Closing and opening doors
In Malachi 1:6 God asks " where is my honor ... you who despise my name ". In response the priests do not ask "how have we not honored You?" but rather they switch to a question that attempts to put them on an equal footing with God. They respond by asking "how have we despised your name?" as a means to deflect attention away from the requirement to answer first question by attempting to force God to answer another question. Blind offerings When God tells them that they " have defiled my altar " they again side-step the issue and ask "how have we defiled You?". The repenting prodigal son Their question immediately tries take the focus off the altar of the Lord and attempt to force God to explain how they have defiled Him? This question makes it apparent that they had disconnected offerings from a means to honor God, to something that was just a ritual. They didn't realize that by not offering the best meant they were openly desp...