Malachi 1:11-13

God wants the whole of us, not just the broken parts, but the talents that He has given us. The best of our money, our time, and our heart are God’s and He wants to use them to show others the love and caring that He has for all of His creation. We need to be doers not hearers of His word. I am as guilty of this as everyone else but I am vowing to make a change and make a difference in the coming years.

The imperfect sacrifices of the priests and people demonstrated the content of their hearts. The people were not sincere. To sacrifice a perfect, healthy animal looked to them like a waste, and they considered the work of preparing their gifts properly to be a foolish use of time and energy. Malachi confronted this attitude with the Law of God, which clearly demanded unblemished sacrifices and sincere hearts. Malachi also confronted the people with God’s judgment of their actions. God was perfectly aware of what they were doing and the condition of their hearts. No sacrifices at all would have been better than second-rate and insincere ones. The people were not giving “sacrifices”; they were merely doing what was convenient, just enough to appear to obey God. Then they would turn around and pat themselves on the back for being righteous.

Malachi 1:11-13

¹¹ For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, 
My name shall be great among the Gentiles; 
In every place incense shall be offered to My name, 
And a pure offering; 
For My name shall be great among the nations,” 
Says the Lord of hosts. 

¹² “But you profane it, 
In that you say, 
‘The table of the Lord is defiled; 
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ 

¹³ You also say, 
‘Oh, what a weariness!’ 
And you sneer at it,” 
Says the Lord of hosts. 
“And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; 
Thus you bring an offering! 
Should I accept this from your hand?” 
Says the Lord.