"If then I am a Father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you,"1
Oh, Jehovah has loved them.2 How have you loved us they say? “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?" Are we not your people? we will rebuild. Have you forgotten your youth, says the Lord? Why do you not honor your Father? And you have left your wife, your love, your companion, and have married the daughter of a foreign god. “A son honors his father and a servant his master. O priests, who despise my name." But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ Your offerings are polluted. “You have said that the Lord's Table may be despised, when you offer him polluted offerings.” How are they polluted you say? When what you give in sacrifice is not pure, is this not evil to God? Would you "present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? Says the LORD of hosts."3 You say I am your Father but you dishonor me.
This lack of love for the Father is shown by the people's polluted offerings. In the old these offerings were sacrifices of their First "fruit" and First born, of the land, of animals, and of men. They would give of the First because their hearts had God First, but these gave of the sick, spotted, blind animals, such offerings they wouldn't feed and dishonor the dignitaries but the Father that had given them all things, they dishonored. And the Father asks, is this not evil?4 Am I not real? Do you really believe in me? Can you hide from me behind a wall, behind a pole, a temple, do not I see all?
The issue was not whether they gave, more so, than whether the giving was pure, a First offering. We see this in Israel at the time of Jesus, as the Pharisees tithed 10% of everything, even their herbs; Jesus said of them they devoured widow’s homes, put heavy burdens on the people without helping. In general Americans like to give; the total giving to charitable organizations was $358.38 billion in 2014.5 Our giving exceeds most countries GDP's.6 And religious organizations received most, 32% of all donations, $114.9 billion, 40% of this goes to ministry. Is the issue in America one of giving? Or more so, than that of whether our offerings are pure and acceptable to God.
The people brought sacrifices to the priests then these were brought before God, the lame and sick offerings, things taken in violence, or by cheating others, "Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD?" thus they caused the people to despise the table of the Lord, to despise His name, "you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised."7 The people wanted nothing from the table of God, because it was polluted. No longer was the food of God tasty and desiring. The people would see the evil of the men of God, and not only evil, but they would see them tempt God, in getting away with evil. The people complain before the Lord, "What point is it to serve God?" He rewards evil. God asks today, does My will supersede my Word?
The priests lived for priestly service and were allowed to take of the offerings given to God by the people, so their every need was taken care of so they could perform service in the temple. They did not receive an inheritance in the land, an important point. The point of their service was to rise up Pure incense to God so that God's wrath would not be invoked on the people. In the new we are priests and it is our service to offer up pure sacrifices acceptable to the Father. But they did not give honor to His name, the stench that reached God displeased Him so, so much so that He promised to reward them with the same stench, by spreading dung on their faces,8
The covenant God made with Levi, it was a covenant of fear, and of life and peace. The new is a covenant of grace and we see the promise fulfilled in the new, all promises are Yes and Amen, in Jesus, giver of life and peace. God gave this covenant to Levi because "True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity."9 In the new, Instruction, the Word of God, Rabbi, Teacher would become flesh and walk among us, Jesus was given this authority, He said to give it to no man. They were priests of God, but their offerings were not sweet offerings to God nor to the people, but as dung. God cursed their blessings, "But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts,"10
"For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts."11 We are priests of God and "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."11 Yes, God desires your most inner part; nothing else is acceptable to God. "Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?"12 This is a great commandment of God to love one another. God says Judah had divorced their wife and married the daughter of a foreign god. No longer married to God, they sold their birthright, they were as Esau, Their father was the king of Tyre and they are like their father, riches and wealth caused pride to fill their hearts and they thought themselves as a god.
We see at the time of Jesus the leaders included themselves in the inheritance of the land, vying for wealth, power, and control. They exalted themselves over others, even in their authority they would sit in the seat of Moses, judging and dispensing laws. No longer were they defending the cause of the fatherless, nor the widow, nor the poor, the least of these, but they devoured widow’s homes in their incorrect teachings of tithing and giving. This human temptation of riches and authority Satan tempted Jesus with and even the disciples would argue over who would be the greatest. We are to be reminded we are priests and we have no earthly inheritance, but a better promise.
