Malachi 1:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Now pay attention to Malachi, the prophet who succeeded the others: I shall not yet call upon the testimonies of Isaiah or Jeremiah, or the other prophets who prophesied before the captivity, lest you claim that the calamities they predicted transpired during the Babylonian exile. Instead, I present the prophet who existed following your return from Babylon and the city's restoration, who unmistakably foretold your destiny. Indeed, after the Jews had come back from exile, rebuilt the city, constructed the temple, and resumed their sacrificial offerings, Malachi, foreseeing the present captivity and the end of sacrifices, asserts in the name of God: Can He accept you favorably, says the Lord of hosts. For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be revered among the nations, and everywhere they shall present incense to my name, a clean offering; yet you profane it.

The prophets were not mute regarding the rejection of the Jews. Observe how the prophet prophesied: It would be better for one of you to close the doors, rather than to keep the fire burning on my altar in vain. It was also foretold who would serve the Lord: From the east to the west, my name will be honored among the nations, and in every location, they shall offer incense to my name; a pure offering. Do you see how he has illustrated the honor of this worship, its superiority, and its establishment in place of the previous system? This worship is not confined to a particular location, but rather rooted in an inner state, and it will not consist of mere smoke and incense, but will take the form of a more profound spirituality.

Similarly, through Jeremiah, it was stated: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat the flesh. For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, I said nothing about burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Jeremiah 7:21-22). The law served, in essence, as a shadow and a precursor to authentic spiritual worship and the justifications of the flesh, as articulated by Paul: “which stands only in foods and drinks, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:10). The “time of reformation” surely refers to the arrival of our Savior, at which point the first covenant, due to its earthly limitations, was rendered obsolete, necessitating a new and superior covenant that transcends all sin and guilt. For this reason, He who was also called the angel of the Great Council spoke these truths (Isaiah 9:6). He asserted: “I do not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken” (John 12:49). This unequivocally indicates that the subordinate priests were rejected by Him; their sacrifices offered in mere shadows were not aligned with His will, and He would not accept their sacred offerings. He foretold that His name would be honored and revered among all heavenly beings, and across every nation, pure, spiritual offerings would be presented to Him. Thus, the clergy would no longer diminish His glory or offer Him insincere services but would make diligent efforts to provide the sweet aroma of spiritual worship through faith, hope, love, and acts of goodness, by reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice, which is undeniably a heavenly and life-giving offering, through which death is conquered, and this perishable earthly body is endowed with immortality.

The Jewish sacrifices, to which God asserts: “My favour is not with you, saith the Lord of hosts, and the offering out of your hands is displeasing to Me,” have ceased—a fact they cannot ignore. Why then do they await another Messiah when the prophecies they read are already fulfilled through Christ? The prophet further asserts in God’s name: “My covenant with him was a covenant of life and peace; I gave it to him for fear, and he feared Me and revered My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his tongue; in peace and truth he walked with Me, and turned many away from sin. For the mouth of the priest shall keep knowledge, and the law shall be sought out of his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 2:5-7). It should not astonish us that Jesus Christ is referred to as an angel of God Almighty. As He came to humanity in the form of a servant, He serves, while also being a messenger for the good news He proclaimed. The Greek terms indicate that gospel translates as good news and angel as messenger. The prophet also speaks of Him: “Behold, I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before me; suddenly the Lord whom ye seek, and the angel of the covenant whom ye desire, shall come to His temple: behold, He cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. And who shall endure the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appears?” (Malachi 3:1-2). Here, the prophet anticipates both the first and second coming of Christ—the first indicated by “He shall come suddenly to His temple,” referring to His body, regarding which Christ stated in the Gospel, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days” (John 2:19); the second when He declared, “Behold, He is coming, saith the Lord of hosts. And who shall endure the day of His coming?” This illustrates that the Jews, as found in their scriptures, seek and desire Christ, yet many, blinded by their own righteousness, fail to recognize that He whom they seek has already come.

The covenant referred to by the prophet signifies the New Covenant, which offers eternal promises, contrasting with the Old Covenant, which was based on temporal promises. Many, having invested their hopes in these latter promises and serving the true God with expectations of temporal rewards, become troubled when they observe the wicked enjoying those same rewards. To differentiate between the eternal glory of the New Covenant, bestowed solely upon the virtuous, and the temporary prosperity of the Old, often granted to the wicked, the prophet states: “Your words are bold before Me, saith the Lord. You will say, ‘What do we speak against You?’ You say, ‘The service of God is vain, and what good is it that we have kept His decrees and walked in sorrowful garments before the face of the Lord of hosts? Now we count the haughty happy: those who do iniquity are better off; although they tempt God, they remain unscathed.’ But those who fear God say to one another, ‘The Lord hears this, and before His face is written a book of remembrance for those who fear the Lord and honour His name’” (Malachi 3:13-16). This book symbolizes the New Covenant. The further revelation states: “And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, My property in that day which I will make; I will have mercy on them, as a man has mercy on his son who serves him. Then you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. For behold, the day will come that burns like a furnace; all the arrogant and wicked will be stubble, and that coming day will set them ablaze, saith the Lord of hosts, leaving them neither root nor branch. But for you who revere My name, the Sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in His wings; you shall go out and leap like stall-fed calves; you shall trample the wicked, for they shall be dust under your feet in that day which I will make, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:17-18, Malachi 4:1-3). This is the day of judgment, which we shall discuss more fully when appropriate.

