God is saying to His people, Prove Me. Many within the Church have an issue with that statement in Malachi 3:10. Their issue: It oppose the doctrines they’ve held to; the tithe is no more, we shouldn’t give to get, men and women of God have abused the offering. None of those hold water with God or God’s Word. The offering is still important to God. The offering has been important to God since the beginning. In fact, to make clothes for Adam and his wife. In Genesis 3:21, NLT, we learn, “[T]he LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” Where did God get the animal skins? From animals that were sacrificed to make clothing for Adam and his wife. The offering has always been for our benefit not God’s benefit. In Malachi, God works to cleanse and restore the offering. That cleansing and restoration of the offering is key to the book of Malachi. And it’s key for us today. We have stepped into The Malachi Moment. That’s what I’d like to talk about in this blog.
What is The Malachi Moment? Good question. It’s where God comes to cleanse the offering. In Malachi 3:3, New Heart English Bible , it says, “he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to the LORD offerings in righteousness.” Who will do that? “‘I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,’ says the LORD who rules over all.” Malachi 3:1, Net Bible.
The Malachi Moment is where God cleanses the offering by sending His messenger to purify those receiving the offering. Yes, the offering is holy. As such, those receiving the offering must be holy. To ensure that happens, God must cleanse those who receive the offering. The primary reason God is not able to do what He wants is His people’s attitudes towards the offering. In Malachi, the prophet brings the word of the Lord to God’s people: “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies (YHWH-Tsava'ot) says to the priests: ‘A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name!’ But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’ You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.” Malachi 1:6, 7, NLT. The priests treated the offering with contempt.
Disdain for the things of God is all the people knew. They had grown up in it, been raised by those who carried it, and lacked godly examples of those who chose to honor God. Much like today, the people lightly esteemed God. And what happened to the priest Eli faced the entire nation: “Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “…I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.” 1 Samuel 2:30, NLT. Their lack of honor corrupted every they said and did and polluted all they touched. The prophet Malachi confronts that pollution with an inspired question: “Then you ask, ‘How have we (a.)defiled the sacrifices?’ ‘You defile them by saying the altar of the LORD deserves no respect.” Malachi 1:7, NLT.
- 1:7 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads "defiled you?"
No respect, no reverence, no fear of the Lord is what an entire generation had learned from their “priestly examples”. But the priesthood was corrupted by the lack of honor for the things of God. Rather than repenting of their own sin, they blamed God for putting them through all things they did to approach Him, not recognizing it was their sin that was the one thing preventing them from approaching God. They justified themselves not God. Like today, they were treating God like a man and not God. Not just one god among many gods, but the One true and living God, the maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God to whom belongs glory and honor forever and forever. That’s who we are approaching on Sunday morning. Are we recognizing Him? Are we honoring Him? By and large, I think not.
That’s why we need The Malachi Moment, to move from the place of dishonor to the place of honor. It starts where God says it starts — At the offering. Yes, the offering is still important to God; it’s God’s primary way of providing for His ministers. Although there may be exceptions, like the Apostle Paul, God still expects ministers to live by the gospel they preach. In 1 Corinthians 9:14, NIV, the Apostle Paul writes, “[T]he Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” The offering matters to God. That’s how He checks the pulse of the Church.
In Malachi 3:1-3, we learn how God restores what was corrupted, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” First, God sends His man/woman to declare, “Thus saith the Lord.” To touch, refine, and convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
The messengers are coming! Get ready! You are about to be introduced to your covenant! God is going to introduce Himself in a way you may have never met. And what is this God, the covenant God, we don’t really know going to say to us — Prove Me! How? In tithes and offerings. Just like He did with Israel, so too will He purify His Church.
Yes, you’ve prayed for it, sung it, asked for it — messengers of fire are about to appear. Church as usual is over, refining has just begun. Welcome to The Malachi Moment.
Let us pray!
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