The messenger and the message
Malachi lived and worked at a time when some of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (the “remnant”) that God had awakened had returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. This revival had since faded. The sacrificial service did take place, but the regulations from God’s law were not observed, and God himself was despised as a result.
Through Malachi, God rebuked the remnant with a clear and reproachful rebuke, especially the priests who offered the sacrifices (chapters 1 and 2). Then He allowed the prophet to look into the future – to the day of the Lord; there, he saw both judgment and blessing (chapter 3): With its sinful sacrificial service, the remnant brought God’s judgment upon itself. On the other hand, God promised “blessing in abundance” (cf. 3:10). Despite everything, His loving promise to bless remained. The key to this was repentance: “Return to me, and I will return to you” (3:7).
Glimpses from Malachi’s prophecy
“If you offer what is blind to sacrifice, it is no evil; and if you offer what is lame and sick, it is no evil. But offer it to your governor: Will he accept you favorably or show consideration for you? says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 1:8)
Background
According to the Old Testament, the relationship between God and the Jews was based, among other things, on the sacrificial service performed by the priests. God had to (and must) punish sin with death. But God gave the people a means of salvation: in anticipation of the sacrifice of his Son (Heb 10), for example, the sin and guilt offerings (Lev 4.5), the continual burnt offering (Ex 29), and the sacrifices on the great day of atonement (Lev 16) enabled the people of Israel to have a relationship with God. In addition, everyone could offer personal sacrifices to honor God (Lev 1-3). These were voluntary. God had only prescribed which sacrificial animals could be offered and in what way.
The New Testament no longer recognizes such a sacrificial service. Christians have a different spiritual relationship with God. Instead of sacrificing lambs and other animals, they believe in the Lord Jesus, who died on their behalf as the “Lamb of God” (see Heb 10 again). Likewise, they do not honor God with animal sacrifices but worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4). Every Christian can do this because he belongs to the “holy priesthood” of Christians whom God has created to offer “spiritual sacrifices” that are “acceptable” to Him through the Lord Jesus (1 Pet 2:5).
Spiritual sacrificial service is one of the essential contents and purposes of the Christian life. But it remains voluntary. And as in the Old Testament, God has also set a framework for it in the New Testament. My spiritual sacrifices – “sacrifices of praise” – consist of “confessing God’s name” by praising and glorifying Him for what He is and does. In particular, I can offer Him the “fruit of my lips” for how much His Son and His substitutionary death impress me, touch me, and make me grateful (see Heb 13:15).
When sacrificial service disobeyed God in those days:
The priests offered blind, lame, and sick animals as voluntary sacrifices. In doing so, they violated not only the letter of the law (Lev 22:18-25) but also its spirit: For the sacrificer, the animal was to be for the pleasure of God: a gift and “food,” lovely and pleasing. They would hardly want to offer such a thing to their ruling governor. How outrageously despicable it was to bring such sacrificial animals to God!
The Jews were not only violating the sacrificial laws; there was something else behind this: they obviously thought that maintaining the sacrificial service was a merit in itself. They even came with tears (2:13), as if their hearts were fully in the matter. But their – mere – words wearied God (2:17). In this way, they could not come to God. As they only kept the form – in fact, not even this – He preferred to have the doors of the temple closed (1:10).
When worship today disregards God
If we apply Malachi’s message directly to our time, it can happen today that a Christian offers “animals” that are sick, blind, or lame. If, although he knows or should know better, he says false things about the Lord Jesus in his worship, he sins. God is looking for worshippers, and He does not require any special training or vocation or constant spiritual “high performance.” Just as the Jews were able to sacrifice valuable but also small animals, worship in spirit and truth is not a question of human knowledge or intellectual level. But every worshipper must have the awareness of appearing before the great, holy God.
Through Malachi, God also asks every Christian whether they perform their spiritual sacrificial service with regard to God’s honor and interests. It is not enough for God if worship is only external, for example, by praising God in prayer when I come together to break bread, or by incorporating praise into my private prayer. He expects me to act according to his standards. This means, in particular, that I allow myself to be guided by the Holy Spirit in every respect.
Translated into our time, Malachi says: Imagine you want to present something to your superior, give a gift to a valued person, or request something from a person in a high, official position. You will not impose anything on these people – neither in form nor in content. Instead, you will carefully consider what the other side expects. Should it be any different with God just because He is not facing you as a visible person? Human standards do not measure spiritual sacrifices. But Malachi asks me the question of whether what we bring as worship is appropriate for the “honorable” God.
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