Despised Worship

"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?' 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.” 

—Malachi 1:6-7

God delights in our worship and seeks men and women to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). Worship is serious business because it is something made for God and God alone. Which is why He hates idolatry so much. Idolatry is placing the gift above the giver, the creation over the Creator, and making that which is not god, God.

God has the sole right to define and determine how He should be worshiped, and to disregard or improvise His requirements is to place oneself above God. God desires our very best. Scraps and left overs will not do, which is exactly what the nation of Israel was doing during Malachi’s day. They didn’t honor God and give Him the right position in their lives. The nation recognized the honor of a son to a father, but failed to honor God the ultimate Father. They knew that a slave or servant should fear their Master, but they failed to fear God who is the ultimate Lord and Master. And what made matters worse were the priests, who should have been God’s truth bearers teaching the people about the fear and admonition of the Lord, along with what it meant to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  But they instead were disregarding God’s name and despising His worship by offering up animals that were in direct violation of God’s word. They were not to offer animals up that were blind, lame, or sick (Malachi 1:8; Leviticus 22:17-25; Deuteronomy 15:21; 17:1), but they did. Because of this, the priests along with the nation would be cursed (Malachi 2:1-2).

We are no longer under the Old Testament sacrificial system, where we have to offer up specific animals.  Instead, we are to offer up ourselves as living sacrifices which is our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:2).  From a New Testament perspective, we must understand that God seeks our worship. We must offer entire self to Jesus. He gave Himself for us and demands nothing less in return. He wants all of us and He wants all of who we are to seek Him in worship. He seeks our worship because He seeks our joy. By commanding us to seek Him in worship we are able to experience the joy of His presence. We are able to have fullness of joy because we are doing what we were made to do—praise and worship Him. May we pursue our joy in Him by worshiping Him for who He is and what He means to us. Amen.