This mistreatment of the least of these was spoken of by Jesus on many occasions. He said there is one like the First Commandment; it is to love your neighbor as yourself, and there is a New Commandment, to love one another as He loved. "You do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”14 There is a lot of partiality in the teachings of his people today, it is to be the whole truth, so help us God. The offerings are not pure when instructions of sacrifice mistreat God’s people and authority tempts God in covering up sin, this is a failure to lead by example. These that break the greater commandments of God, saying it is the will of God, Is not such evil to God?
These priests caused the people to become discouraged, they abused their authority, getting away with such they continued to do so, tempting God. Their ways bring discouragement throughout the people, like a ripple effect, the people cry out. They complain, why does it pay to serve God? evil is being rewarded in the house of God.15 But the priests do not lift the faces of the people to the laws of God. For Judah has profaned the holy place of God, it has become a synagogue of the father of their daughter.
"For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant of the man who does this, who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts!"16 Like the Jezebel Elijah confronted, she is the daughter of the king of Tyre, who in his wealth and riches became prideful and thought himself a god. His daughter incites the priests of God to abandon pure worship, and persecutes the prophets of Yahweh, fabricating lies, flaunting her wealth, she walks about with her nose in the air, crying for her prince.
Cursed is the man who brings such an offering. "And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’s altar with tears, with weeping and wailing because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand."17 But you say, “Why does not God give favor?"God is witness to you leaving your First love, faithless, committing adultery, but not only this you have divorced her. These who profane God's sanctuary are as Esau, why? because they divorced their wife. Marriage is a sacred covenant, one of blood and word, symbolic of our relationship with Jesus. They did not just commit adultery but they divorced the wife of the Father and married the daughter of a foreign god. God tells them He favors Jacob, Esau He hates, the birthright was given away in this divorce. Because of the divorce and the new marriage, what was the house of the Father has become, as John writes, the Synagogue of their new father.
The people are crying and wailing, but the solution is they must divorce the daughter of the foreign god and return to the bride. "You have wearied Jehovah with your words. Yet you say, In what have we wearied Him? When you say, every evildoer is good in the eyes of Jehovah, and He delights in them; or, where is the God of Justice?"18 The leaders are getting away with evil, even tempting God, oh God is sovereign he will protect me, they say. This was causing the people to become discouraged. "You have said, it is vain to serve God; and, what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked as mourners before Jehovah of Hosts?"19 God gives the solution and points the people back to the heart of the issue, pure offerings, if they would offer pure offerings God would remove the curse and promised to judge the evil doers. The power rested in the people, if they returned, God would rise up good leaders.
Now Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is at hand, not has been, or will be, but at hand. In this Kingdom He has been given all authority, we are to Honor Him, First. It is a Kingdom of putting God First, He is our Father, Teacher, Rabbi, High Priest... we are to hate other authority that wants to put itself First, even our earthly father. First, starts in the heart, offering our lives as a pure sacrifice, a living sacrifice acceptable and holy, which is our reasonable service.“24 Now, the daughter of a foreign god, will tempt us, saying earthly things will satisfy our hunger, he tempts the Father with his evil authority, he tempts to give us the kingdoms of this world and all its glory. But the promise comes through the Seed, we are to consume the Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, not tempting God, and only serve and worship Him.25
God doesn't want our impure offerings. The lack of love of God is shown by the sins of the priests.26. As Paul writes under the new covenant we are priests of God, so that we serve as priests in the temple of God. Where is that temple? the old was a copy or shadow of things to come. Are we not that shadow? In the Most Holy Place of the temple the Spirit of God resides, only the High Priest could enter there and the priests serve in the Holy Place of the Temple. If the old was a copy of things to come and we are the temple of God in the new and we are priests then we have a Most Holy Place and the Spirit of God resides and we are priests to serve in a Holy Place.
The priests were consecrated at birth, set aside, no inheritance of earthly land. In the new we are consecrated by the new birth, in which we are set apart, sealed by the Spirit of God as a guarantee of an inheritance in the Promised Land. We are circumcised of the heart, for priestly service as Paul writes. If the priests of old need to be sanctified for service, so do the priests in the new, for service in the Holy Place, our hearts must be pure.
