Good Morning Friends,
“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his
master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is
the respect due me?’ says the LORD Almighty. It is you, O priests, who show
contempt for my name. But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ You
place defiled food on my altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying
that the LORD’s table is contemptible. ‘When you bring blind animals for
sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals,
is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with
you? Would he accept you?’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Malachi 1:6-8)
Father -- Master -- Ruler -- God compares
Himself to all three of these earthly roles. He speaks through the prophet
Malachi to ask His people if they have treated Him even as well as they would
treat an earthly father, master, or ruler.
An earthly father receives honor. That was
especially true in the culture of the Middle East. They gave honor to their
elders and especially to their fathers. They listened to his words. They did
what he asked. They provided for him. But God points out that, though He is
their heavenly Father, they do not even treat Him with the kind of honor an
earthly father receives.
An earthly master receives respect. The
culture to which Malachi wrote was a culture of slavery. The servants were
required to treat their masters with respect. Any disrespect would be punished severely.
They gave quick obedience to any demand of their master. But God points out
that, though He is their almighty Master, they do not even treat Him with the
kind of respect and obedience that an earthly servant receives.
An earthly ruler receives good gifts. When
they brought taxes or gifts to the ruler, they made sure they brought things which
were good enough for him -- animals without handicap, garments without flaw. They
did so out of respect and out of fear. But God points out that, though He is their
eternal Ruler, they bring Him handicapped animals and sacrifices that are flawed.
They do not even treat Him with the respect they do their earthly rulers.
The question is -- does the way you treat God
demonstrate the honor, respect, and worth that He deserves?
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment