Malachi 1:6–10 meaning

Malachi 1:6-10 begins God’s rebuke against the disobedient priests.

In the previous section, the prophet Malachi reminded Judah of God’s faithful covenant love for them (Malachi 1:2). He contrasted His love in choosing Israel with His judgment of the Edomites, whom God would destroy forever for their wicked deeds.

God has unconditional love for Israel, but that did not absolve them of their responsibilities to keep their covenant with Him. There are still consequences for disobedient behavior. In the present section, the prophet reports God’s speech in which He reprimands the priests for offering improper worship to Him, thereby despising His name.

As with any person who comes to a high position, religious leaders can also fall into corruption. This is a theme in the Old and New Testaments as well as a historical pattern in religious institutions. God dislikes any person to become corrupt through greed, exploitative behavior, and sexually immoral conduct.

God holds leaders and teachers to a higher level of accountability, as their behavior affects many others (Luke 12:48, James 3:1). Jesus reprimanded the religious leaders of His time more strictly than He did the prostitutes and tax collectors, though both had sinned (Matthew 23:13).

Malachi used the first-person pronoun to speak to the Judeans on God’s behalf. In doing so, he allowed his audience to hear from the LORD directly, thus adding weight to his message. He began with an analogy: A son honors his father, and a servant his master (v. 6). Even though it is common and expected for a son to honor his father, and a servant his master, God is both father and master to Israel and yet they do not honor Him.

The verb translated as honor is “kāḇēḏ” in the Hebrew language. It carries the idea of physical heaviness (2 Samuel 14:26; Job 6:3). The form of the Hebrew verb used here means “to lend someone weight” or “to acknowledge someone as important.” For instance, in the Ten Commandments, Moses instructed the Israelites to honor their parents, which means to love, obey, and support them (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16). In Malachi, the LORD used the same idea to state a general truth related to human life. In Judean society it is expected for a son to honor his father and a servant his master.

The word for master here is “ʾādôn” in Hebrew. It means lord or master and may refer to a man or God. Just as children obey their parents, those under authority ought to obey their superiors with reverence (Ephesians 6:5). This basic principle should govern every society to ensure a harmonious and peaceful relationship between the citizens. Failure to comply will result in anarchy, chaos, and hatred.

This principle transcends the human sphere. Just as humans expect honor due to those in authority, so does God. That is why He stated If I am a father, where is My honor?

The Suzerain/ruler God was Israel’s father. He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and brought them into existence as a people. He made Israel a national entity, a people of His treasured possession (Exodus 19:4-6). God alone caused Israel to exist as a nation (Deuteronomy 32:6).

God was more than Israel’s father. He was also their master. Thus, He asked a second question: If I am a master, where is My respect? The Hebrew term for master is “ʾadonim,” the plural form of “ʾādhôn” above. The term appears in the plural to denote intensity or majesty. The plural could also reflect God’s triune nature. As such, it describes the LORD as the sovereign master.

The LORD established a covenant relationship with the Israelites, which reflected the pattern of the ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal treaty, particularly the Hittite treaty of the second millennium BC. The people of Israel agreed to enter in to this treaty with God (Exodus 19:8). God speaks to His people in words and concepts they could understand, and this form of covenant was common in the ancient era.

In this kind of covenant, the suzerain or superior ruler provides the covenant stipulations to the vassal who is the subject, typically an inferior ruler. The suzerain offers blessings in return for the vassal’s obedience and curses for failure to obey the covenant’s precepts. This form can be seen in places like Deuteronomy 28 and 29 where the covenant sets forth blessings for following the covenant/treaty provisions (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and cursings/negative consequences for breaking the provisions of the covenant/treaty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

Unlike the normal pattern, God made His covenant directly with the people rather than making a covenant with their leader, Moses. The people agreed to the covenant, making a vow to follow their obligations under the agreement (Exodus 19:8). This format underscores that God established Israel as a self-governing society under rule of law, consent of the governed, and a “love your neighbor” culture as evidenced by respecting the property and persons of others.

A self-governing society only works if people choose to honor God as the ultimate authority and therefore decide to humble themselves to His laws, particularly in honoring others as they honor themselves. If someone does not honor authority, they typically will not honor their neighbor.

God chose the nation of Israel as His children and servants, vowing to be their father and master to provide for all their needs if they would follow Him and keep His commands (Leviticus 26:3-8; Isaiah 48:17-18). But, consistent with the covenant/treaty format, He also made clear that there would be negative consequences for breaking his covenant/treaty. God appointed the priests as leaders to teach the law to His people that they might follow His covenant/treaty provisions and prosper (Deuteronomy 33:10, Ezekiel 44:23).

In this era, the priests were not doing their job properly. When leaders fail to lead well, society suffers. The adverse consequences can be divine, but will also be natural. For instance, when people forsake loving their neighbor as themselves and begin to exploit one another, society becomes violent and impoverished rather than collaborative and productive. The priests were leaders in Israel who were supposed to lead in word and deed, and God sent them a chastising word. Malachi confirmed the source of his message and the audience he had in mind by adding, says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name.

The term translated as hosts is “Sabaoth” in the Hebrew language. It means “armies” and often refers to the angelic armies of heaven (1 Samuel 1:3). The phrase the LORD of hosts occurs with great frequency in the prophetic books. It was considered to be one of the holiest titles of God. So much so that James in the New Testament chose to transliterate this title to “Lord of Sabaoth” rather than translating it into Greek (James 5:4).

The term Lord of hosts often describes God’s power as a warrior leading His angelic army to defeat His foes (Amos 5:16, 9:5, Habakkuk 2:17). Here in Malachi, the phrase demonstrates God’s power as the supreme warrior and master who has complete control over all human affairs. This further emphasizes that God is Israel’s master, their supreme sovereign, who should have their respect. But in place of respect, the priests despise God’s name.

To despise means to treat something as having no value. It is good to despise worldly and sinful things and rather follow God’s will. Jesus despised the shame of crucifixion in favor of obeying His Father (Hebrews 12:2). Esau on the other hand is a prime example of someone despising something that should be valued. He despised his inheritance as the firstborn and sold it for some “bread and lentil stew” (Genesis 25:33-34).

Esau did not give his birthright inheritance its proper value; he treated it as insignificant. In doing, so he was doing evil before the Lord (Hebrews 12:15-16). Similarly, the priests—the religious leaders who were supposed to lead the people in the way of the LORD—were dishonoring God’s name. They despised God’s name, by not following and teaching His ways.

Yet, it seems they either were not conscious that their behavior was disobedient, or they had adopted an elevated level of self-rationalization as shown in their defiant answer to God: How have we despised Your name? (v. 6).

The priests in Malachi’s day were disrespectful to God. They used their position of privilege inappropriately, perhaps to serve their own ends, so their ministry was corrupted. Since the priests asked how they despised God’s name, He provided them with the answer: You are presenting defiled food upon My altar (v. 7).

The prophet Malachi quoted God’s words directly, allowing Him to confront the priests. The term defiled refers to something that does not meet the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Although the term food (literally, bread) may refer to any grain offering, the context leans toward animal sacrifices which are called God’s food (Numbers 28:2).

According to Leviticus, the Israelite worshipers were to offer animals “without defect” to God so He could accept their sacrifices (Leviticus 22:17-25; Deuteronomy 15:21). Defiled animals included those that were “blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs” (Leviticus 22:22). These defiled animals did not meet the sacrificial requirements. The priests violated the law by offering such impure animals to God. God says But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.’ (v 7).

The word table refers to the bronze altar on which the Israelites presented burnt offerings to God. It could also include the Table of Showbread which was continuously furnished with 12 loaves of bread (Exodus 25:30). The priests treated it as worthless and apparently thought it was fine to abuse their function as intercessors of the people and lead them astray.

In the next verse, the prophet confronted the priests with a series of rhetorical questions to confront their behavior and actions. The first question reads, But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? (v 8).

The expected answer to this rhetorical question is “Yes, it is evil.” Per the Mosaic Law, offering blind animals to God is sinful (Leviticus 22:22).

The second rhetorical question continues the thought of the previous one: When you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? (v 8). Again, the implied answer is “Yes, it is evil.” Any animal that could not walk or was ill would be unacceptable to God as a sacrifice (Deuteronomy 15:21).

The priests were violating God’s law and thereby teaching disrespect for His law. This would then translate to disrespect for God Himself, as we saw was the case in verse 6, and would then further translate into disobedience to the law and violation of His covenant with Israel.

Following the above questions, Malachi used an analogy to shame the priests: Why not offer it to your governor? Although the NASB-95 translates this statement as a question, it is an affirmative sentence in the Hebrew text, which could be translated: Offer it, please, to your governor.

This statement is sarcasm—the use of irony. The prophet knew the governor would regard a blemished offering as illegitimate tribute and respond in fury if slighted by such an offering. That is why Malachi asked the priests his third question: Would he be pleased with you? The expected answer is “No, he would not be pleased.” The mere human governor would not accept such offerings, how much more so is such an offering offensive to the governor and creator of the universe?

Malachi adds a last rhetorical question in verse 8: Would he (the governor) receive you kindly? Again, the expected answer is “No, the governor would not treat you kindly if given such a gift.” The prophet’s point is this: If a human authority would not accept such offerings as legitimate tribute, then why are the priests disrespecting the LORD, the all-powerful and holy God by giving Him an offering unfit for a human ruler?

Malachi then employed the prophetic formula ‘says the LORD of hosts’ to confirm the divine source of his message and add credibility to it.

Having confronted the priests for their insincere worship, Malachi declared, But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? (v. 9a).

The priests do not respect God’s law and do not follow God’s law. Therefore, they do not serve the Lord. But they do want the Lord to serve them. They entreat God’s favor even though they are not following God’s ways. This flies in the face of their covenant/treaty with God, which clearly sets forth blessings for obedience and cursings for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-4, 28:15-68).

The verb entreat translates the Hebrew idiom ‘to soften the face.’ It means to implore someone’s favor or appease him to do something. The expression occurs in the book of Exodus, where Moses interceded for the Israelites so God would not destroy them for their sinful deeds when they worshiped the golden calf (Exodus 32:11).

Since the time when Israel was delivered from Egypt, God gave them the law and had been teaching His people to create a culture of righteousness and harmony. Their covenant/treaty with God led them to have a self-governing culture based on loving God and loving others. A culture is determined by what is honored or rewarded and what is shamed. If sin is shamed and righteousness rewarded, the culture will be one that follows God’s ways. That will lead to loving one’s neighbor as themselves, and lead to a self-governing society that is collaborative, harmonious and mutually beneficial.

But when sin is rewarded and righteousness shamed, the culture becomes toxic, and exploitation will pervade it. The society will decay into violence and poverty. God desires obedience more than sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22). Thus, he challenged the priests about entreating God for His blessing when they are disobeying and dishonoring Him by offering blind and lame offerings, contrary to the law: With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly? (v 9).

The expected answer is “No, God will not receive you kindly.” Just as a human governor would not receive being slighted kindly, God will not receive being disobeyed and being dishonored kindly. If the priests continued to offer improper worship to the LORD, He would not restore fellowship with them nor bless them.

To bless Israel for disobedience would run counter to their covenant/treaty with Him. God built consequences into the world, and there are negative consequences to sin.

To sin is to function in a manner that is apart from God’s law, apart from God’s design. God’s law shows us how to live according to God’s good design. Therefore, disrespect for God’s law will lead to sin. When the religious leaders, the priests, disrespect God’s law, then sin is being honored. This will lead to a corrupt culture that is apart from God’s design.

Knowing this truth, the prophet Malachi asked the priests to consider their ways by pointing out how they were treating God with a level of disrespect they would never give to a human governor. He is confronting them so they could change their sinful habits of offering blemished animals to the supreme Suzerain/ruler God. Malachi ended the verse with the formula ‘says the LORD of hosts’ to remind his audience that the message came from the LORD.

Speaking in the first person on the LORD’s behalf, the prophet informed the priests that their worship was so superficial and vain that it would be better to not have the worship at all than to continue this kind of profane worship: Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! (v 10).

In making this statement it seems that God is lamenting that not even one priest will stand up and be counted to oppose this violation of God’s law. The term for gates refers to the entrances where the priests and commoners alike could enter one of the courtyards in the Temple compound. Thus, closing the gates would restrict their access to the Temple.

This is similar to when God spoke in Ezekiel 22:30 of desiring to find someone to stand in the gap for Him the context deals with those in civil authority. In Judah the priests served as important leaders and had become corrupt. God’s desire was for one of the priests to take leadership to stop this dishonoring of God, even taking the drastic step of locking the temple gates in order to stop this profane worship. Apparently no worship is better than profane worship.

The purpose would be so that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! (v 10). It would be better for the priests to cease all sacrificial activities than to offend God with blemished animals offered in disobedience. The phrase kindle fire on My altar refers to the fire and altar upon which the animals would be sacrificed according to provisions of the law. It is somewhat jolting that God applies the term uselessly to the offerings being given by the priests.

However, that the offerings are useless highlights the fact that the main point of all the sacrificial worship is to orient the people’s hearts toward serving God and toward serving one another. If they honor God then they are training their hearts to follow His ways. And the primary thing God commands His people to do is to love others (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:37-39). God’s primary desire is not the sacrifice, rather it is obedience (1 Samuel 15:22). So, when the priests offer sacrifices that are disobedient to God, then the sacrifices are useless. Rather than train hearts toward obedience, they do the opposite and are therefore counterproductive.

Should the priests miss the point, the LORD clarified by saying quite bluntly, I am not pleased with you (v 10). God’s acceptance of Israel is unconditional. They are His people and He loves them apart from their behavior (Malachi 1:2). But God rewards and approves His people based on whether they obey Him. He rewards when He is pleased by people’s choices. In this case, just as a human governor would not be pleased with defiled offerings, God is not pleased.

The New Testament carries forward this same idea. Believers in Jesus are accepted into His family simply by having enough faith to look on Jesus, hoping to be delivered from the poisonous venom of sin (John 3:14-15). That acceptance is based on faith, apart from any works or deeds (Romans 4:1-3, Ephesians 2:8-9). But God rewards His people based on their deeds (2 Corinthians 2:10). He rewards those who please Him. Hebrews 11:4 tells us what is required to please God:

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
(Hebrews 11:6)

We see in this passage from Hebrews that there are two things needed in order to please God. First, to believe that “He is.” This would entail believing that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. The second is to believe that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” This infers that to please God requires believing that the rewards He promises are superior to rewards from the world and will be worth the wait.

The priests of Malachi’s time did neither of these things. They were not treating God as their supreme ruler. They were not treating Him as though they believed He is who He says He is. God pointed this out to them in verse 8, noting that they would not dare offer blemished animals to a human governor. Further, the priests of Malachi’s time were not seeking God, to follow His ways. Rather they were entreating God to follow their ways (Malachi 1:9).

Malachi concludes this section with, “I am not pleased with you” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you. The phrase the LORD of hosts reminds his audience of the divine source of his message; He is the LORD God, and they need to re-remember that. Following the prophetic expression, he added: Nor will I accept an offering from you. The LORD found no delight in disobedient worship. And since the priests despised His name and disobeyed His law, He considered their offerings useless.

Therefore, He said nor will I accept an offering from you. To accept an offering infers being pleased with their heart. Their heart was not a heart of obedience, so God was not going to accept that which was disobedient. Additionally, because God’s ways are always for our best, accepting their offering would not be in their best interest. To disobey God’s ways is to adopt ways that are self-destructive. So, by chastising the priests to recognize God as God and follow His ways, God is exhorting them to remember His covenant and follow His life-giving ways.