elementor domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /mnt/customers/customers-bh-108dcf/575c8d22-9e37-4570-b449-7bc62225f920/wp-content/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6260
When spiritual leaders lower God’s standards, everyone suffers. Malachi confronts priests who despise God’s great name (1:6–14) and warns that they themselves will be despised by all (2:1–9). God holds those who teach and lead to a higher standard—because his name is great and his people deserve truth.
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord‘s table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. 9 And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10 Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food, may be despised. 13 But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.
“And now, O priests, this command is for you. 2 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. 4 So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, 9 and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”
This transcript has been automatically generated
It’s always hard to follow a major sporting triumph. I was encouraged to hear one person applying the morning session by shouting at an unsuccessful Spanish penalty taker, Jesus loves you!
Till they added, for missing. We do have a fairly serious subject to think about this evening though. We’re thinking about standards. How much does God mind when the leaders of his people lower his standards. A couple of years ago, the Bishop of Oxford published a pamphlet in which he argued that the Church of England should bless same-sex relationships.
And I use the example of the Bishop of Oxford because he is well aware, in fact, he would happily admit, that to do such a thing would be against God’s good design for creation, which we were looking at in 1 Timothy 2. And against God’s good law, which we were looking at in 1 Timothy 1. He’s well aware of that. But he feels it would be necessary to do so if the Church wants to survive in a modern age. If we delay further with taking such action, I fear, he writes, that the consequences for the future mission and life of the Church, for our relationship with the nation, and for the future course of the Christian faith in this country will be severe.
The Bishop does not suggest abandoning all of the Bible’s teaching on sexual morality.
He simply wishes, in his own words, to have a modest redrawing of the boundaries of what constitutes sexual immorality. In other words, don’t abandon God’s standards entirely, just lower the bar a little bit. To keep the church alive, to keep the doors open.
Adapt and survive. It’s a common argument. And not only on that particular issue, it’s just an example, not only among Church of England bishops. Much closer to home, we see exactly the same sort of thinking. A pastor who everyone knows is a bit of a bully is allowed to continue in leadership because the ministry is growing.
A popular evangelistic course steers away from difficult subjects like God’s judgement because it might put people off. A PCC allows a silent disco to play explicit music in their church building because it’s the only way to raise funds for the new roof.
A Christian student goes on leading a school CU even though they no longer quite agree with everything that the Bible says because if they don’t lead it, then— Nobody else will.
Sometimes you have to adapt and survive, don’t you?
You don’t abandon God’s standards entirely, but you might need to just lower the bar a little bit for the sake of the Gospel.
So thought the priests in Malachi’s day. We saw last night that Malachi spoke to a disappointed people. They felt God had given up on them. And so, They had begun to give up on God. They knew from the Law of Moses that they were meant to bring only unblemished sacrifices to the temple— healthy, whole animals, their best.
But many had begun to bring animals that were lame or blind or sick, blemished in some way. After all, if God hadn’t given them what they wanted, why should they give Him what He wanted?
And that left the priests with a bit of a dilemma. See, it was their job to police the quality of the sacrifices. If they accepted the sacrifices, then they would be deliberately going against God’s standards. But if they turned the sacrifices away, then that would be a big problem for them. The people might not come back at all.
And so the priests would have to go hungry. That was where their food came from.
It would also be a problem for God. No sacrifices, no priests. No priests, no temple. No temple, no forgiveness. No presence of God, no relationship with God.
No centre of witness to the nations around them.
Sometimes you have to adapt and survive, don’t you? Surely God would rather that the temple stayed open Just by lowering the standard a little bit.
Surely God wouldn’t mind.
But the fact is, God does mind. He really minds.
In fact, he despises it.
Because teachers who lower his standards, even just a bit, are despising his great name, and he will make them despised by all.
First, teachers who lower God’s standards despise his great name. Malachi began by demonstrating God’s faithfulness to his people. I have loved you, says the Lord. Now he turns to expose the faithlessness of the people themselves. He prosecutes them, and the prosecution lasts for the next 2 passages.
I’m afraid it means the next 2 talks are going to be fairly hard-hitting. He will get to grace, but before the judge can offer to commute the sentence, can offer restoration, the crime must be exposed.
He starts with the priests. Look down again at verse 6. A son honours his father and a servant his master. If I then am a Father, where is my honour? And if I am a Master, where is my fear?
Says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. Like the last passage, they reply with a question. How have we despised your name? Didn’t touch him, ref.
We’re only trying to keep your temple open, God. If you’ve got a problem with the sacrifices, take it up with the people bringing them. Priests got to eat.
Well, God does do exactly that in verse 14. He takes it up with the cursed cheat who has a male in his flock and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. But he puts most of the blame on the priests and especially on their words. Perhaps you noticed it as we read the passage earlier. Verse 7, halfway through the verse, but you say, how have we polluted you?
