The children of Israel were a stubborn and rebellious people.  This mostly stemmed from their lack of faith and trust in God, and its most glaring manifestation was their continual practice of idolatry.  It is hard to fathom a people who saw so many variations of the power of God firsthand turning to false gods for comfort and help.  Perhaps it is a testimony of the power of negative influence.  When the Israelites finally took the land that God had given them, they failed to drive out the ungodly people who occupied it before them.  This was an epic failure.  Instead of turning these people to God, the people influenced the Jews and turned them to their gods.  What a shame.

The result of the Jew’s unfaithfulness was seventy years of captivity in Babylon.  But God is gracious, so, in keeping with a promise He made earlier, He arranged for them to be set free and return home.  Once the remnant of Jews that returned were settled back home, they were able to avoid the sin of idolatry, but they still disrespected God in other ways.  Malachi gives us an example of this.

Malachi 1:6-8 (ESV)
⁶  “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. 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, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ ⁷  By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised. ⁸  When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.

You probably remember that one of the first qualifications for an animal to be used in an offering to God was that it be without spot or blemish (Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 1:3).  It was very disrespectful for the Jews to violate this law by offering to God animals that were blind and lame.  God asked them, “Where is my honor?”

Do we ever give God reason to ask us the same question?  Do we offer sacrifices to God that are below Him?  I think the answer is yes.  We have all done that on occasion.  Sadly, some brethren make a practice of it.

Do you place more value on your secular job than you do on serving God?  Do you sometimes work overtime on days when you should be assembling with the saints and worshipping God, not because your employer demands it, but because of your commitment to your earthly occupation?  If so, you are not giving God the honor He deserves.

Do you put on your finest attire when attending some special event, but give your dress little thought when you appear before God to worship Him?  If so, where is God’s honor?

Are you able to sit at a sporting event for three hours and enjoy every minute of it but become restless when the preacher goes longer than forty minutes at a worship service?  If so, you are demonstrating that you have more love for the things of this world, than you have for God.

We should always put God first in our lives (Matthew 6:33), and we should do so with a great deal of reverence and respect.  We should give God the honor He deserves by always giving Him our best.  God was dismayed by the way the Israelites treated Him, even after all that He had done for them.  Do we make God feel the same way today by not honoring Him properly?  If so, let us start doing better right now, giving God the respect He deserves.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.