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.
Not every prophecy is called a burden; this name belongs to words bearing God's judgment. The ungodly used it as a slur, hoping to excuse themselves from listening. Malachi's doctrine is rightly called a burden because the people had fallen into sins that could not be endured, and they stood summoned before God's tribunal.
AI summary
Commenting on Malachi 1:1-14
God has a reckoning to settle with unfaithful ministers before all others. A son honors his father by nature, a servant honors his master by compact; yet these priests, who are both God's children and servants, neither fear nor honor Him. What they do to the least of God's holy things, they do to Him.
AI summary
Commenting on Malachi 1:6-14
The law forbids the offering of blind, lame, and diseased animals. Yet the priests reasoned that because God's table was despised, such creatures were good enough. This proves they held the name of the Lord in contempt and offered polluted sacrifice on His altar, violating what even heathen nations observed in their own worship.
AI summary