By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. Or verse 12, but you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted and its fruit, that is its food, may be despised.
Or verse 13, but you say, what a weariness this is! And you snort at it.
Or in the next chapter, chapter 2, verses 7 and 8, for the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. It’s their words that are the problem.
He singles out the priests because they are teaching the people that it is okay to lower God’s standards in order to protect their ministry.
And their stomachs.
But God says it is not okay.
You are despising my name.
God’s name in the Bible is his fame, his reputation, his esteem. And you can see the way things should be in verse 11. For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a a pure offering, for my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. And in case you didn’t get it the first time, he says it again in verse 14. Again, halfway through the verse.
For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations. God is the supreme ruler of the universe, the Lord of hosts. As Malachi calls him 10 times in this passage, the God with 12 legions of angels at his command.
And yet these priests treat him with less honour than a human ruler. A son honours his father, and a servant his master.
If then I am a father, where is my honour?
And if I am a master, where is my fear? Says the Lord of hosts.
Perhaps you can remember the last time Ofsted came into your school or your children’s school. Being married to a teacher, I know well that growing sense of dawning panic as the day for the inspection draws closer and closer. Headteachers spend years, years, literally, preparing for the week when the inspectors are in. You wouldn’t dream of choosing that week to forget your homework. Maybe you would, but if you had any pity for your poor teachers, you wouldn’t.
Or maybe you remember that programme, Secret Millionaire, where the CEO of some business goes undercover in disguise within their own company. I always sort of thought, Surely people could work, you know, surely people can recognise the CEO of their own company, even if they are wearing a sort of fake moustache or something like that.
But again, imagine if you found out that that new PA was actually the boss in disguise.
You’d be on best behaviour, wouldn’t you?
And if you weren’t, then you’d hardly be expecting a promotion at the end of the week.
And yet these priests trample over the rules, the standards set by the ruler of the universe, and then wonder why he doesn’t bless them.
I mean, what does that say about their view of him?
Malachi tells us in verse 8, when you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil?
When you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor.
Will he accept you or show you favour?
How can they expect God’s blessing if they treat him with less respect than a human governor, than a boss, a CEO, an inspector, a teacher?
If we wouldn’t expect them to be happy with those standards, why would we think that God would be?
Oh, but surely, the priests might say, God wants the temple to stay open. He wants the doors open. If we send the people away, they might not come back. Isn’t it better to keep the ministry going than to have the high standards and it all closes down?
Certainly, they seem to have felt they had no choice but to carry on because they call their ministry a weariness in verse 13. They felt, well, we’ve got to keep going. We don’t really want to, but we have to.
And God says, no, you don’t. In fact, I wish you wouldn’t. Verse 10, oh, that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts.
If they find his standards too burdensome, then God would rather they stopped than carried on.
He doesn’t need them.
Verse 11 isn’t just what should be the case, it’s what will be the case. From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name. For my name will be great among the nations. God will be worshipped by an uncountable multitude from every tribe, tongue, language, and nation. He’s guaranteed it.
He doesn’t need them.
He doesn’t need you or me or the Bishop of Oxford or anyone else.
And to think that he would.
Even at the cost of his holy standards, is to despise his name.
It’s to treat him as less than he really is.
I wonder if when you were a child, your parents made you write letters to relatives that you didn’t really want to do it. You kind of, you did it because you felt you had to. Oh, go on then, Mum. Maybe you recognise that kind of conversation.
Imagine a child in that position. They write the letter because they feel they have to. Their mum’s been nagging them about it for weeks, and then when they grow up, they find out that their grandparents were actually famous superstars on Instagram with millions of followers. You’d feel a bit silly, wouldn’t you, for thinking that they would need your Your puny little letter, half-heartedly written.
And yet these priests think that God needs their substandard service, that they have to keep going with it even though they find it a burden.
So easy to forget that God’s glory is not dependent on our ministry.
His kingdom does not stand or fall with our work for him. He would actually rather our churches, our denominations, our ministries close down than that we kept them going by lowering his holy standards.
It is not our job. To grow his kingdom. Our job is to be faithful.
He takes care of the rest.
Nothing we can do can change the outcome. He’s going to be worshipped in the end by all the nations. But teachers who lower his standards despise his great name.
And he will give them a taste of their own medicine.
Which brings us to the second point: teachers who lower God’s standards will be despised before all. In the second half of the passage in chapter 2, God moves from the verdict to the sentence. And there is a grim symmetry between the punishment and the crime. Just have a look down again at verse 1 of chapter 2: And now, O priests, This command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings.