Service without hearts pure is a stench, dung, offered up to God. What is the warning of God of being lukewarm? a spewing out, such is like serving God Almighty a sick animal, or spreading dung in His face. God identifies the problem, pure hearts He desires, "And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? Says the LORD of hosts."27 And He gives us the promise, "And Jehovah, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Angel of the Covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He comes, says Jehovah of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap."28
Jesus came to refine the priests, to burn off the dross. Paul understood such, shipwrecked three times, beaten, thrown in prison six times, and beheaded... "I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God."29 Despise refinement and there is no pure offering. Putting God first is bowing to the authority of Jesus, it is yoking to Him, allowing refinement, it is not despising the chastisement of the Lord, for those He loves He transforms, and those who love God allow their deeds to be exposed because they are good deeds. Again, the pendulum swings back and forth, the lesson of Job and his friends we overlook. Refinement should not be despised, but a badge of honor, it says that you are His child,
God will refine His treasure, "and they shall be Mine, says Jehovah of Hosts, for the day that I will make up My treasure. And I will pity them as a man has pity on his son who serves him. Then you shall again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God, and him who does not serve Him."30 For those discouraged by evil, God advises to have a Book of Remembrance, to write down those things God has done, so to remember His goodness towards you. "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."31
For those who do not despise His name, who offer pure offerings, "the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts."32
This lack of love for the Father is shown by the people's polluted offerings. In the old these offerings were sacrifices of their First "fruit" and First born, of the land, of animals, and of men. They would give of the First because their hearts had God First, but these gave of the sick, spotted, blind animals, such offerings they wouldn't feed and dishonor the dignitaries but the Father that had given them all things, they dishonored. And the Father asks, is this not evil?4 Am I not real? Do you really believe in me? Can you hide from me behind a wall, behind a pole, a temple, do not I see all?
The issue was not whether they gave, more so, than whether the giving was pure, a First offering. We see this in Israel at the time of Jesus, as the Pharisees tithed 10% of everything, even their herbs; Jesus said of them they devoured widow’s homes, put heavy burdens on the people without helping. In general Americans like to give; the total giving to charitable organizations was $358.38 billion in 2014.5 Our giving exceeds most countries GDP's.6 And religious organizations received most, 32% of all donations, $114.9 billion, 40% of this goes to ministry. Is the issue in America one of giving? Or more so, than that of whether our offerings are pure and acceptable to God.
The people brought sacrifices to the priests then these were brought before God, the lame and sick offerings, things taken in violence, or by cheating others, "Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD?" thus they caused the people to despise the table of the Lord, to despise His name, "you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised."7 The people wanted nothing from the table of God, because it was polluted. No longer was the food of God tasty and desiring. The people would see the evil of the men of God, and not only evil, but they would see them tempt God, in getting away with evil. The people complain before the Lord, "What point is it to serve God?" He rewards evil. God asks today, does My will supersede my Word?
The priests lived for priestly service and were allowed to take of the offerings given to God by the people, so their every need was taken care of so they could perform service in the temple. They did not receive an inheritance in the land, an important point. The point of their service was to rise up Pure incense to God so that God's wrath would not be invoked on the people. In the new we are priests and it is our service to offer up pure sacrifices acceptable to the Father. But they did not give honor to His name, the stench that reached God displeased Him so, so much so that He promised to reward them with the same stench, by spreading dung on their faces,8
The covenant God made with Levi, it was a covenant of fear, and of life and peace. The new is a covenant of grace and we see the promise fulfilled in the new, all promises are Yes and Amen, in Jesus, giver of life and peace. God gave this covenant to Levi because "True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity."9 In the new, Instruction, the Word of God, Rabbi, Teacher would become flesh and walk among us, Jesus was given this authority, He said to give it to no man. They were priests of God, but their offerings were not sweet offerings to God nor to the people, but as dung. God cursed their blessings, "But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts,"10
"For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts."11 We are priests of God and "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."11 Yes, God desires your most inner part; nothing else is acceptable to God. "Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?"12 This is a great commandment of God to love one another. God says Judah had divorced their wife and married the daughter of a foreign god. No longer married to God, they sold their birthright, they were as Esau, Their father was the king of Tyre and they are like their father, riches and wealth caused pride to fill their hearts and they thought themselves as a god.
