Matthew Henry Commentary Malachi 1
Matthew Henry Commentary
Malachi 1
Matthew Henry Commentary
Malachi 1
"The burden of the word of Jehovah to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob`s brother, saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob; but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and [gave] his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever. And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, Jehovah be magnified beyond the border of Israel." — Malachi 1:1-5 (ASV)
All advantages, either as to outward circumstances, or spiritual privileges, come from the free love of God, who makes one differ from another. All the evils sinners feel and fear are the just recompense of their crimes, while all their hopes and comforts are from the unmerited mercy of the Lord.
He chose his people that they might be holy. If we love him, it is because he has first loved us; yet we all are prone to undervalue the mercies of God, and to excuse our own offences.
"A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I am a father, where is mine honor? and if I am a master, where is my fear? saith Jehovah of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of Jehovah is contemptible. And when ye offer the blind for sacrifice, it is no evil! and when ye offer the lame and sick, it is no evil! Present it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee? or will he accept thy person? saith Jehovah of hosts. And now, I pray you, entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he accept any of your persons? saith Jehovah of hosts. Oh that there were one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle [fire on] mine altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, saith Jehovah of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name [shall be] great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense [shall be] offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name [shall be] great among the Gentiles, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of Jehovah is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even its food, is contemptible. Ye say also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith Jehovah of hosts; and ye have brought that which was taken by violence, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye bring the offering: should I accept this at your hand? saith Jehovah. But cursed be the deceiver, who hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King, saith Jehovah of hosts, and my name is terrible among the Gentiles." — Malachi 1:6-14 (ASV)
We may each apply to ourselves the charge made here against the priests. Our relationship to God, as our Father and Master, strongly obligates us to fear and honor Him. But they were so scornful that they mocked correction. Sinners ruin themselves by trying to suppress their convictions. Those who live in careless neglect of holy ordinances, who attend them without reverence, and leave them without any concern, in effect say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
They despised God's name in what they did. It is evident that these priests did not understand the meaning of the sacrifices as foreshadowing the unblemished Lamb of God. They resented the expense, thinking everything was wasted that did not benefit them. If we worship God ignorantly and without understanding, we bring the blind for sacrifice. If we do it carelessly, if we are cold, dull, and dead in it, we bring the sick. If we rest in the bodily exercise and do not engage our hearts in it, we bring the lame. And if we allow vain thoughts and distractions to lodge within us, we bring the torn.
And is this not evil? Is it not a great affront to God, and a great wrong and injury to our own souls? For our actions to be accepted by God, it is not enough to do what is, in itself, good; but we must do it from a right principle, in a right manner, and for a right end. Our constant mercies from God make worse our slothfulness and stinginess in our dutiful responses to God.
A spiritual worship will be established. Incense shall be offered to God's name, which signifies prayer and praise. And it will be a pure offering. When the hour came in which the true worshippers worshipped the Father in Spirit and in truth, then this incense was offered, even this pure offering. We may rely on God's mercy for pardon for the past, but not for permission to sin in the future.
If there is a willing mind, it will be accepted, though defective; but if anyone is a deceiver, devoting his best to Satan and to his lusts, he is under a curse. People now, though in a different way, profane the name of the Lord, pollute His table, and show contempt for His worship.
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