8 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.
Once again, the text for today is pointing out what a difference it is when our hearts are not in the right condition.
God is upset over the offerings the priests are pawning off as worthy sacrifices. Their hearts are polluted and they are trying to short-change God. They truly don't understand the reason for worship. They don't understand the God they claim to worship. They are standing at the altar of God and offering, not the best of the best, but the imperfect and diseased animals. The ones they would throw away.How often do we do the same? It is hard to part with something we worked hard and long for - but giving it to God isn't parting with it, it is letting go of that which isn't ours to begin with. This is a difficult concept to accept or even believe when we are new to the faith. It is a new way to practice our faith, to step out and trust that God will take care of us.
I am remembering when we first began to practice tithing. It was hard. First I was afraid my husband wouldn't buy into this. I was not ready to bring the subject up, as we were both pretty new to in our walk with Jesus and we were in a financial mess.
I didn't have to say a thing. God had been working on my husband's heart at the same time He was working on mine. It was his suggestion that we start to give our 10% to God. Whew! What a relief. God took care of that right before my eyes. Then He also started to take care of our financial problems.
Malachi 1:14 (MSG)
14 "A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I'm a great king, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I'll not put up with it!
God is good...all the time.
Malachi 1:6-14
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