Suppose you were a boss and one day you needed to have a serious conversation with an employee because they were not doing what they were supposed to be doing. You sit them down and say, “Let me give you a piece of adv ice.” But as soon as you say the word advice, their expression changes. As you look into their contorted face, you realize that they don’t care what you have to say. They have tuned you out. By doing this, they have shown great contempt for you as their boss. I don’t think they would last long working for you, don’t you agree?
Malachi speaks of this in our key verse. He says that the priests failed to honor and respect God. They knew what they were supposed to be doing and what God’s law was, but they did as they pleased, disregarding the Word of the Lord. Therefore, they showed great contempt for God. I imagine this broke God’s heart. But isn’t that what we often do? We know what the Bible says, we know what God wants from us, but we do as we please. We simply don’t want to hear that we are wrong or that we could change in some areas. This stems from pride. These kinds of actions show that we consider God’s Word worthless or not honorable.
Don’t you think we owe God our complete allegiance and devotion? Don’t you think we should want to show Him how grateful we are for what He’s done for us? He rescued us. Set us free. Put His law into our hearts. And is right now preparing our future home. He crossed the great divide and bought us with a price. In fact, we are indebted to Him. Therefore, we SHOULD care what He has to say. We should honor and respect Him by putting into practice what He tells us.
We know from Scripture that those who showed contempt for God often lost a lot, and sometimes they lost their life. Showing contempt for God is a sin and there are always consequences to sin. When we know what God says and we fail to do it, we may lose a lot. We could lose friendships, positions, jobs, integrity, respect from others, stability, and important relationships. We can also lose our footing in this Christian journey. We may drift from truth, fall for deception, or be filled with disbelief. Why is that? Because when we disregard what God says, we can’t hear His voice anymore. And nothing good comes from a Christian who no longer hears God speak. Let me encourage you today to investigate what God is saying and put it into practice. Let’s honor and respect God by living the way He says to live.