It wasn't b/c of works since Israel was chosen before he/they had done any good or bad. It was solely based on the sovereign choice of the Almighty God.
Next, God (through Malachi) focused specifically on the role of the priests in the present depravity. A son honors his father. A servant honors his master. But Israel (God's child) isn't honoring God (its spiritual Father). More specifically, they show contempt, or 'lightly esteem,' God. How? By defiling His altar. How? By bringing worthless sacrifices. It was actually the role of the people to bring sacrifices, but at this point in history they were bringing crippled & diseased animals that the politicians wouldn't even have accepted. God will rebuke the people later, but here He rebukes the Priests for accepting such offerings and going through with the sacrifices. God wondered why not one of them had the backbone to stand up against this 2nd rate (At best) worship. Because none of them had taken a stand for the Lord, God was going to go to the nations (gentiles) to receive proper worship (1:11). By offering 2nd rate worship the Israelites were not only damaging their relationship with God, but they were dragging His name through the mud before their neighbors (1:14). The spiritual lesson for the contemporary church, here, is obvious. While we no longer bring animals for sacrifice, we do bring a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15). Are we offering our best to God in all that we do? Or are we offering 2nd rate worship?
Because the Priests had allowed and participated in the degradation of worship, God was sending a curse on their blessings. He would rebuke their descendants. He would, metaphorically, spread the waste of the 2nd rate sacrifices all over their faces and then have them thrown in the trash. They had failed to be the kinds of leaders they were supposed to have been. They should have given true instruction, walked with God, preserved knowledge, but they had failed. Ironically, in their very effort to please the people (by requiring less), they actually brought about their own humiliation in that the people lost respect for them. In seeking to be loved by men, they became despised. That they showed 'partiality in matters of the law' probably implies that they were favoring the rich in worship matters.
3 distinct sections emerge
1:1-2:9 (The Sinful Priests)
2:10-3:15 (The Sinful People)
3:16-4:6 (The Faithful Few)
The book contains a series (7) of questions & answers, usually in the following format
God: "You have (wicked thing)"
Israel: "How have we (wicked thing)"
The 1st of these questions is provoked by God's statement "I have loved you." It's upsetting just to recognize that Israel had the nerve to question this simple statement from God. It reveals the hardness of their hearts during this time period. "How have you loved us?" What an ungrateful question! God mercifully replies by pointing out the fact that He had not blessed the Edomites despite the fact that they were from the same family. Instead, he had turned Edom into a wasteland and promised to continue to demolish Edom throughout its existence.
In the 1st section there is a key statement variously interpreted:
"I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated"
A number of things should be pointed out
1. This seems to be about national election for God's sovereign purposes, not individual election for salvation. The passage isn't talking about the individual salvation of Jacob or Esau, but the national election of Israel vs. Edom. The election of Jacob was never about individual salvation (see Genesis 25:23). Paul isn't speaking of individual salvation in Romans 9 (where he quotes this verse) either. No, the passage is corporate in nature. Jacob is the representative of 'Israel' while Esau is the representative of 'Edom.'
2. We must be careful in how we understand the 'love' & 'hate' relationships in this passage. Biblically, 'hate' doesn't always mean the kind of bitter disdain of contemporary usage. Hate can simply mean to 'love less.' And 'love,' itself, has many meanings. In this case, it seems to me that love refers to blessing. God had blessed the Israelites while He had not blessed the Edomites nearly as much.
3. One clear point from this passage (and from Paul's usage) is that God's election is all of grace. It wasn't b/c of heredity since Jacob & Esau were twins. It wasn't b/c of works since Israel was chosen before he/they had done any good or bad. It was solely based on the sovereign choice of the Almighty God.
Next, God (through Malachi) focused specifically on the role of the priests in the present depravity. A son honors his father. A servant honors his master. But Israel (God's child) isn't honoring God (its spiritual Father). More specifically, they show contempt, or 'lightly esteem,' God. How? By defiling His altar. How? By bringing worthless sacrifices. It was actually the role of the people to bring sacrifices, but at this point in history they were bringing crippled & diseased animals that the politicians wouldn't even have accepted. God will rebuke the people later, but here He rebukes the Priests for accepting such offerings and going through with the sacrifices. God wondered why not one of them had the backbone to stand up against this 2nd rate (At best) worship. Because none of them had taken a stand for the Lord, God was going to go to the nations (gentiles) to receive proper worship (1:11). By offering 2nd rate worship the Israelites were not only damaging their relationship with God, but they were dragging His name through the mud before their neighbors (1:14). The spiritual lesson for the contemporary church, here, is obvious. While we no longer bring animals for sacrifice, we do bring a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15). Are we offering our best to God in all that we do? Or are we offering 2nd rate worship?
Because the Priests had allowed and participated in the degradation of worship, God was sending a curse on their blessings. He would rebuke their descendants. He would, metaphorically, spread the waste of the 2nd rate sacrifices all over their faces and then have them thrown in the trash. They had failed to be the kinds of leaders they were supposed to have been. They should have given true instruction, walked with God, preserved knowledge, but they had failed. Ironically, in their very effort to please the people (by requiring less), they actually brought about their own humiliation in that the people lost respect for them. In seeking to be loved by men, they became despised. That they showed 'partiality in matters of the law' probably implies that they were favoring the rich in worship matters.
posted by matthew at 10:53 AM
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