|
The songwriter E.A. Hoffman has given us the great hymn that says:
Down
at the cross where my Saviour died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His name.
The Psalmist said in Psa.29:2 "Give unto the Lord
the glory due to His name." In our study of Malachi 1:6 we find
the second complaint of God in the Book. It has to do due with the glory due to
His name.
The section (1:6 - 2:9) deals primarily with the priest's failure to live up to
their responsibilities. The prophet Malachi holds no punches as he condemns the
sinfulness of these Spiritual leaders and calls for repentance on their part.
A spiritual priest was a high office. They were the
spiritual leaders of the people. The people looked to them more than they did
the political leaders.
It was also a holy office. They stood between God and man. They were mediators
between God and man. They offered the spiritual sacrifices and carried out the
divine functions of the sacrifices and Temple.
Because of their high and holy office, Malachi condemns them and challenges
them. In verse 6, we see that God
was not being given the glory due to His name.
First, we see:
1.
A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!
In verse 6, we see a two-fold relationship described that
each believer has with God. It describes a special relationship that God's
children have with their Lord.
First, we see that we are:
A.
Son's Of God
This relationship with God as His sons is expressed throughout the Bible. We
read in Exodus 4:22, "And thou shalt say unto
Pharaoh, 'Thus saith the LORD, Israel is My son, even My firstborn."
We also see the same thought in Duet. 32:6 "Is not
He thy Father that bought thee?"
What a special relationship thus described! We are the son's of God. We read in
John 1:12, "But as many as received Him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God."
On March 23, 1956, in Lexington, North Carolina, I was born physically into the
Trivette family. On April 2, 1972, I was born spiritually and became a member of
God's family. I've had an earthly birth and I have had a heavenly birth. I have
been born of woman and I have been born of God. I have been born of the flesh
and I have been born of the Spirit.
When I think about being a son of God I feel somewhat like the little adopted
boy. The kids at school began teasing him because he was adopted. He came home
crying one afternoon and when he told his mother that his friends were making
fun of him because he was adopted, his mother sat him down and said, "Son, years
ago, me and your dad wanted children real bad. But we found out we could not
have any children on our own. We went down to the hospital and looked at all
kinds of babies. We looked at big babies, little babies, fat babies, skinny
babies, pretty babies, and even ugly babies. Out of all of them we picked you."
That seemed to satisfy the little fellow. The next day at school when they began
to tease him he answered, "There was a day when mom and dad went down to the
hospital. They looked at little babies, fat babies, skinny babies, pretty
babies, and even ugly babies, and out of all them babies they picked me. But
when you came along your mom and dad had to take what they got."
Secondly, we see that we are:
B.
Servants Of God
The truth of being a servant of God, like being a son of God, is often expressed
in the Bible. We read in Exodus 3:12 "And He said,
'Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have
sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the People out of Egypt, ye shall serve
God upon this mountain."'
Also we read in Exodus 9:1 "Then the LORD said unto Moses,
'Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let
My People go that they may serve Me."
The word "Servant" carries the connotation of a "bond slave."
It speaks of one who had been purchased and owed his life to his master.
We have not only been made the Sons of God, but
also the Servants of God. We have a special relationship and as well a special
responsibility. We are not only loved by God as his son, but used by God as His
servant. We read in Romans 6:22 "But now being made free
from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness."
So, we see that the special relationship that exists between
God and His people is that of a Father and a son and that of a Master and a
servant.
Secondly, we see:
2. A SERIOUS REBUKE BY GOD
God says, "I am your Father and Master, But you have not regarded Me
so." They had a special relationship with God
but a sacrilegious
regard for
God. Their relationship with
God was real but not relevant.
We see:
A.
A Relationship That Was Dishonored.
God says to them, "If I am your Father, why have you not honored Me? If I am
your Master, why have you not feared Me? God was telling them that they had
honored Him as sons and they had not feared Him as servants. As their Father they had not
reverenced God. The word "honor" is a
word that means "glory." As their Father, God was worthy of and
deserving of honor and glory, but they had deprived God of these. As sons they
had not reverenced God.
As their Master they had not respected God. The word "fear" means to
respect. As their Lord and Master God deserved respect, but again this was
withheld. As Servants they had not respected God.
When you think about it, their treatment of God is abnormal, abominable, and
appalling. Yet, in many ways we treat God the same way. As His sons we dishonor
Him. As His servants we disrespect Him. We don't worship Him as our Father and
we don't work for Him as our Master. We are often like disobedient children and
rebellious teenagers. Under the law God made it clear that a son was to honor
his father (Exodus 2O:l2 "Honor thy father and thy mother"). This was a
mandatory matter. In fact, it was a capital crime for a child to dishonor their
father or mother.
Also a servant was to respect his master. A servant was under
obligation to be submissive and obedient. Do you think that God expects anything
less from we that are His sons and servants? Ten thousand times no! We are to be
loving of Him. We are to be living for Him. We are to be loyal to Him. To give
Him anything less than is a dishonoring of the relationship we have with Him!
We also see:
B.
A Revelation That Was Despised.
A name to us is mostly a way of identifying or addresses someone. But in those
days a name was much more. A name represented the essence of one's being.
I heard about one fellow who appeared before a judge to have his name changed.
The judge said, "I see here that your name is Bill Stinks. I believe I
understand why you would want to change your name. What would you like to have
it changed to?" The man said, "Joe
Stinks." A name doesn't always have much meaning to it.
God's name was actually a revelation of Himself. For example, you find the name
"The LORD
of Hosts" found
in verse 4, 6,8,9,10,11, and 14. The word for "Hosts" is "sebaoth"
which is used in several different in the Old Testament. It was used of Israel's
armies. It was used of the Sun, moon, and stars. It was also used of the
angelic hosts of heaven.
The name appears to have originated in the time of the Judges as a designation
of the Lord as the commander of the armies of Israel. Robert L. Ottley noted
that the name "Lord of Hosts" was a "name of memories and
triumphs." The name was a revelation of God that He was the Lord of all
armies, a Lord of triumphs.
All of God's name reveals something about His person, nature, attributes, and
His relationship to His people and the world. (Cp. VS. 11) Malachi says, "Ye
have despised the name of God." The word "despised" means to regard with
contempt. It literally means, "to raise the head disdainfully." It is repudiate
a thing as worthless.
I think of Esau (Gen 25:34). He despised his birthright, that is he took lightly
his birthright, thumbed his nose at it. God was saying, "You have taken lightly
Who I am. You have considered Me worthless and needless in your life." They were
dishonoring of the relationship they had with God and disdainful of the
revelation they had of God.
Yet, we are often guilty of the same. We live our lives as if God is not
important, needed, or relevant. We go on our merry ways, do our own things, be
our own person, with no thoughts of God, no time for God, no turning to God. I
remind you of Psalm 29:2 "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name."
Lastly, notice with me:
3.
THE SAD RESPONSE TO GOD!
It was like the people were saying, "What do you mean we have despised Your
name." One described their response as an "atrophy of the will."
First, we see that their
response reveals:
A.
A Hard Heart.
Their hearts were dull, calloused, and hard. Their conscience was without an
accusing voice. We read in Mark 3:5 that Jesus was "grieved for the hardness of
their hearts." How it must have grieved the heart of God as He saw them and
listened to them.
Secondly, their response reveals:
B.
A Hypocritical Heart.
They were not willing to accept responsibility. They were unwilling to
acknowledge their sin and treatment of God. As far as they were concerned, they
had done nothing wrong and said so. They claimed to be one thing and lived
another.
HOW DO YOU TREAT GOD?
|