Try presenting that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favor? says
Malachi is prophesying to an apathetic people. A century after the Temple has been completed, the people have stopped tithing, and are not worshipping as they should, and the priests are causing people trouble by the priests’ instruction. The people are also making imperfect animal sacrifices.
As a culture that does not offer animals to demonstrate our dedication and sacrifice, the notion of imperfect or blemished animals is foreign, to say the least. But God suggests that the people take their blemished and imperfect animal sacrifices to the governor, and rhetorically asks will those sacrifices be pleasing. This I understand.
In a very worldly sense, we do this all the time. We weigh the likely outcome, and offer a sacrifice appropriate for that outcome. For example, it’s amazing what kinds of expired, nasty food is donated to food banks. It’s hardly a sacrifice, when the offering to the food bank is what you wouldn’t feed your own family; it’s more like a great way to clean out the pantry. If the king, bishop or governor were to come over for dinner, would that be what they were offered? Of course not. We’d make up a fine meal, with the freshest ingredients. We’d make an offering based on the perceived value of the recipient.
The same goes with clothing donations. I understand that Africa is drowning in our crappy donations. One headline reads, Why Africa is Drowning in our Clothing Waste. These are clothes we would no longer dress our kids in so we donate them. To be clear, I understand there is great need. I am just not sure they need our junky food or clothing.
Finally, the same is true with our money and time. We offer our time and money to all sorts of things before we determine what we have left over for God’s work.
In the case of Malachi’s prophecy, God was saying that the people would not offer the blemished animal to a governor, why would they offer it to God? If our offerings match the perceived value of the recipient or reward we receive in its offering, why would hungry or impoverished neighbors get less than we’d offer a governor? More importantly, why would God get less?
This morning, I’m thinking about how my choices about my time and treasure reflect my implicit and invisible values about the beneficiaries of those choices. My neighbors are no less worthy than my family. Strangers are no less worthy than the president. God is no less worthy than anyone.
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