We see at the time of Jesus the leaders included themselves in the inheritance of the land, vying for wealth, power, and control. They exalted themselves over others, even in their authority they would sit in the seat of Moses, judging and dispensing laws. No longer were they defending the cause of the fatherless, nor the widow, nor the poor, the least of these, but they devoured widow’s homes in their incorrect teachings of tithing and giving. This human temptation of riches and authority Satan tempted Jesus with and even the disciples would argue over who would be the greatest. We are to be reminded we are priests and we have no earthly inheritance, but a better promise.
This mistreatment of the least of these was spoken of by Jesus on many occasions. He said there is one like the First Commandment; it is to love your neighbor as yourself, and there is a New Commandment, to love one another as He loved. "You do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”14 There is a lot of partiality in the teachings of his people today, it is to be the whole truth, so help us God. The offerings are not pure when instructions of sacrifice mistreat God’s people and authority tempts God in covering up sin, this is a failure to lead by example. These that break the greater commandments of God, saying it is the will of God, Is not such evil to God?
These priests caused the people to become discouraged, they abused their authority, getting away with such they continued to do so, tempting God. Their ways bring discouragement throughout the people, like a ripple effect, the people cry out. They complain, why does it pay to serve God? evil is being rewarded in the house of God.15 But the priests do not lift the faces of the people to the laws of God. For Judah has profaned the holy place of God, it has become a synagogue of the father of their daughter.
"For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant of the man who does this, who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts!"16 Like the Jezebel Elijah confronted, she is the daughter of the king of Tyre, who in his wealth and riches became prideful and thought himself a god. His daughter incites the priests of God to abandon pure worship, and persecutes the prophets of Yahweh, fabricating lies, flaunting her wealth, she walks about with her nose in the air, crying for her prince.
Cursed is the man who brings such an offering. "And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’s altar with tears, with weeping and wailing because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand."17 But you say, “Why does not God give favor?"God is witness to you leaving your First love, faithless, committing adultery, but not only this you have divorced her. These who profane God's sanctuary are as Esau, why? because they divorced their wife. Marriage is a sacred covenant, one of blood and word, symbolic of our relationship with Jesus. They did not just commit adultery but they divorced the wife of the Father and married the daughter of a foreign god. God tells them He favors Jacob, Esau He hates, the birthright was given away in this divorce. Because of the divorce and the new marriage, what was the house of the Father has become, as John writes, the Synagogue of their new father.
The people are crying and wailing, but the solution is they must divorce the daughter of the foreign god and return to the bride. "You have wearied Jehovah with your words. Yet you say, In what have we wearied Him? When you say, every evildoer is good in the eyes of Jehovah, and He delights in them; or, where is the God of Justice?"18 The leaders are getting away with evil, even tempting God, oh God is sovereign he will protect me, they say. This was causing the people to become discouraged. "You have said, it is vain to serve God; and, what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked as mourners before Jehovah of Hosts?"19 God gives the solution and points the people back to the heart of the issue, pure offerings, if they would offer pure offerings God would remove the curse and promised to judge the evil doers. The power rested in the people, if they returned, God would rise up good leaders.
"And I will come near you to judgment. And I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those who extort from the hired laborer's wages, and turning away the widow, and the orphan, the alien, and not fearing Me, says Jehovah of Hosts."20
"You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands."21 "Yet you say, Why? Because Jehovah has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your covenant wife."22 They were made one with His wife, in Spirit, as He was seeking a godly seed to bless them in, He gives them the solution to the problem, this godly Seed, if they would turn to Him, He would bless them. God had a remnant, and through that which the world thought was lowly, a lowly couple, in a lowly town, in a lowly manger, was born the godly Seed. And the seed had to die for it to bring fruit, but the harvest is in the Seed, the blessings of the Father.
