The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 10

worship of God, tho table of the Lord, the most sacred acts a.nd objects may be observed and resorted to without the slightest expectation of gaining good. They might be means of groce, but familiarity makes them contemptible. 3. The indolence which shrinks from ths effort needed to stir up ourselves to take hold of God (Isa.. lxiv. 7), Worship must be a spiritual service; it may be a "conflict" an A')'OJY (Col. ii. 1). Indolence may beget irreverence, and will, in its tum, be a sign of it. II. SOME OJ!' THE SIGNS OF IRRl,VERENCE. we may copy. the evil exam pie of the Jews in bringing blind, la.me, sick, or polluted offerings. 1. Formal and half-hearted services. "Blind is the sacrifice of the soul which is not illumined by the light of Christ. Lame is his so.orifice of prayer who comes with a double mind to entreat the Lord" (Jerome; Matt. xv. 8). 2. Superstitious services; e.g. blind obedience to a ma.n claiming to be a priest, which may save the trouble of searching for Gud with all the heart. Unintelligent worship, perhaps in an unknown tongue, as thouti:h a. lesson learned by rote would suffice for the Divine Teacher. 3. Offering to God what we should not dare to offer to an earthly superior (ver. 8). .As though we would say, "God is not very particular." Yet he requires the very best service we can render. Such conduct is virtual dishonesty, for the intention to sacrifice to God at all implies the sacrificing of our best. Illust. : David (2 Sam. xxiv. 24; cf. Matt. xxii. 37). Note how the revelation of God in Christ shows still more impressively his cla.iIIl.'l on our highest services. "The Lamb that was slain" is worthy to receive ~erything and the best of everything we ca.n offer to him (Rev: v. 12). 4. Still grosser forms of irreverence are seen in the Corinthians feasting at the Eucharist, and thus despisin)l: the. Church of the living God (1 Cor. xi. 22), and making the table of the Lord contemptible; or in men celebrating a sacred rite as a passport to some secular office ; or in getting rid of a base coin at a collection, like "the deceiver" in ver. 14. Learn: 1. The many subtle forms of a deep-seated sin of the heart (Jer. :x:vii 9). 2. The need of radical remedies such as Divine power alone can employ (Luke vi. 4~5; Ps. xix.12-14). Ver .. 11.-God's honour secured in spite Qf his people's sins. The heartlessness and negligence of the priest leads God to say that the fires of the altar might as well be extinguished, and :the temple shut up as it had been in the days of .Ahaz; for no offerings would acy longer be accepted at .their hands, and" !cha.bod l" "No glory!" was written on the altar. The godly remnant of the Jews naturally begin to say, "What a dishonour t,hat would be to the God of Israel!" and to ask, like Joshua (vii. 9), "What wilt thou do unto thy great Name?" And even the formalists, who had not entirely cast off God, but wished to keep on speaking terms with him, would shril!k frqm. such a public slight bei11g offered to the God of their nation. To all such fears G:od gives an answer in the d,claration and prediction of ver. 11, "My Name shall be magnified; my honour shall be secured, in spite of my people's sins:" (1) among new cmd more numerous worshippers; (2) by purer and more spiritual sacrifices. : I. A.MONG NEW, ,A.ND MORE NUMEROUS WORBHlPPERB. It was an inveterate superstition of the .::rews that the honour of God was in some way bound up with sacred places or persons. ,He had taught them in the past that his glory was not attached to the ark, as t.hey. t~ought when they too~ it into battle (1 ::lam. iv.), or to oue line of priests (1 Sam. ii. 27-36), or to the tabernacle at Shiloh (Ps. Lu.viii. 59-64), or to the temple (Jer. vii. 1-16). He now teaches them that his glory is independent both of the revived priesthood, the restored temple, and the nation brought back from captivity. The temple may be a.gain destroyed; the priesthood may be abolished; the people disinherited. God has a larger temple than the sanctuary on Mount Moriah, or even than the land of promise itself. His temple ex.tends " as far as the. east is from the west." His worshippers shall be as numerous as the tribes and the tongues of the heathen world; No longer shall it be especially true that "In Judah is God known; his Name is great in Israel;" "For from the rising of the sun," etc. Com- paring this prediction of the kingdom of Christ on earth with others, we are reminded of a few truths respecting the way in which God's honour would be secured among the nations of the earth. His jndgments would arouse them (Isa. lix. 18, 19). His free love would seek those who knew him not (Isa. lx.v. 1). The atoning sacrifice on rlw cross would attract their sin-burdened consciences (John xii. 32), aml the bencti,,·nce 8 THE BOOK OF MALACHI. [OR, I, 1-14