When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Malachi 1:8
Our dog has learned to stick close to the table at dinner time as when we are done, he usually gets the leftovers. Like us, he seems to love steak. When we do indulge in steak, we don’t buy it for him though. We buy it for us, eating the best parts ourselves, and then if there is fat or gristle left over, he gets the scraps.
This is akin to what Malachi condemned the Israelites for in today’s passage. Under the Old Testament law, they were supposed to sacrifice the best of what they had to God. In Malachi’s time, this devolved into giving God their sick and useless animals only. Keeping the best for themselves, they maintained a facade of obedience, while putting themselves first. They gave their scraps to God, who didn’t appreciate being treated like a dog.
I’m afraid I’ve done this. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we’re no longer required to offer animal sacrifices. We can now have a personal, intimate relationship with God, who desires that we invest time, effort, and love into our relationship with him, putting him above all.
Often though, I’ve been guilty of giving God the scraps of my life. I’ve lived for years, picking up my Bible only once a week to go to church. I’ve been so busy that I just didn’t have time for him. Sure, I had time to watch TV, but I needed my down time.
Having been through the disaster of following me though, I’ve realized how profoundly important it is for me to give of the first moments of my day to God. If I want sobriety instead of addiction, I need to pursue it daily. If I want to know faith and life instead of the disaster of me, I need to take time daily to point my life at God. I cannot give him the scraps of my life and hope that I grow in my faith. If I truly want to know God, life, and recovery, I need to wake up early and give him the first minutes of my day, every day.