This is a principle of God; the harvest comes through the Seed, to receive the harvest, the blessing, the promise, the seed must be planted, die and live, in fertile soil. The Seed is the Word of God, Jesus, the soil is our hearts, the heart must be guarded above all things. Without the Seed their is no harvest, without the harvest there is no seed. The blessing is cursed if the offering is not pure. Purity of the offering is First in importance and a pure offering is one that is acceptable to God. The First commandment is to love God with all your heart.... Now, God would send His Son to purge the priests, through the seed of Christ we are sons of Levi, a holy priesthood, and Jesus is our High Priest, as Paul writes. Jesus will purge and refine our inward parts.
"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may be offering unto the Lord, an offering of righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to Jehovah, as in the days of old and as in former years."23
This is a principle of God; the harvest comes through the Seed, to receive the harvest, the blessing, the promise, the seed must be planted, die and live, in fertile soil. The Seed is the Word of God, Jesus, the soil is our hearts, the heart must be guarded above all things. Without the Seed their is no harvest, without the harvest there is no seed. The blessing is cursed if the offering is not pure. Purity of the offering is First in importance and a pure offering is one that is acceptable to God. The First commandment is to love God with all your heart.... Now, God would send His Son to purge the priests, through the seed of Christ we are sons of Levi, a holy priesthood, and Jesus is our High Priest, as Paul writes. Jesus will purge and refine our inward parts.
Now Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is at hand, not has been, or will be, but at hand. In this Kingdom He has been given all authority, we are to Honor Him, First. It is a Kingdom of putting God First, He is our Father, Teacher, Rabbi, High Priest... we are to hate other authority that wants to put itself First, even our earthly father. First, starts in the heart, offering our lives as a pure sacrifice, a living sacrifice acceptable and holy, which is our reasonable service.“24 Now, the daughter of a foreign god, will tempt us, saying earthly things will satisfy our hunger, he tempts the Father with his evil authority, he tempts to give us the kingdoms of this world and all its glory. But the promise comes through the Seed, we are to consume the Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, not tempting God, and only serve and worship Him.25
God doesn't want our impure offerings. The lack of love of God is shown by the sins of the priests.26. As Paul writes under the new covenant we are priests of God, so that we serve as priests in the temple of God. Where is that temple? the old was a copy or shadow of things to come. Are we not that shadow? In the Most Holy Place of the temple the Spirit of God resides, only the High Priest could enter there and the priests serve in the Holy Place of the Temple. If the old was a copy of things to come and we are the temple of God in the new and we are priests then we have a Most Holy Place and the Spirit of God resides and we are priests to serve in a Holy Place.
The priests were consecrated at birth, set aside, no inheritance of earthly land. In the new we are consecrated by the new birth, in which we are set apart, sealed by the Spirit of God as a guarantee of an inheritance in the Promised Land. We are circumcised of the heart, for priestly service as Paul writes. If the priests of old need to be sanctified for service, so do the priests in the new, for service in the Holy Place, our hearts must be pure.
Service without hearts pure is a stench, dung, offered up to God. What is the warning of God of being lukewarm? a spewing out, such is like serving God Almighty a sick animal, or spreading dung in His face. God identifies the problem, pure hearts He desires, "And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? Says the LORD of hosts."27 And He gives us the promise, "And Jehovah, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Angel of the Covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He comes, says Jehovah of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap."28
Jesus came to refine the priests, to burn off the dross. Paul understood such, shipwrecked three times, beaten, thrown in prison six times, and beheaded... "I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God."29 Despise refinement and there is no pure offering. Putting God first is bowing to the authority of Jesus, it is yoking to Him, allowing refinement, it is not despising the chastisement of the Lord, for those He loves He transforms, and those who love God allow their deeds to be exposed because they are good deeds. Again, the pendulum swings back and forth, the lesson of Job and his friends we overlook. Refinement should not be despised, but a badge of honor, it says that you are His child,
God will refine His treasure, "and they shall be Mine, says Jehovah of Hosts, for the day that I will make up My treasure. And I will pity them as a man has pity on his son who serves him. Then you shall again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God, and him who does not serve Him."30 For those discouraged by evil, God advises to have a Book of Remembrance, to write down those things God has done, so to remember His goodness towards you. "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."31
For those who do not despise His name, who offer pure offerings, "the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts."32