2010-01-13

Despising of God Examined

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that the LORD's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts. And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the LORD of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. But you say, 'What a weariness this is,' and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations. (Mal 1:6-14 ESV)


Some of the ways that we despise God might not be obvious from this passage since we worship differently than the OT saints. We don’t bring unblemished lambs to sacrifice because Christ the perfect sacrifice has already come. But we do, many times, fail to honor the greatness of God.

Some have a hard time honoring God as our Father. Our culture no longer seems to honor fathers. There are so many single-mother homes where the father has abandoned his responsibility to his family. The entertainment culture that we’re so in love with rails against the authority of the father in the home, and instead makes him the butt of its jokes.

There aren’t many examples in our culture where the father figure is the leader of the family. Where he has the biblical characteristics of authority, wisdom, and strength. Where he earns the respect of his family and those in his community.

In our culture the phrase “honor your father” is so foreign that we lose grip on what it really means. So how can we honor God when we’re immersed in such a culture? How can we understand God’s role as our father when all around us the biblical role of fathers is being torn down?

We must submit to Scripture rather than our culture. As Christians we should be less concerned with being like the culture around us, and more concerned with confronting the culture around us with biblical truth.

Unlike earthly fathers, God is faithful; He doesn’t leave us because He can’t take the responsibility. God is authoritative, He’s not to be rebelled against but submitted to in honor and reverence.

Besides honoring God as our Father, we’re also called to honor Him as our master. This is another term that we’re not very well acquainted with in our society. We live in a culture where those who have authority over us are disdained and hated simply because they have such authority. We’ve become such lovers of freedom that we neglect the importance of submitting to those with the right to have authority over us.

We disrespect our employers; we disrespect those in the government who we didn’t vote for. People in this very church have spurned the spiritual authority of those placed over them, even though they promised to respect and honor that authority. We live in a culture that spurns authority and desires nothing further than self-rule. And it’s in this culture that we’re called to respect God as our Master.

As our master, God is to be feared. It’s only with a proper sense of reverence towards God that we can worship Him as our master. Consider what Ps 25 says…

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. (Psa 25:14 ESV)


Do you see how it puts friendship and fear together? God is not just some warm fuzzy teddy bear that comforts us as we sleep in the dark. God is an awesome, powerful, holy, loving, and fearful God. So as we approach God as our Father, with the proper respect due to that title….we also approach Him as our Master, with the proper fear and reverence do to that title.

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