Malachi 1:1-4
A Disappointed God
This is an unusual passage to which I have given an unfortunate title.
At this time of year when we are typically making our list of
potential presents which we think we make us happy, this passage
deals with the question, "What would make God happy?" I think that is
a fair question since Christmas is the time we celebrate Jesus’
birthday—not ours, but as the title of the message suggests, many of
the things we are doing do not make Him happy at all.
I will also tell you at the onset that this chapter is very Jewish.
It is written to the religious Jews during the days of Malachi. You
can’t get much more Jewish than that. In the chapter, God was
speaking to Israel about the things in their country that was
disappointing to Him. However, I doubt that we would find God’s list
of today’s disappointments much different.
One more thing: This chapter contains two great prophecies.
The first, I believe, is still unfulfilled. \\#4\\ Edom’s
descendants will rise against Israel again in some form, and God will
put them down again. While I don’t think a country by the named of
Edom is very likely to rise, I do believe some of the descendants of
Edom, along with descendants of Moab, Ammon, Amalek, the Philistines,
and others will rise to form a state and come against Israel.
Personally, I do not think that is very far away.
The second one, you and I are living. \\#11\\ God prophesied that
Gentiles from across the entire world would worship His name.
What was God disappointed about?
I. \\#1-4\\ God was disappointed with their snide ungratefulness.
A. The first time that happened was in verse 2.
Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye
say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau
Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved
Jacob,
1. Notice their question, "How have you loved us?"
2. In this book, God records a lot of their snide questions.
a. Just about every time God made a statement, they had a
comeback question.
(1) \\#1:6\\ God - You despise my name. Them -
Wherein have we dispised thy name?
(2) \\#1:7\\ God - You offer polluted bread. Them -
Wherein have we polluted thee?
b. In all, they will do that six times in this small book.
3. The fact that this people needed to have God’s love
explained to them must have disappointed God very much.
B. God could have given dozens, hundreds of examples, of His
love for them, but He gave only one, how out of love God
promoted Jacob over his older brother Esau.
1. \\#3\\ Notice that God said that He hated Esau.
a. Let me tell you that God really did not hate Esau.
b. In fact, God treated Esau just as well as He treated
Jacob.
(1) God gave Esau land like He gave Jacob.
(2) God gave Esau twelve sons just like He gave Jacob.
(3) God made each of those twelve sons a ruler over
their nations just like He did for Jacob’s sons.
(4) And the list continues.
c. You ask, "Why did God say He hated Esau?" Because God
gave to Jacob the promises He had made to their
fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and that could not be
duplicated.
d. The blessings God gave to Jacob were so great that it
would appear to everyone else that God hated Esau.
2. Someone would ask, "Why would God give such a blessing to
Jacob and not to Esau, especially since Esau was the older
child and should have received them?"
a. Two words - love and sovereignty.
b. For some unknown reason, God just loved Jacob.
(1) God made a commitment to Jacob to love and to
support him no matter what.
(2) That is love. It is not just emotions and sparks.
It should have some of that too, but it is even
more a decision to stand with someone no matter
what.
c. The other is sovereignty. God just decided to exalt
Jacob above Esau.
(1) Don’t let that rattle you too much.
(2) God has had to sovereignty make all the decisions.
(a) When you are God and get to make everything
from scratch, you get to make ALL of the
decisions.
(b) God decided planets would be round, water
would be clear, birds would fly while
elephants would walk, Bama would win and
everyone else would lose.
(c) And God decided to let the promises made to
Abraham and Isaac pass through Jacob and not
Esau.
C. By the way, God made some sovereign decisions concerning me and
you.
1. God sovereignly allowed you to be born in America.
a. There are a lot of lesser places you could have been
born.
(1) We could have been born in one of the poorest
countries. Example: Uganda, average income
is $1,613 PER YEAR and with a life expectancy of
58.5 year. 66/1000 babies born will die before
age 5. Only 1/4 made it to high school.
