The version used is KJV
Priming questions
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Are there any prophetical parts to what we have read so far? If so, how can we apply it today?
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Does the use of LORD of Hosts signify anything beyond, the literate translation of God (YHWH) of the People?
- Is Malachi the only prophet in OT where God compares Israel to His son and servant?
- What is the significance of shut door?
- What was the attitude of worship at the time of Malachi?
- Which group of people's responsibility is it that they have profaned the offerings?
LORD of Hosts
This phrase to signify YHWH comes in 261 time in OT. Its always to signify YHWH and not Lord or God.
The first occurence of this phrase appears in [1Sam1:3] when Elkanah goes up to Shiloh to worship YHWH. The word for hosts is צָבָא and means army, host of people, angels. Secondary meaning are also of war, warfare, service etc.
So we could infer that when Israel was fighting their enemies, they were fighting under the banner of the LORD of hosts and it was LORD who delivered the victory. In a similar fashion, since there is a constant battle waged by Satan, this could mean the hosts are organized group of angels ready to goto war.
LORD as Father and Master
Several prophets refer to Israel as the bride and the idolatory as harlotry. Only in few occasions that Israel is referred to as son prior to the use in Malachi. There is one reference in Hosea [Hos11:1], where God calls Him His son, whom He called out of Egypt. There are references in [Ex4:22] around Israel being God's son and even His first born.
Clarification on the term first born in these OT verses, eventhough Jacob was not the first born. The indication here is that of the primary sonship, where the son is equivalent in position to the father to lay claim on what is his father's. Hence the use of first born to Jacob, who came after Esau is prescient as it establishes the inheritance God has in store for Israel.
To honor thy father is a commandment. The word for honor is כָּבַד (kabad) which is translated to heavy, weighty, rich/enrich. Therefore to honor here means to magnify the position with weight and to treat with trust. The word fear in where is my fear is מוֹרָא (mora). This also has several meaning from reverence, awe-inspiring, terror, dread. This use of father and master can be seen as how God likes to have relationship with us, on the one hand a father is more of an equal when a son grows into the position of a man and takes on his father's name and inheritance and place. Whereas, a master servant relationship is that of subservience, where the two are clearly not equal and will never be. Even when the servant manages the master's house in absence he is still a servant. But a servant has no need but to satisfy the master, to be fully dependent on the master for all his needs. He also fully trusts in his master, like he does his father, but the trust here is that of a dependent trusting in authority.
God is our father as He created us [Deu32:18] and He is our master as He governs us [Jhn13:13] [Jde1:4]
Therefore we need to hold both of these in parallel as we worship - coming to the presence of God of the universe as a son - accessible and familial while having the attitude of reverence and respect as a servant to his master. One without the other yields a wierd god who is not our God. Treating God only as a loving father without the reverance of a master yields a Santa Claus like god, while only as a master with out the bond of the father yields a cold distant unrelatable entity like what the muslims workship.
Priests at this time
Although its hard to believe that just under 100 years after the return to Jerusalem, the Levites were not holy in how they consecrated themselves to serve the Lord. We see a inkling of this in [Neh13:4-14] when Eliashib did favor to Tobiah by descrating the holy place of God. Further in Nehemiah we see how the Sabbath day was desecrated when the returning people had no concept of the holiness of God. Further, we see how the son of Eliashib who was the high priest, Joiada was married to the daughter of Sanballat, the Horonite.
This state of apathy or non-chalance is depicted in verses 6-10 where the priests acted as if God was just a loving father or an absentee master, instead of holding both the honor of the father and the respect of a master.
This apathy and ignorance is also sang in [Isa1:3] - The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.
[Lev21:6] and the surrounding verses talk about how priests should be holy to God and not defile themselves or profane the name of God. [Lev22:22] specifically forbids offering blind, blemished, mutilated and unclean animals for sacrifice.
In contrast, in[Isa1:11-17] God is not accepting the fat of their well-fed beasts and multitudes of sacrifices, as their heart and deeds was not clean.
Therefore its not enough to offer the right offering to God, but come with a repentant heart and clean deeds.
Shut the gates
Typically the use of this phrase is to ensure, unwanted things or persons enter when they shouldnt.
[Neh13:19-22] talks about shutting the doors during sabbath to keep it holy.
[Mat6:6] talks of shutting the door while we pray in private, so as to not make a spectale of our prayer.
In [2Ki4:33] Elisha shuts the door behind him as he prays life into the dead boy of the shunnamite woman.
