The Despised Father And Master
Malachi is the last Old Testament book, and appears to be God's final word through the prophets prior to the years of silence foretold by Amos (Amos 8:11-12). Malachi identified his message as "The burden of the word of the Lord..." (Malachi 1:1). He brought harsh words to chasten Israel, and especially her priests. What prompted the LORD to give these difficult sayings to the prophet? It was because of the LORD's love for His people (Malachi 1:2), but their lack of reciprocation. Let us consider Malachi 1 in our study today.
God Is Worthy Of Honor And Reverence (Malachi 1:6a)
Surely, a father is due honor from his son. The apostle Paul, in addressing the young stated, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." (Ephesians 6:1-3; cf. Deuteronomy 5:16). How serious is the Lord when it comes to children obeying and honoring their parents? Under the law of Moses, the rebellious child would be taken to the gates of the city, and stoned (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).
Equally, a master is due reverence from his servant. Paul commands that those who "...are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrien may not be blasphemed." (1 Timothy 6:1; cf. Titus 2:9-10). The apostle Peter reveals that this respect is not just for the good, but also for harsh masters (1 Peter 2:18-21).
The LORD is greater than any human father, and is a perfect and holy Master. But, His people failed to give Him the honor and reverence due. Even when the LORD brought them forth from Egypt, they were a crowd of thankless complainers. As their history continued, they became a flock of shameless idolaters, for which reason, the LORD brought the Babylonian captivity upon them. At Malachi's time, though they had left their idolatry behind, they remained thankless, and had become uninterested in the things of God.
You Priests Who Despise My Name (Malachi 1:6-8, 12-14)
When the LORD has declared some evil done on our part, the appropriate response is for us to repent and do better. What was the response of the people in Malachi's day? An arrogant, defensive, excusing reply filled with half-heartedness and rationalization. Basically, "We're doing the sacrifices, what more do you want?"
“He brought harsh words to chasten Israel, and especially her priests.”
Where should He start? They offered defiled sacrifices, which was a violation of God's law and an emblem of their lack of respect for the LORD (Malachi 1:7-8; Deuteronomy 15:21). They counted the table of God a common thing (Malachi 1:7), and so corrupted their sacrifices that God preferred that they not serve before Him at all (Malachi 1:10). They counted the service of God a "weariness" (Malachi 1:13), and thus gave less than a mediocre effort.
Entreat God's Favour (Malachi 1:9-11)
God's favour is not upon those who do wickedly. Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), and God is far from those who serve Him in vain (Micah 3:11). The Jews were commanded to entreat the favour of God, for they had fallen out of favour with the Lord. Should they continue in the course they were in, God would have preferred that they simply close up the temple, and cease to serve before Him as they did.
Today, God deserves honor and reverence from His people. He is worthy. Have we failed to honor Him as our heavenly Father? Are we guilty of not approaching before Him as our Master in a spirit of reverence?
Have we become as the priests of Israel, and begun to despise the name of the LORD? All who are Christians are priests before the Lord today (1 Peter 2:9). We are called to exalt the name of the Lord; to keep the vow of service which we have made to Him (Ecclesiastes 5:4). The Jews of Malachi's day gave their governor greater service than to the Lord. In so doing, they esteemed men above God, the creature over the Creator. Let us do no such thing.
Finally friend, let us entreat the favour of God. To do so, we must approach God on His terms, not our own. So many have the thought that they can do what they will when it comes to worship and service before the Lord. The Jews openly turned from the standard given by God, and lowered the standard to what they were comfortable with. Such is not the nature of worship or service. It is not about our likes and dislikes, our wants and preferences. Our commitment to the Lord is to serve Him according to His every word; to present ourselves holy before Him, for He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-17; Romans 12:1-2). May we do so, giving both honor and reverence to our great God and Father.
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Answering The Atheist
The Atheist's Complaint:
How many generations from Jesus to Abraham? Matthew 1:17 says there are 42 generations (14x3), but if we look at Matthew 1:2-16, there are only 41. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
If the record of generations given in Matthew 1 were to be a mere mathematical problem, then the questioner would be correct, 14x3=42, but there are only 41 listed. However, we are not looking at a mathematical problem, but at a record of history. There are at least a couple of viable explanations to this supposed contradiction.
1) Abraham To David; David to the Captivity
The wording of Matthew 1:17 has caused some to suggest that David's name is included in both the 1st and 2nd grouping of generations. Notice, "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations..." The writer does not express his intent as revealing 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus, but 3 segments of Jewish history, each comprised of 14 generations. It is plausible that David's name being mentioned twice (Matthew 1:17) indicates his inclusion in both the first and second groupings. If so, then:
- the 1st begins with Abraham and ends with David, 14 generations
- the 2nd begins with David and ends with Josiah, 14 generations
- the 3rd begins with Jeconiah and ends with Jesus, 14 generations
2) Where's Jehoiakim?
In the listing of Jesus' forefathers, there is a name missing. Excluded from the list is Jehoiakim (a.k.a. Eliakim), who was Josiah's son and Jeconiah's father (1 Chronicles 3:15-16). The reason for his exclusion may be that he was a puppet king, given his rule by the Pharaoh of Egypt. The first phase of the captivity of Judah by Babylon began at the end of Jehoiakim's reign, prior to his son Jeconiah coming into power. Thus, the 3 groupings of 14 generations would include:
- Abraham to David;
- Solomon to Jehoiakim (he is not mentioned, but was among the first to be carried off into Babylon); and
- Jeconiah to Jesus.
There may be other possible explanations for the existence of only 41 names in the genealogy of Matthew 1, even though verse 17 speaks of 3 groupings of 14. Regardless, these two suffice to demonstrate that there is not a contradiction.
This article is in response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible.