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 despising the altar of the Lord and in turn dishonoring Him.

Further, the priests didn't seem to see why God would take it so personally! Their priestly duties were meant to honor Him but their lukewarm service by just "going through the motions" didn't please Him. God shows them that by offering blind, lame and sick animals they were despising His altar and it was evil. 

Blind minds

In fact, from Malachi 1:8 through to Malachi 2:12, God digs deep into the attitudes of the priests who were neglecting the priestly covenant with Him and were causing Israel to stumble. The priests totally despised their role and saw little validity in the  the offerings they were making and it had become a meaningless act. It was so lifeless that God asks was there someone who would have the courage to lock the doors of the temple and say "enough-is-enough" (Malachi 1:10). The Lord then declares that by doing so they had corrupted the covenant of Levi and were despised by Israel which meant Israel had no-one to help them understand the ways of God (Malachi 2:9).

As you read these verses, God's frustration is palpable and He tells them that "the lips of a priest should keep knowledge and the people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is a messenger of the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 2:7).  They were to draw people to God rather than turn people away from God!

Blind hearts

In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus, similarly, challenges the Church at Laodicea telling them "I know your works, that you are neither hot not cold. I could wish that you were cold or hot, so then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked".

These two examples show that when our love for God grows dull, and we become spiritually blind, it is so hard to "walk-the-walk" and our lives become a treadmill of heartless actions that is so obvious to the world around us.  

However, in both Malachi and Revelation we are given the way to deal within this blindness of soul; and that is repentance!

Malachi 3:7b "..return to Me, and I will return to you", 

Revelation 3:19-20 "... repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

Both these verses show that God will respond to the repentant heart.  Repentance is integral to the Christian life and typified by:

• being prepared to return to Him, and
• being prepared to open up to Him.

When we prepare to return and open up to Him we are already on the way to Him and He comes into our lives afresh and the fellowship starts again. The returning is often an act of will and not always a great emotional event. It often just brings us back onto the path that may be just as difficult as it was earlier but somehow our eyes see again.

Painting

William Etty (1787-1849) - The Prodigal Son