Shutting the door here can be literal in that the priests shouldnt allow anyone or even themselves to be let in to offer sacrifices in vain. This could also mean that they are to guard the sanctuary of God as holy and treat it with respect so the offering and sacrifice is given in private, as shown in 2Kings or Mat6.
The heart of the priests were vain and they treated their duty as priests as a chore and had derision in their attitude towards God. This is very sad to see as they surely must have known ths story of strange fire [Lev10:1], where a fire offering from Nadab and Abihu (sons of Aaron) was not commanded by God, and He consumes them in that instance. Or, the story of Uzzah in [2Sam6:3-8] when he tried to steady the ark as the oxen shook it and was struck to death immediately.
Spreading of God's glory
There are several instances in this chapter, where God speaks of His name being carried beyond the borders of Israel to the four corners of the world.
[Mal1:5] YHWH's greatness goes beyond the border of Israel
[Mal1:11] YHWH's name will great in all the nations across the earth and not only that, the inhabitants will offer incense upon His name, which will be pure to God. This is in direct contrast to what we looked above, where God is angry with the priests and doesnt accept their offerings.
[Mal1:14] God's name will be feared and revered among the nations
Applying the Word
As we study priesthood in OT for context, we get several set of precise instructions given by God via Moses and then through prophets in how the priests should act and worship. For how this applies to a post-temple sacrificial system as we now stand in 2019, we look to Romans and Hebrews.
First thing, we have the Holy Spirit in us and God is omni-present. This means there is no set time we have to visit a specific place to worship God, if we take the omnipresence of God, literally. We have to be vigilent at all times about how we treat the temple and the presence of God. Hence the fear and the reverence we fell is not a Sunday morning or Shabat worship time ritual, but an ever present solemness, that comes in recognizing God is present at all times. This has to be balanced with a mindful, deliberate worship time that we spend time through the day and week, where we conciously enter into the presence of God.
To me, this equates to few times of worship and prayer during the day, where I am engaged fully to focus and worship Lord Christ Jesus. At other times as I go about the day, I have to ensure I dont act like a heathen, but ensure I give thanks or atleast reflect on the accomplishment or the time thats been given by God.
[Rom12:1] talks about presenting our body as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God as a reasonable service. I think the word used logika latriea symbolizes the practical meaning of ensuring we cognitively think, reason and come to logical conclusions on how to present such a sacrifice in this age. Sacrifice and offering are often interchanged at times in various translations. The Hebrew word minchah is often used as both in various OT verses. In OT, we kill an animal, repenting of our sins and offer that as a sacrifice. Then the animal becomes the burnt offering. Similarly, we repent of our sins, look to the Cross for the perfect sacrifice and offer that to God. Hence the offering becomes our repentance, reflection, actions and attitude that follows in how live subsequent to that sacrifice. Offering in some usage also means to approach or near, both in the Hebrew and Greek. This is also appropriate here, as only through the cleansing of us from our sins, we can draw near to God.
What then of the body as a living sacrifice?
I am still studying for specific application of this, but for now, I gather the following. Our body is the temple of Holy Spirit [1Cor6:19], which means that we dont violate the temple by any sexual immorality or impurity. Not only was that abhorrance to God pre-Christ, it has to be more so now, as we have the Holy Spirit in us. This includes all forms of sexual perversion from lecherous behaviour to actual physical contact outside of marriage to pornography. Pornography, not only is an abhorrence to God (separate paper on this to follow), but foundationally destroys us with numbing our senses to God's creations and our brides. It diverts time and energy where there is not only no returns but leaves one with feeling horrible, which causes other psychological challenges. Once I understood what it would take not to desolate the temple, the next thing is to understand how to build up the temple. This could be to ensure I am disciplined in my body, by taking both physical and mental exercises seriously to ensure my body is sound and functioning to the best of its abilities. The physical exercise is not to look like a GQ model, but to be sturdy and vigorous enough to carry out the will of God - have the strength and the energy to keep God's commands. This also extends to ensuring others - brothers in Christ, are also strong in their walk with Christ. This derives from the fact that each of us are uniquely gifted to be the body of Christ. Hence, if I am sound of mind and body and worshipful, but see a brother falter, I need to ensure I encourage and help in anyway I can to ensure the body of Christ is an acceptable and reasonable sacrifice to God.
At this point, given body aches, pains and lack of self-discipline at times to workout or control the taste buds, I find myself often praying and asking God for more strength and His Spirit and Grace, so I can fulfill what is asked of me in the scriptures. The very way I need to be for God, has to come from His grace and by His working in me. Its not something I can will it or do by myself.