Blemished Sacrifices

This morning I was reading in Malachi....and what I came across was a passage of verses that grieved my heart. Grieved in that convicted way, but also in a way of hearing how this hurts God when we do this. That is new for me...I mean I know it hurts God when we are apathetic toward his name...but in these verses I just really heard & felt the hurt in his words...take a look:

Malachi 1:6-14
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.

Do you hear it too? Especially in v.13-14...just the arrogance of the people trying to trick Him by bringing a blemished sacrifice to him...as if he wouldn't figure it out?

It reminds me of a time in elementary school. It was picture day & pictures were super important to my mom. She did the whole go buy a new outfit, curl my hair, made sure I was all put together because the pictures had to be just right. Well this was around the time of those plastic necklaces...the ones with the charms that hung off them. Ringing a bell to anyone? Here is a picture for those who don't know what they are.


So anyway...my mom was super adamant that I did not wear that for my pictures. Well being the clever child I was I thought I would just put on the charm necklace just before the picture & then take it off right after so she wouldn't know it was on me. Well as you all can imagine...she got the pictures back a few weeks later.....and she saw the necklace I was wearing. Oh man, hahah I still remember getting in trouble for that one! haha

But just like the people of Judah...did I not know she would find out? It just really hit home for me & reminded me that this is the GOD of the UNIVERSE. When I bring sacrifices to him...do I not think he will know that they are blemished (if they are?). Even my "sacrifices" of giving him my "leftover time" or my left over money, leftover energy, lack of worship...on & on. Do I not know this grieves him?
Such a good reminder.

I am currently on the Ethiopia team & we've been talking a lot about becoming a Mary instead of a Martha. There are a few of us who are very much Martha's & we are trying to learn from the Mary's of our group...may we just sit at his feet. Not try to plan or manufacture an outcome...but just sit & rest at his feet. I think if I did this better...then I would never have to worry about my sacrifices being blemishes.

An answer

I am sorry for the vagueness of this post.
Just know, the Lord, the creator of this universe, the reason we are here...hears us. and answers! I see him do it all the time. He is amazing, and LOVES us!!! Filthy little selfish us...he really does love us.
wow. I'm in awe.
Amazing.
Thanks for that Lord, may you be honored more today than you were yesterday.

Hannah's Prayer

Hannah’s Prayer is from 1 Samuel 2:

1 Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn[g] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
2 “There is no one holy[h] like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave[i] and raises up.
7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
upon them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
10 those who oppose the Lord will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”


I am learning a lot from Hannah lately. She & I have similarities in our stories. Don’t miss my point this isn’t about having or not having a child, its much more than that. However, She prayed & prayed for a child, but it wasn't until Gods timing that he chose to give her one...and eventually 6!

While I am not in the same place I was 2 or 3 years ago in the area of my heart yearning & wanting a baby; I am on the other side of it.

I am trying to learn what it looks like to rejoice in each moment & remember the blessing he poured out on me. I tend to look for that next thing. When this, when that, what's next?
I just really want to sit and rest at his feet. Become a Mary. Marveling at what he has already done. This doesn't necessarily have to do with “more kids” either; it applies to very area of my life.
I want to come to a place in my life where I can sit, rest easy & as the commentary so eloquently said it, be like Hannah.

“Hannah praised God for his answer to prayer. The theme of her poetic prayer is her confidence in God’s sovereignty & her thankfulness for everything he had done.
By praising him we acknowledge his ultimate control over all the affairs of life.”

Lord, give me that same kind of confidence, in everything I face. Every day. I want to DELIGHT in obedience toward you. I want to have an unwavering faith. Not one that expects you to do things for me, but one that is confident you HEAR me, all of me; in good & bad times, soft & hard times, strong & insecure times….. Refine me.