You Jews, who oppose the Son of God to your own detriment, may attempt to distort these prophetic messages for your own purposes. You wish to interpret the statements such that the nation and house of Jacob, that is, Israel, are both simultaneously called and rejected. Not in the sense of being accepted in one aspect and denied in another, but that they were all called to walk in the light of the Lord (Isaiah 2:5) and were rejected for failing to do so. Alternatively, one might consider them called in one respect and rejected in another, in such a way that there’s no division in the Lord's supper consistent with the sacrifice of Christ, meaning both the obedient and the unrighteous remain under the constraints of the same old ordinances. If you choose to interpret the matter in this manner, how then will you reconcile this with the other prophet who delivers a clear contradiction by declaring: “There is none of My favour with you, saith the Lord of hosts, and the offering out of your hands is displeasing to Me. For from the east of the sun to the west shall my name be great among the nations, and in every place they shall offer incense to My name; a pure sacrifice; great shall be My name among the nations, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1:10-11)?

This is not confined to the Jewish lands or the city of Jerusalem alone; sacrifices must be offered everywhere, and these must not be the impure offerings seen among the Israelites but rather pure sacrifices akin to the solemn worship in Christian practices. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is exalted among the nations, as the Saviour affirms, “Father, I have revealed Thy name to men” (John 17:6). He has decreed that His name should be honored among the nations, yet you, the leaders of the Jews, have both glorified and dishonored Him. Prophecy does not merely foretell the future; it addresses the present as well.

O priests and leaders of the Jews! In every place, a pure sacrifice must be made in my name, and my name will be exalted among the nations because you claim, 'The altar of the Lord lacks honor, and the offerings laid upon it are not worthy, along with the fire that consumes them.' Upon returning from Babylon, the people constructed an altar from uncut stones they found, as recorded in the book of Ezra, but they lacked a temple, city, or walls, and they assumed that their worship must therefore be smaller in scale due to the simplicity of their offerings. Yet the Lord has declared to them, 'You believe the altar does not deserve honor, as do the burnt offerings and the sacrifices, along with the fire that consumes them. You fail to recognize that the Lord Almighty does not require gold, precious stones, or numerous sacrifices, but rather the hearts of the worshipers.'

Those who interpret this passage as merely referring to the table for the showbread miss the mark, for it states, “together with the fire that consumes them.” The fire does not consume the loaves of the offering; the priests continually present new loaves in place of the old, and the removed loaves are entirely at the priests’ disposal (Leviticus 24:5-9). This text may also be understood as follows: You honor My name by saying, ‘What is the value of sacrificing the best? Regardless of the offering, it will still be consumed by fire. The result of the altar is fire, and sacrifices or burnt offerings provide the fuel for that fire.' Yet your previous speech bears even greater wickedness, as you say, 'Behold the fruit of our labor,' treating it with disdain, says the Lord. The essence of your statement is this: You’ve expressed, 'We have returned from captivity; we were once the property of our enemies; we endured hardship on our long journey; we are poor: our resources were depleted during our arduous trek; therefore, we present what we have.' By this, you have shown contempt for your offerings, implying that they are also deserving of My disdain—or, as the Hebrew may imply, ‘and have treated me with contempt.’ This does not merely dishonor the sacrifice; it dishonors Me, the One to whom the sacrifice is offered. Consequently, I will not accept it from your hands, declares the Lord Almighty.

Some believe that although this message is directed primarily at the Jews, whose sacrifices are unclean and defiled, it also applies to the priests of Christ’s Church, who may be negligent in their offerings to the Lord. If this is the case, then sacrifices may need to be transferred from the Church to another group. How, then, can the gospel replace the law if something not in accordance with the prophecy emerges after the gospel? The desecration of the Lord's Supper could refer to the Holy Scriptures, if not understood as they are intended in their text.

Hence, regarding the sacrifices you presented, as previously mentioned by Malachi, one of the twelve prophets, the Lord of hosts declares, “There is none of My favor with you," and "the offering from your hands is displeasing to Me." For, “from the rising of the sun to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place, incense will be offered to My name, a pure offering; My name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts. However, you have profaned it (Malachi 1:10-12). Concerning the sacrifices we Gentiles offer universally, namely the bread and cup of the Eucharist, He hints that we glorify His name while you desecrate it. The commandment of circumcision, which required infants to be circumcised on the eighth day, serves as a foreshadowing of the true circumcision, through which we are liberated from error and sin by our Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead on the first day of the week. This day, recognized as the first among all days, is also regarded as the eighth in the sequence of days, despite being the initial one.

Therefore, I will give you up to disgrace and scatter you among all peoples.’” Malachi continued: “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will send a curse upon you and curse your blessings... I will destroy it, and it shall not be with you’” (Malachi 2:2, 9). The prophets spoke frequently concerning their rejection.