Today’s passage is Malachi 1:1-14. Through Malachi’s prophecy the Lord expresses his love for Israel, focusing on Jacob and despising Esau. God complains that he does not receive honor because the animal sacrifices given to him by the priests are blind, lame, sick and stolen. He condemns it as evil. But his name will be great among the Gentiles, he says, great among the nations.
Why is the oracle of God a burden? If he loves Israel why won’t he accept the sacrifices?
“The burden of the word of the Lord”(1)
In the NIV translation, burden is written as oracle, but in the King James translation, it is burden. Speaking the word of God to his countrymen is a burden for Malachi. It would be for me too if what I had to say was full of chastisement and upcoming punishment.
In my life, I hate being the bearer of bad news. I stumble and stutter when I have to give it.
The burden of it nearly overwhelms me. As a teacher, I might vociferate to other teachers how dismal a student essay or set of exams were and loudly condemn the student.
But when I had to return student work, I became hesitant and mild, almost afraid of telling the students they had failed or their work was so substandard that they had to do it again.
I would do almost anything to not fail a student, event to the point of giving them marks if they had written their name nicely.
With my kids, it’s the same. I might yell at them for minor infractions but I was reluctant to deliver any serious bad news like not being able to buy them ice cream or not going to visit the sea or go to grandma’s.
I want my teachers to do a good job and like to praise them but slow to tell them that they’re really not behaving well, making a lot of excuses, stressing other teachers with their behavior and not getting on with their work.
It’s no fun having to fire someone, which I’ve had to do every year since becoming principal. I don’t think God enjoys railing at his chosen people for their selfish, self-serving and hypocritical attitude towards their creator and savior. Love and justice are a burden.
When I consider my daily life of sin and see my occasions of responsibility shirking, I wonder how it is that God continues to love me.
Every misstep I make is another blind, lame, sick or stolen sacrifice that mars my worship of my Lord.
Application: talk more directly to my teachers lacking appropriate self-control.
Lord, let me not live in the Territory of Wickedness but cross the Jordan into your kingdom.
