Page 88 - The Minor Prophets - Student textbook

sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that
to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.

"How do we bring blemished offerings to God (Malachi 1:8)?"

In Malachi 1:8, the Lord accuses Israel of bringing Him blemished offerings: “‘When you bring blind
animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not
wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?’ says
the Lord Almighty.”

Bringing animal sacrifices to the temple that were blind, disfigured, or sick was a direct violation of the
Mosaic Law (Leviticus 22:22; Deuteronomy 15:21). The reason for this command was that such
sacrifices dishonored the Lord. “Do not profane my holy name” (Leviticus 22:32). They were sacrifices
in name only; a true sacrifice must cost something, and there was no pain involved in getting rid of
something already slated for culling. As God points out, giving such an inferior gift to another person
would be unthinkable—what made them think God would be pleased with it?

More importantly, each sacrifice was a symbol of the future sacrifice of Christ, who was “a lamb
without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19). The cheap, marred sacrifices of Malachi’s time were
travesties of Christ’s perfection.

The application for Christians today does not involve animal sacrifices, of course, nor is it even directly
related to financial offerings. Rather, it is a matter of treating God as holy. This concerns all areas of
life, ranging from how we speak of God, to how we obey Him and how willing we are to sacrifice
material things like finances.

The larger context of Malachi 1:6-14 deals with a variety of ways in which God’s people had dishonored
or cheated the Lord by their actions. Both the priests and those who presented offerings were
neglecting full obedience to God, giving sacrifices that were in violation of God’s Word. Today’s
churches are at risk of the same sin, in principle. Simply attending a service, singing songs, listening to
sermons, and giving offerings is not what God desires. He deserves the best, and He wants us, not just
our stuff.

First, He calls us to accept His Son, Jesus, by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), recognizing our sinful status in
relation to His perfection (Romans 3:23).

Second, God expects our full commitment to Him. While our works do not earn salvation or a right
standing with the Lord, He saves us to do the good works He has prepared for us. Ephesians 2:10 says,
“We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for
us to do.”

The sacrifice we offer today is our own selves. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing
to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). For a believer to knowingly continue in sin
is to present to the Lord a “blemished,” unholy sacrifice. God is holy, and He expects His children to
honor Him with purity and holiness (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16). Why would we
follow the sin of the ancient Israelites in treating the Lord with disrespect? God makes forgiveness
available to us (1 John 1:9), so there is no reason for living a sinful life.

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