Lessons From Malachi (I)

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As I prepare myself to enter the year of Sabbath, I believe an integral part of that preparation involves examining our lives to ensure that our actions and our attitudes please the Lord. In view of that, meditating on the book of Malachi really helped me to realise that very often, until the Lord points out the areas of our lives that displeased Him, we may actually think that we are still walking right with Him.

The accusations from the Lord and the Isrealites' corresponding replies indicate that they are so deceived, that they were not aware of what they were doing wrong. Consider the following:

A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' "You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible." When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? (Malachi 1:6-8)

Like the Israelites, I believe I have often been guilty of showing contempt and defiling the Lord by saying that His table is contemptible. How? In the same way I know I have done similar things -

(1) Bringing blind, diseased and crippled sacrifices to the Lord. I know that the Lord is worthy of honour and the highest praise; He deserves our best offerings. And yet, too often I give God the "second-best", the "leftovers" in terms of our time, our finances, among other things. For example, I "know" that I need to give the Lord the best time each day to seek His face but so many times have I chosen instead to do as I pleased and chose instead to sleep more, to play computer games etc, relegating the time with Him to hurried moments during "more convenient" times of the day. If that is not equivalent to bringing crippled and diseased sacrifices to His table, what is?

(2) "But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.' And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 12:13)
In the same way, I know I have been guilty of this. Complaining that it is such a difficult burden to serve the Lord, to offer our sacrifices. Disliking the "obligations" as a servant of God, secretly wishing that I do not have to do all these, so that I have more time to do "my own things".
That very attitude, according to the Lord, profanes His Name. Not to be taken lightly.

It is by His mercy that He is helping me to see the deceitfulness of my heart. I pray God gives me the wisdom, humility and obedience to heed His warning.
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"And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. (Malachi 2:1-2)
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