I read the first chapter of Malachi this morning. This book is the last book of the Old Testament, both chronologically and prophetically, having been written some 100 years after the Jews’ return from the Exile. Things had settled down for them back in their own land; the temple had been rebuilt, and they were back into the old routine of temple rituals and worship. They also returned to their old ways!
Offerings
To put it simply, we might say that they were selling God short, seeking to get away with whatever they could. The thing that the prophet Malachi points out in the first chapter is their offering of blemished sacrifices: animals with defects of one sort or another; blind, crippled or diseased. They were still following the routines of temple worship, but not the spirit of worship. Malachi points out in verse 8 that their offerings wouldn’t be accepted by their governor, so why did they think that these were good enough to offer to God? This was a logical point that highlighted their wrongdoing at a simple, human level. But if they had referred back to the instigation of the worship rituals, then they would have seen that God had stipulated that only perfect animals were to be sacrificed (Deuteronomy 15:21). The people were ignoring both the rule and the spirit of the rule.
Contempt
We need, of course, to ask ourselves what this passage in Malachi says to us. Our circumstances are different, in that we don’t have temple worship or a sacrificial system or, arguably, clearly defined rules to follow. And yet, the behaviour of the Jews was less about any ignorance of the rules, and much more related to their attitude of heart. We are susceptible to similar failings.
Many years ago I stayed with some friends in the Blue Mountains, outside of Sydney, Australia. While with them, they took me to their church on that Sunday. Their fellowship was very friendly and welcoming, but there was one thing that horrified me about the church. During the communion celebration, at the end of the service, having shared the bread and wine, the minister clearly had a routine of what was to be said afterwards, but he uttered those words at breakneck speed, obviously wanting to finish as soon as possible. It seemed that he was saying the words that were expected, whilst not attributing any real meaning or purpose to doing so. I think that we are all liable to do similar things, going through the motions without appreciating the significance of what we are purporting to do. I suggest that to act in this way is meaningless, except in the negative sense that we are showing contempt for God, just as the Jews that Malachi speaks about were doing, as described in Malachi 1:7.
Prayer
I don’t know about you, but I often have to pull myself up for speaking words that are supposed to be prayer, but are mere words that I am not saying with due sincerity of heart, or even actually saying to God – words spoken to the ceiling, as it were. If we find ourselves doing that, and then repent and correct our behaviour, that is good. But if we just continue to go through the motions, then we shouldn’t kid ourselves that our action has any spiritual merit whatsoever; in fact, quite the opposite. In behaving in that way, we would be disrespecting God, failing to recognise him and dishonouring him.
Prayer is an immense privilege that we have as born-again Christians; we get to commune with the Living God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This has been made easy for us, but God expects that our communication will be real rather than by rote and insincere.
Preparation
I am in the habit of giving thanks before eating a meal. This usually takes the form of an arrow prayer, but I try to ensure that I am both genuinely grateful for what is on my plate and mindful of whom I am addressing, and why. We need to pause to allow ourselves to consider just what we are doing when we pray, especially, I suggest, if this is to be public prayer – leading others in worship or supplication. Prayer isn’t a shopping list of the things that we want. Rather, it is an experience of communion with God; not words thrown over the wall, but a two-way communication where we ask the Spirit of God to show us what and how to pray, and then bring this to the Father in Jesus’ name.
Rules
There are many ways in which we can take God for granted. It isn’t so much that there are certain things that we should be doing, rules we have to follow, or even behavioural expectations that we have to meet. The message of the New Testament is very clear that it is where our hearts are that is important, rather than what procedures or processes we follow. Actually, we see similar sentiments in the Old Testament prophetic books; for example, in Hosea 6:6:
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
God requires that we be genuine. Going through the motions for the sake of it is an affront to him. Something similar might apply to our church life, the time that we spend together in ‘services’. When we sing songs or hymns, do we consider the words that we are uttering – what they mean and to whom they are addressed? When someone leads us in a prayer, what does our ‘Amen’ actually represent? Are we echoing the words in our own communion with God before we utter that closing confirmation?
The message
Then we come to the sermon, which many fellowships refer to as the ‘message’. Who do we consider this to be a message from? Surely, the very title of it is intended to imply that it is a message from God. If this is the case, then how do we receive this message? Do we concentrate on the preacher’s words, so as to glean meaning and hear the Spirit of God speaking through what is said? We might also consider how quickly we forget what has been shared, giving it little, if any, further attention. Obviously, a lot depends on whether the speaker is in tune with God, on how clearly they are capable of communicating, etc. But surely we need to honour God by actively listening so that we can hear him, even if the speaker isn’t particularly competent as a preacher! If we don’t, then are we just going through the motions of attending the service, which could amount to a waste of time – just playing the game, merely doing what is expected to get marked as present in the metaphorical register?
Genuineness
I want to suggest that being genuine is an essential Christian characteristic; there is no place for insincerity, duplicity or carelessness. And there is no excuse for being one thing on Sunday and something else the rest of the week. If we truly believe what we read in the Bible, and have a sincere love for God, then our every action should reflect this. If we do any less, might that place us on a slippery slope – one that leads us to have a similarly contemptuous attitude to the Jews of Haggai’s day?
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