Malachi 1:9

9 "Now you dare to ask me to show you my favor! But as long as you give offerings like those, how can I accept you?" says the Lord.

Malachi 1:9 Meaning and Commentary

Malachi 1:9

And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious
unto us
These are the words of the prophet to the priests; and are spoken either seriously, exhorting them to that part of their office which lay in interceding for the people that God would be gracious to them, and forgive their sins; and the rather, inasmuch as they had been the means of their sin, and accessary to it, who ought to have reproved them for bringing such offerings, and should have refused to offer them for them; or otherwise, if they did not do this, they could not expect that God would accept their persons, and their offerings: or else ironically, now you have offered such sacrifices to the Lord, as the blind, the lame, and sick, go and intercede for the people; pray that their sins may be forgiven them, and that the curse may be removed from them, and see how you will succeed: this hath been by your means;
that such sacrifices were offered up; they indulged the people in such practices, and encouraged them; the fault was theirs; or this curse, as Kimchi explains it, from ( Malachi 1:14 ) : will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts;
can you ever imagine that God will have any respect to your persons or prayers, when you have acted so vile a part, and been the cause of so much sin and evil? no, he will not, as is asserted in the following verse ( Malachi 1:10 ) .

Malachi 1:9 In-Context

7 "You put 'unclean' food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we made you "unclean?" ' "You do it by looking down on my altar.

8 You sacrifice blind animals to me. Isn't that wrong? You sacrifice disabled or sick animals. Isn't that wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD who rules over all.

9 "Now you dare to ask me to show you my favor! But as long as you give offerings like those, how can I accept you?" says the Lord.

10 "You might as well shut the temple doors! Then you would not light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you," says the Lord. "I will not accept any of the offerings you bring.

11 "My name will be great among the nations. They will worship me from where the sun rises in the east to where it sets in the west. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be brought to me. That is because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord.