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The Malachi Priesthood
By Adam Bartlett
Malachi was considered the last prophet between the Old Testament and Jesus’ arrival, with the exception of John the Baptist. Throughout the history of the Old Testament God would periodically send messages to His people through chosen prophets. Most of these messages were aimed at the error of that time and getting the people to recognize that they had left God’s commands and guidelines for them. Sometimes these prophets were required to make repeat visits and give repeated messages of warning from God to a people that would not listen.
There was a time when the people returned from captivity in Babylon under Ezra who also had the Temple rebuilt and restored the reading of the law back to the people. Ezra was also there when worship was restored because the Temple was being rebuilt. Once the foundation was complete there was a great worship service in which people could hear it from far away. Nehemiah then returned a few years later to rebuild the walls of the city and make Jerusalem a livable city again. God’s House was restored and now the city in which He chose to have His Name dwell was again inhabited by His people. This was a time of great revival and worship and sacrifice was restored to God’s people and city.
Malachi is believed to have come on the scene about 40 years after this great revival and needless to say the spiritual atmosphere was much less than that of a revival. In fact it had deteriorated to such a point that the spiritual abuses had crept into the sacrificial system as well as the people themselves. So how does this apply to us today? Well, to answer that we need to see what Malachi had to say.
Malachi 1
6: A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
7: Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
8: And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
I want to look at several things in these verses that apply more to this church in our time as much if not more than any church in history. I know that this country was blessed at its inception because it was founded on God’s principles and made its laws as extensions of His law. This country was also strong in its Christian heritage until the last fifty years. It has drastically moved farther away and at a faster pace in the last twenty years and it is like a snowball going down a hill and gaining momentum as well as mass. The mass that is attaching itself to this snowball of immorality is not just the lost which is to be expected, but it is also a majority of those that call themselves Christians. How can I say this? Simply and confidently because all one has to do is open their eyes and ask for spiritual sight to see. In 2 Kings 6:15-18 Elisha’s servant seen the army of Syria and feared. Elisha knew that God was there and protecting him because He was His servant and asked that God open his servant’s eyes to see what Elisha already knew existed.
You see, the evidence of our country’s blessings was in our spiritual condition and the fact that we were a Christian nation. Now we are as spiritually blind as Elisha’s servant was and I fear there is no chance that the eyes will be opened in time. Look at what Malachi said in vs. 6; do we honor God, nationally or in our churches? Nationally it is very evident that the answer is no, and in our churches I believe it is unfortunately the same. First of all we need to know what it means to “honor” God. It is interesting that two different words are used in this verse. The “honor” for the earthly father is the word “Kavad” and it refers to earthly or material status. A father is honored for his standing in society by what he has or has obtained to make him what he is. The word used in respect to the honor directed to God our Father is the word, “Kavod” and it is referring to being esteemed due to glory and majesty.
Can we honestly say that our churches today are “honoring” God or man? Most churches do not have altar calls, do not preach on sin, hell, or the fact that we must be sanctified and separated from a sinful world. They have moved to the conventional approach to the extent that they use marketing techniques to draw crowds and most don’t even recognize that false teachings have infiltrated their congregations. How can these churches and their ministers honor God when they are basically just throwing their flock to the wolves to fend for themselves? They do not teach nor prepare their congregations to face the onslaught of the enemy, nor do they prepare them for spiritual battle of any sort. They are sent out to attack hell with water pistols and plastic armor and the Biblical knowledge of a first grader. There is no respect for God nor in the place the congregation meets in, rather it is a place of entertainment and messages to ease the itching ears. There is no honor and there is no fear of the Lord in most churches today. The bigger the church the more successful in man’s eyes today. The fact is that in almost all cases, the bigger the church the deader the spiritual climate.
Although this message is directed at the priests of Malachi’s time it applies to all of us on an individual basis. We cannot simply blame the pastors and ministers because we are all commanded to “Study to show ourselves approved,” and we are to “Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” We then see an interesting statement by the priests at the end of vs. 6 when they claim ignorance by saying basically, “What have we done, how have we done wrong.” This is exactly the attitude of the majority of Christians today because our society has created a generation that does not know what the word “self accountability” means. It is a combination of the fact that our “Pride” will not allow us to admit error and the fact that in most cases we are actually spiritually blind to our condition.
God tells them directly that they have polluted His altar by sacrificing lame and crippled sacrifices. The sacrifice was to be spotless according to the law and it was made to cover the sins. They were so blind spiritually and so disrespectful to God’s commands that they offered whatever was convenient or whatever took little effort. In fact to make the point God asked them if their “governor” would accept what they were trying to pawn off on God as a sacrifice. This is the mindset of the majority of Christians today in regard to their spiritual condition. Fasting, praying, studying, and praise and worship are not genuine but only fleshly displays to boost spiritual egos and not solidify any spiritual application to our soul. To put it plainly, the majority of Christians today are simply “Going Through The Motions.” There is no substance in their spirituality and they are no different than the priest of Malachi.
I want to share some scriptures that verify what I am saying about this generation and their spiritual condition. Jesus said these things and it is not just my opinion on this:
In Matthew 13 the parable of the Sower and the Seeds there was only one seed that was prosperous. In Matthew 7 He said “narrow is the way and few there be that find it.” In Matthew 25 there are only “five” wise virgins that make it, and only “one” of the three servants made it. In Luke 18 Jesus makes this statement, “When the Son of Man cometh shall he find faith on the earth?” All these statements by Jesus do not indicate what the churches are promoting today. It is unfortunate that the majority of the church today will be as the foolish virgins because they are choosing to listen to man instead of what the Bible says.
The church today is a mirror image of this one spoken of by Jesus:
Revelation 3
14: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16: So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17: Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
The church today is just like the Laodiceans because they see nothing wrong with themselves and they get defensive when they are brought into question. Their pride has blinded them to their true spiritual condition. I pray all the time that I do not become a foolish virgin, or slothful servant. Why? Because it is easy to get ensnared and I do not want to think that I am beyond this. These virgins were all together for the same reason, they all had lamps, they were all lit at one time. They all originally had oil, and they all slept together! I also don’t want to be a wise virgin and wait till it is too late to expose the condition of the foolish virgins. I want them to get the oil now while there is still time.
Just as Malachi warned the church of his day God is sending warnings to the church of today. The question is, will this church listen or will they plead ignorance as those of the Priesthood of Malachi?
Sincerely in Christ, Adam
Bible Headquarters
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