"Oh
that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not
uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says
the LORD of hosts, "nor will I accept an offering from you.
Insights: There are so many verses in the Bible
that are truly sad. Today’s verse is one
of those. In modern day vernacular God
is saying, “Just go home and shut the doors to the church. I want nothing to do with you.” E. Ray Clendenen helps us historically
understand this verse. He wrote,
“According to 2 Chronicles 28:24, idolatrous King Ahaz of Judah ‘shut the doors
of the LORD’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in
Jerusalem.’ The present verse may be an
allusion to that event, the point being that what the priests of Judah were
doing was no better than Ahaz’s idolatry.
God ironically wished for another King Ahaz who would construct a
visible barrier between God and His people like the one they already had
constructed in their hearts. After
Judah’s great wickedness had brought about the devastating punishment of exile,
it is amazing that the abundance of Judah’s gratitude for the Lord’s
restoration should have reverted so quickly to empty ritual. . . . The Lord Is
not dependent upon human offerings or service.
They are a means of testifying to His greatness and exalting His name,
and He is pleased with sincere praise and worship. Worship also benefits the worshipers, serving
to nourish their relationship with God individually and to encourage one
another in the faith. But religious
activity performed without genuine love and gratitude to God is not only
useless but repulsive to Him because it slanders His character. God does not need our gifts or our service,
and His favor cannot be bought. Gifts
that are offered ‘reluctantly or under compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7)’ humiliate the
recipient and place him under obligation.
The God who can transform the stones into followers (Matt. 3:9) wants no
part in such a transaction.” Today’s
verse is a call to reflection. It is
time for us, Beloved, to evaluate what we are offering to the Lord. If we are giving to Him anything but our
best, then He is resolutely telling us to shut the doors and go home. God will not settle for our trifles. He wants all of our hearts and all of our
worship. We need to seriously approach
the Lord with humility the next time we enter into His place of worship. We need to be asking ourselves what kind of
offering I am bringing the Lord today.
Questions:
- Are you willing to give God the love, honor and respect
He rightfully deserves?
- Or is your worship amounting to God saying, “Close the
doors”?
Prayer: Father, may the
day not come where all the church offers You is leftovers. Send a revival in Your body and let us return
to authentic worship. Amen.
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