Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Malachi 1-4
Malachi 1:8
And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
It is a sin to respect and honor anyone more than the Lord God. This is the concept Malachi is trying to convey to the people of His day. But it was the way it was, and it, unfortunately, is the way it is today. Many put their employers, elected officials, and others in their lives above the Lord God of Heaven. Yet, the first commandment is still in effect, Jesus said so. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:30
Evidently, in Malachi’s day the people were bringing polluted sacrifices to God. According to his statements in 1:13 they wearied the Lord by bringing to him that which was torn, lame, and sick as their offerings. It’s like they may have thought, “That lamb over there has some deformity, or is otherwise not a great specimen and will not bring a top price, I’ll give that one to the priest for sacrifice.” This type of thinking grieved the Lord.
Many are like that today. One time someone gave our church a car. On the phone the person made it out like this car was perfect. In real life it wasn’t. Not only was the vehicle mechanically unsafe, but it was also absolutely the dirtiest interior ever. Imagine the worst condition of the inside of a car then multiply that by one thousand percent. It was awful. You couldn’t see out of the windows they were so dirty. But the church could use it, that is what the donor must have thought. When will someone ever give a brand-new car to a church to use? I wonder, would that person have given the car, in that condition, to their employer, or to their mayor, or even to their doctor? Probably not, but they gave it to their Lord. We literally had to drag it off to its grave. But the donor sure did want that letter of donation.
The point is, give God your best. He deserves such.
Congratulations, you have read the entire Old Testament. Through it a foundation has been laid for a deeper understanding of the Lord Jesus, His ministry, the world situation during His life, and the history of His people. I trust you have learned much and the time reading your Bible has become a good daily habit. If any one thing you have learned sticks out in your mind please share. Mine is the explanation of the replacement of the first born being given to God for service to the tribe of the Levites being God’s servants. This was way back in Numbers 3. I cannot get over the precision of the Lord in that matter. He thinks and performs to the “nth” degree. The way He perfectly replaced them and redeemed the firstborn financially was captivating. But then I’m a Scripture nerd!
On to Matthew, at last…
Dr. William T. Howe
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