Malachi 1:1-14

1:1-3 | God has always loved Israel, evidenced in His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants (Deut. 7:8; Jer. 31:3; Hos. 3:1; 11:1). The Lord hated Esau only in the sense that He favored him less.

1:4-5 | Edom refers to the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin. From the womb, the brothers were at odds (Gen. 25:22-26), and their hostility only grew (Gen. 25:29-34; 27:1-41) as they got older. This hatred was passed down through the generations. One day, the LORD of hosts – the Commander of heaven’s army – will overthrow all evil and establish His kingdom beyond Israel.

1:6-8 | Honor literally means “heavy” – to treat someone as a heavyweight, with great significance. Israel’s priests were the nation’s spiritual leaders, yet their sacrifices to God were not even worthy of their human authority (governor). As their leaders went, so went the people.

1:8-10 | Rather than giving the best of their flock to God, the people gave their leftovers (lame and sick; Lev. 22:17-25; Deut. 15:21). These spiritual pretenders would be better off not coming to worship at all (shut the doors of the temple).

1:12-14 | God condemns blemished sacrifices in the strongest possibly language (cursed be the deceiver). When people give less than their best, they deceive themselves by thinking He will blindly accept their token offerings. Still, God cannot be robbed of His great name or His authority as the great King.