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/12/21/25-worst-countries-to-
live-in-the-world/2/
https://www.internations.org/uganda-expats/guide/living-in-uganda-
17687
(2) Or we could have been born in one of the most
oppressed countries. Example: Syria,
Afghanistan, South Sudan - Muslim, ravaged by
war, governed by oppressors and tyrants. Things
are so bad in these countries, very little data
can be gathered to describe it.
https://www.atlasandboots.com/most-dangerous-countries-in-the-world-
ranked/
(3) Or we could have been born in one of the hungriest
countries. Example: Sierra Leone, Chad, or the
hungriest county in the world, Central African
Republic where more than 1/2 of the people live
with hunger every single day.
https://www.concernusa.org/story/worlds-ten-hungriest-countries-2017/
b. But no. God sovereignly placed us in the United States
of America and whether you were born white or black,
during the 21st century or doing the 19th century,
with a strong healthy body or a sickly body, you are
still infinitely better off here than you would be in
any other country!
c. By the way, based on that one sovereign decision that
God made, one could easily conclude that God loved us
and hated many of the other nations.
2. God sovereignly decided what would happen to you AFTER you
trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior.
a. You would be His child forever.
b. You would be conformed to the very image of Jesus
Christ. (That means that you would have the sin
pulled out of you and holiness poured into you.)
c. You would spend eternity with God in heaven.
3. Friend, with God demonstrating His love on us so much, I
don’t want to disappoint Him by being ungrateful!
II. \\#7-9\\ God was disappointed in the lame sacrifices.
Mal 1:7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar;
and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In
that ye say, The table of the LORD is
contemptible.
8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is
it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick,
is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor;
will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy
person? saith the LORD of hosts.
A. Sacrifices are the earthly gifts that people give to God.
B. There is some incomplete thinking when it comes to God and
His sacrifices.
1. For example, many people have never realized that God
does not need anything we give to Him.
2. Neither have they concluded that everything we give is
already His.
Psalm 50:10 For every beast of the forest is
mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and
the wild beasts of the field [are] mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for
the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
3. So why does God make so much of our giving Him things from
this world?
a. He does, you know. The Old Testament Jews had to give
Him gifts either personally or as a nation every day.
b. And on many days, they gave both individually and as a
nation.
c. Why? Because God wants us to prize Him above every
possession He gives to us.
d. Above our money, above what we can do with our money,
above our hobbies, even above the perceived security
we think we have with money.
C. These people were bringing their lame sacrifices to God.
1. They were bringing something which, in my opinion, puts
them ahead of those who did not give anything at all.
a. Even a lame sacrifice has some value.
b. But what they were bringing was not worthy of God.
2. So what are WE bringing to God?
a. The only prayers that many people pray are for things.
b. What things have we given to God and do they
demonstrate that God is a worthy or is God
disappointed with our gifts as well?
III. God was disappointed in their lack of service.
Mal 1:10 Who is there even among you that would
shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle
fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure
in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I
accept an offering at your hand.
A. Isn’t it interesting that in over 2,000 years, the things that
man does has not changed much?
1. People have always been too busy to serve God.
2. People have always thought they were incapable of serving
God.
3. People have always chosen to put their energy and effort
into things they can see, hold, and possess rather than
into the invisible, intangible, and spiritual.
4. But God wants our service.
B. Notice that God wasn’t asking for much.
1. Someone to shut the door.
2. Someone to kindle the fire.
3. Most of the time, God is not looking for the person to
do the difficult but to be consistent.
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful.
IV. God was disappointed in their complaining (snuffing).
Mal 1:13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness
is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD
of hosts….
A. What were they doing? They were complaining that God would
expect them to bring sacrifices or do Him service!
1. They said to bring gifts and to do service was such a
"weariness;" that is, it is so tiresome!
2. They snuffed (blew, exalted) at it. (It is like rolling
your eyes only with your mouth.)
B. God has given us all choices in life and we—His creatures and
especially His children—can choose to honor Him or refuse,
but what we do does determine His reaction.
1. God will either be pleased or disappointed.
2. You can please Him or you can disappoint Him.
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