“You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’” Malachi 1:7
I would encourage you to read Malachi 1:6 first. The previous passage tells us whom God is addressing here. The book of Malachi is written as a dialogue between God and His people, Israel. God is speaking directly to the priests.
If you type the word “minister” into Bible apps you are familiar with, you will be directed to passages about priests. God’s message in Malachi is not only for the priests of Israel but for us as well because Jesus has made us also priests to God (Revelation 1:6).
God says, “You offer defiled food on My altar.” As you continue reading the rest of the chapter, you will see that the priests were offering blind, lame, and sick animals as sacrifices to God (Malachi 1:8, 13). This was directly against God’s commands, which required sacrifices to be without defect (Leviticus 22:20-22; Deuteronomy 15:21).
Today, we are no longer required to bring animals or grain offerings to an altar because the LORD Jesus Christ has already fulfilled what was needed for the forgiveness of our sins through His sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:10-14). However, let us not forget that we are still priests before God (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6) As His priests, we have been entrusted and commanded to care for His people (Mathew 28:19-20). We are called to serve, care for, and build up the church that He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
So what does “defiled food” look like today?
We are God’s temple. The Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Therefore, anything that corrupts or defiles His temple also defiles His altar.
Defiling sacrifices often begins with a lack of intimacy with God. We neglect prayer. We stop reading His Word daily. Little by little, we drift away from Him. Without the Word of God, we begin to lose sight of who He is, His character, His will, what He loves, what He hates, and what He commands. Defiled food begins when we no longer value the knowledge of God. As the LORD said:
- Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
- Malachi 2:7 – “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
- Ephesians 4:20 – “But you have not so learned Christ,”
How can we faithfully execute the work God has commanded us to do if we do not know or have forgotten His instructions? We may be carrying out the task, but we could be doing it according to our own understanding and our standard rather than according to His will and His standard.
Another form of defiled food that we offer to God is serving Him with second-rate service and giving Him our leftovers instead of our best. We give our time, talents, and attention to everything else first and then offer God whatever remains. It can also look like serving God only when it fits our schedule, convenience, and comfort. We are willing to serve as long as it does not cost us too much.
Sometimes we treat ministry as a burden rather than a privilege. We serve out of obligation, complaining and grumbling about the very work God has entrusted to us. Instead of rejoicing that we have the opportunity to serve the great King, our LORD Jesus Christ, we see His work as an inconvenience.
Defiled food can also be serving with selfish motives. We pursue ministries that match our own preferences, talents, or ambitions rather than seeking what God is actually calling us to do. We ask, “What do I want?” instead of, “LORD Jesus, what do You want?”
Serve Him with an outward devotion while our hearts are far from Him. We may attend church, serve in ministry, sing worship songs, and appear faithful on the outside, while our hearts have grown cold toward God (Matthew 15:8, Revelation 3:15-16, Matthew 24:12).
It can also be pleasing people rather than pleasing God. We compromise God’s Word to avoid offending others or to make Christianity more comfortable and appealing. We shorten prayer meetings because people are not interested in prayer. We water down biblical teaching to keep people entertained. Little by little, the fear of man replaces the fear of God.
The forms may be different from the blind, lame, and sick sacrifices offered in Malachi’s day, but the principle remains the same.
Now, the altar is the place where we meet with God. It is where worship and fellowship with God take place. It is where the transaction happens between God and His people.
Remember the words of Jesus:
“Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” … But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” John 2:19, 21
Today, we can only encounter God through Jesus Christ. As Jesus said,
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
We no longer have a physical altar as they did in the Old Testament, something we will discuss further as we continue through this passage.
Today, every transaction between God and man takes place through our LORD Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). Through His death and resurrection. Jesus opened the way for us to come to the Father (Hebrews 10:19-22). No earthly priest, sacrifice, or altar can bring us into God’s presence. Only Jesus Christ can do that. Through His own blood, He made a way for sinners to approach a holy God (Hebrews 4:14-16; 9:11-15). You have probably heard the preaching that there is only one way to God and to His kingdom, and that is only through Jesus Christ!
