Sunday: Great Is the Lord

Read Malachi 1.What problem is the prophet addressing?

Image © Janet Hyun from GoodSalt.com

How, today, might we be guilty of the same attitude that led to this rebuke?

Malachi contrasts God’s love for His people with the attitude of the priests, whom he charges with the sin of contempt for God’s holy name. When performing their duties in the temple, these descendants of Aaron accepted lame, blind, and sick animals for sacrifices to the Lord. In this way the people were led astray into thinking that sacrifices were not important. Yet, God had instructed Aaron and his sons in the wilderness that sacrificial animals should be physically perfect, without blemish (see Lev. 1:1-3, 22:19).

The prophet then lists three important reasons why God deserved to be honored and respected by the people of Israel. First, God is their Father. Just as children should honor their parents, so the people must respect their Father in heaven. Second, God is their Master and Lord. Just as servants obey their masters, so God’s people should treat Him in the same way. Third, the Lord is a great King, and an earthly king would not accept a defective or sickly animal as a gift from one of His subjects. So, the prophet is asking why the people would present such an animal to the King of kings, the One who rules over the whole world.

What, of course, makes their actions even more heinous in the sight of God is that these sacrifices were all pointing to Jesus, the spotless Son of God (John 1:29, 1 Pet. 1:18-19). The animals were to be without blemish because Jesus had to be without blemish in order to be our perfect sacrifice.

“To the honor and glory of God, His beloved Son—the Surety, the Substitute—was delivered up and descended into the prisonhouse of the grave. The new tomb enclosed Him in its rocky chambers. If one single sin had tainted His character the stone would never have been rolled away from the door of His rocky chamber, and the world with its burden of guilt would have perished.”—Ellen G. White,Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, p. 385. Is there any wonder, then, that the sacrifices which pointed to Jesus had to be perfect?

26 comment(s) for this post:

John Gilmore:
22 Jun 2013 I'm so thankful for His perfect life, and for the power of the Holy Spirit to help us follow His example. He was the perfect Lamb, and He calls us to reflect His character to those around us. God, help us to keep our eyes on Him.
Delia Robin:
22 Jun 2013 Perfection can only come from a perfect God. To offer God any service that is not our best should then never be offered. In saving sinners like us God had a perfect plan and a perfect sacrifice. He sent his perfect Son. May we by the grace of God endeavor to unite our effort with The Lord to give Him the perfect service, devotion and praise.
Onyiri Esor Chukwuemeka:
22 Jun 2013 Christ perfect life as was demonstrated on earth was the true representation of God the father. Note that Christ was not crucified because of the sin he committed but for the sin of ours - what a sacrificial lamb for the benefit of the whole world. We owe him nothing but to serve him in truth and in spirit because he did what no man can do on earth. Look unto the cross and see how you can emulate the life of Christ and be saved.
olaotse Gabasiane:
22 Jun 2013 There is a great lesson to learn here from what the priests could have done right. Fortunately, God expects His followers not to blindly follow the priests, but to follow the Example of Jesus Christ all the time. He lived His best, for the rest of us to follow His Way. May God lead us day by day so we could be an example to those who need to know and follow Him
Clifford Watson:
22 Jun 2013 The people of God ( The Jews ) were required to offer spotless animal sacrifices, pointing to the supreme sinless sacrifice, Jesus Christ, who would have come and died for the sins of all.Similarly, We as God's people, are required to place all that we have and are on the altar of sacrifice.This means, that we should give the best of all we are and have to the service of the Lord.
jolayemi:
22 Jun 2013 As we present ourselves as living sacrifices (romans 12:1,2) His perfect example encourages us that we can be perfect too!
Norman Chiparaushe:
22 Jun 2013 Romans 12:1-2, also shows us how we should present ourselves as a living sacrifice. With the same measure of Jesus Christ. Amen.