Indeed, I’ve already cursed them because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. Whenever a person came to the temple with a sacrifice, the priests were to pronounce a blessing over it. It’s the blessing that’s given to us in Numbers 6. You might know it.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
But instead of sending away these substandard offerings at the door, the priests had continued to pronounce those words over these substandard offerings.
And so God says their words will actually have the opposite effect to the one they intended. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name, Then I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them.
When someone blesses what God curses, God turns that blessing into a curse.
They might use an authorised liturgy. They might even use the words of the Bible itself. Number 6.
But God is crystal clear.
They may as well be saying, the Lord curse you and destroy you. The Lord hide his face from you and be angry with you.
The Lord take his favour from you and give you pain.
That is what happens when we bless sin.
And it actually gets even worse. Just look again at verse 3. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. You say a blessing, I’ll turn it into a curse. You try to future-proof your ministry, I’ll cut off your offspring.
You pollute my table. I’ll pollute your faces with faeces.
Or as one commentator paraphrases the Hebrew, I will splatter crap on your faces. I know it’s a rude word, but that’s the force of the text.
Now, it just so happens that since my son Barnaby was born, I’ve had more than enough experience with poo But just in case it’s been a while since you were exposed, I’ve— I brought a fresh sample along with me.
Now, I don’t know how you’d feel if I were to sort of open this up. I was hoping it might be a bit stuffier in here, so the smell would start to spread, but, well, it certainly was in our bedroom earlier.
It’s pretty gross. I mean, I don’t know how you would feel. Here we go. Just so everyone can see. And, you know, I mean, any volunteers or— I don’t know how you’d feel if I just sort of lob it into the— but that’s the right reaction.
I put that outside.
That’s the right reaction. So you might not have seen, but the people over there, Let’s get out of the way. Maybe you think it’s totally inappropriate for me to bring poo to a Christian meeting. You’d be right. We should be scandalised.
It is totally inappropriate to bring something that gross.
And yet these priests think they can bring what God despises to his house. And sacrifice it before him should be wanting to get out of the way, not pronouncing God’s blessing over it.
That is the way God feels about these people and their actions.
They stink.
They make God retch a bit.
He finds their attitude to him disgusting, and he will make them despised.
The problem is you can get quite used to the smell of poo. I was chatting with a friend of ours recently, and I bet she could smell the nappy bag in our house. We’d gotten so used to the smell, I don’t think we really noticed it anymore. It’s a sort of new parent syndrome. So acclimatised to the smell, you don’t really even notice it’s there.
I guess that can happen with low standards too. When you live in a culture or a denomination that has institutionalised rebellion against God, you just, you don’t notice it.
That’s why God reminds us what the standard should be in verses 4 to 7.
So you shall know that I’ve sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips.
He walked with me in peace and uprightness. And he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. That’s the standard for the leaders of God’s people.
And it’s only when you see that that you realise how far these priests have fallen.
Their lips should guard knowledge, verse 7, but they don’t keep or guard his ways, verse 9.
Verse 6, they should give true instruction that turns many from iniquity, but verse 8, they have caused many to stumble with their instruction.
Verse 5, the covenant that God made with Levi, their ancestor, should have brought life and peace, but verse 8, they have corrupted the covenant. They’ve fallen so far from what they should be, from God’s standard. But it’s only as you look at the ideal that you begin to notice the stench.
And sometimes I need to be reminded of that, the seriousness of sin in the Christian leader. Yes, there is grace and the hope of restoration, and Malachi will get there.
But grace is meaningless without a right view of the seriousness of sin.
One of my fears is that we too can get too used to low standards. We forget. How God really feels about them.
But it actually disgusts him when a bishop blesses a marriage that he forbids. That it actually disgusts him when abuse or ungodliness is kept quiet to protect a ministry. But it actually disgusts him when his holiness is watered down to make the gospel more appealing to the modern person.
He despises it.
And he will make those who do so, who teach others to do so, despised by all.
There will be no revival, no true revival of the church in this country until there is a revival of holiness. Among the church leaders of this country.
And that return to holiness can only begin with a right view of the horror and the disgustingness of unholiness in those who should be serving the Lord.
The tragedy is, in Malachi’s day, instead of avoiding such leaders like you would a dirty nappy, the people had gone right along with them. Just as culpable.
But more on that tomorrow. Let’s pray.
I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts. And my name will be feared among the nations.
Father, we pray that you would give us a right view of your holy standards, of your holy name, that we might be horrified, disgusted even, by sin.
That we might feel the way you feel about teachers who lower those standards, even for apparently good reasons.
I pray, our Father, for the leaders in this room, for those in Bible teaching ministry, in church leadership, leading small groups on PCCs as church wardens.
In workplaces and universities and schools.
I pray that as leaders, you would give us a renewed commitment to uphold your holy ways and to fear your holy name and to avoid all who seek to lower those standards.
We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
