Daily Devotions – Israel

Daily Devotions – Israel

Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

 

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

 

Malachi 1:6-14 (NIV)
Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices
6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ 7 “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. 9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty. 10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. 14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.

 

In what ways did Isreal not pay the price in following God (Christ)?

 

Lord Almighty, You are the King of all things from the beginning of time and for all of eternity. You have had mercy on my sins. You are worthy of worship and praise. How it must break Your heart when your chosen people of Israel became careless and attended their worship without reverence. They grudged the expense, not wanting to waste potential profits on sacrifice to You. Their hearts were cold, dull and dead. Lord keep my heart from shoddy, sloppy worship because that is disrespectful to You. Keep my relationship with You strong so that worship is a priority in my life, not only on Sunday mornings but every day of the week and not only in all I do but in my attitude in doing it. I worship You with my best, my first 10% of my finances and not whatever is leftover or convenient. I lift my worship to You in love, admiration, and thanksgiving for the love and sacrifice and mercy that You have already given me and because You are Almighty God. I give you all of my heart. Amen