This was the response of the priests when God confronted their halfhearted worship: But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ Their response is terrifying! Instead of humbling themselves before God, they questioned Him. Do you think God would call us out if we were doing everything right? You may also be wondering, “In what way did they defile God?” This is getting more interesting.
When God corrects us, rebukes us, or exposes sin in our lives, our response should not be to argue with Him or defend ourselves. We should respond as David did when confronted by the prophet Nathan:
“I have sinned against the LORD …” (2 Samuel 12:13).
Sadly, many Christians today respond differently. Have you ever heard someone excuse their complacency, negligence, or lack of devotion by saying, “Well, I’m not perfect”? I want to challenge that way of thinking. Can you find a servant of God in Scripture who used that same excuse when confronted with sin or failure?
The men and women of God did not make excuses. We repented. We confessed our shortcomings and sought God’s mercy. We do not give God excuses. We ask Him for forgiveness. We acknowledge where we have fallen short and ask Him to change us.
These priests had become so accustomed to their disobedience that they no longer recognized it. They become reprobates (Romans 1:28, 2 Timothy 3:8)! Their hearts had grown dull to God’s correction. Many of us associate a reprobate mind only with obvious sins of the flesh. But there is also a danger in willfully neglecting what God has entrusted to us. When we repeatedly ignore God’s standards, the holy things of God can become common in our eyes. When we knowingly give God less than our best, when we continue in complacency without repentance, and when we treat sacred things as ordinary, our hearts become hardened.
This is the danger of overfamiliarity with God. We become so used to His grace, His Word, His presence, and His work that we stop treating them with reverence.
Their response did not stop there. They also said, By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’” What is interesting about us as human beings is that we often forget that we are completely naked before God (Hebrews 4:13). In His sight, nothing is hidden. He sees our hearts, our thoughts, our motives, and our intentions. The Israelites in the days of Moses learned this lesson many times. When the people complained in the wilderness, God heard it and they all get punished (Numbers 11:1). We may be able to fool people, but we cannot fool God. That is why it is pointless to make excuses or deny God’s accusations when He corrects us.
The “table of the LORD” was the place where sacrifices and offerings were presented before God. For the priests, it represented the sacred work God had entrusted to them. In a similar way, we all have a “table of the LORD” today. It may be the ministry God has given us, whether as a pastor, teacher, evangelist, elder, or servant in the church. It can also include our daily work, career, being a parent, and other responsibilities because these are places where we serve God and offer our lives to Him. Even caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, visiting sick people in the hospital, rescuing abducted women and children, serving in the church, or helping those in need can become acts of worship offered to the LORD.
Yet the priests looked at the table of the LORD and called it “contemptible”. The word “contemptible” means something treated as worthless, disgraceful, shameful, or of little value. They continued performing their duties, but they no longer valued the privilege of serving God. What was once sacred had become routine. What was once an honor had become a burden or worthless. They had lost the joy of serving the LORD God. The real problem was not the table itself. The problem was their attitude toward it. They no longer saw God’s work as a privilege. They saw it as something common, something tiresome, and something of little value.
Can the same thing happen to us today?
Absolutely! As I always say, if a preacher is preaching for a long time or someone is praying for a long time and you become bored and start complaining that it should be shortened, the problem is not with the preacher or the person praying. The problem is us!
Our boredom reveals that we have lost our hunger and thirst for the presence of God and the things of God.
Serving God is not something common, something tiresome, and something of little value. It is a privilege. The King of kings and LORD of lords has chosen us and appointed us to participate in His work, and it is an honor to serve Him!
If you see yourself in these priests, do not make excuses. Humble yourself before God. Ask Him for forgiveness and ask Him to redirect your path. Run the race, beloved. Do not grow weary, and do not harden your heart when God corrects you. As long as God is speaking to you, there is still an opportunity to change. Seek His face while He may be found. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart (Hebrews 3:15). Instead, respond like David: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13), and allow God to restore your heart, renew your passion, and lead you back into wholehearted devotion to Him!
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