⏩ COVENANT OF MARVELS ⏪ DAY 29 "GOD HATES MEDIOCRITY. SO DO I"

The more I read and study my Bible, the more I come to realize without any shadow of doubt that God hates mediocrity and curses the mediocre.

Mediocrity means – Average, ordinary, midway, a middling condition, poor, second rate, neither good nor bad, barely adequate, lukewarm.

When we read the first chapter of the Book of Malachi, we find the indignation of God concerning the poor quality of the offering his people were bringing at his altar. 

By studying this chapter, we come up with 2 great lessons :

1st lesson : It is evil to offer to God a polluted bread or a blind, a lame and a sick animal

2nd lesson : God hates mediocrity and curses the mediocre

Let us now study in detail those lessons.

2 GREAT LESSONS FROM MALACHI 1

  1st lesson : IT IS EVIL TO OFFER TO GOD A POLLUTED BREAD OR A BLIND, A LAME AND A SICK ANIMAL

    A)  POLLUTED BREAD

In Malachi 1:7, the Lord inspects and examines the bread offered by his people upon his altar and notices that it was a polluted bread. He says to them,

“Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD [is] contemptible."

“Polluted” means desecrated, defiled, or impure. This refers to God’s assessment of what was offered. It did not meet His requirements, or fulfil His commandment.

In the case of our text, “polluted bread” would be bread made with grain that was either inferior in quality, not being the first fruits, or was less than the tithe.

  

   B) BLIND, LAME AND SICK OFFERING

In Malachi 1:8, the Lord continues to examine and inspect the quality of the sacrifice brought by his people into his house. Again he notices that the offering was blind, lame and sick. He does not keep quiet and says to them,

“And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

• The first observation we can make is that God calls it evil.

The word “evil” comes from a Hebrew word that means, “bad, evil, disagreeable, malignant, giving pain, and ethically wicked.”  This has a twofold meaning: first, the sacrifice itself is evil, or defiled. Secondly, it has a disagreeable effect upon the Lord to whom, it is offered.

The reason why it is considered evil is because the law was crystal clear on this matter, specifying precisely what kind of animals were to be sacrificed to the Lord:

In Leviticus 22:21-25, it is written, “A male without blemish... whatsoever hath a blemish thou shalt not offer ... there shall be no blemish therein ... Blind . . . ye shall not offer these unto the LORD ...”

Again the Law said in Deuteronomy 15:21-25, “And if there be any blemish ... if it be ... blind ... thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God”. 

• The second observation is that God feels less honored than their governors.

That’s why he asks them to offer it to their “governor” (the governmental head of a city, district, or country in which they live) to see whether he will be pleased or accept such person.

This is not referring to giving a mere gift to the governor, but to fulfilling an obligation that he has laid upon the people.

The Amplified Bible gives the sense of the text: “Present such a thing [a blind or lame or sick animal] now to your governor [in payment of your taxes, and see what will happen].”

  2nd lesson : GOD HATES MEDIOCRITY AND CURSES THE MEDIOCRE

After the Lord had finished examining his people and their offering, he now expresses clearly his displeasure, his disapproval, his dissatisfaction and his discontentment against his people.

In Malachi 1:10, He says,

“… I HAVE NO PLEASURE IN YOU, saith the LORD of hosts, NEITHER WILL I ACCEPT AN OFFERING AT YOUR HAND.” 

Not only does God express his displeasure, but he goes further by cursing the deceiver, meaning the man who offers that which is torn, lame, sick, polluted and corrupt upon the altar of the Lord of Hosts.

In Malachi 1:13-14, he says,

“… ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.

 “But CURSED BE THE DECEIVER, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

   APPLICATION

1) ALWAYS EXAMINE YOURSELF AND EXAMINE THE QUALITY OF YOUR OFFERING TO THE LORD.

Paul exhorts the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves …” (NIV)

Examining your life is essential to your growth as a Christian believer. Seeing your own sins and failings will make it possible for you to confess, repent, find forgiveness, and grow in grace. 

2) LIKE GOD, HATE MEDIOCRITY AND STEP OUT OF IT BECAUSE IT IS A CURSE.

The Lord is still repulsed by things being offered to Him that He has disqualified. Never imagine that God is not affected by inappropriate sacrifices and offerings.

He rejected Cain’s offering (Genesis 4:5). He rejected Israel’s feasts and solemn assemblies (Amos 5:21). He rejected their offerings (Amos 5:22). He rejected their praise (Amos 5:23).

Why? Because God hates mediocrity.

 PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS AND 

PRAYERS

PRAYER 1 | FATHER, GRANT ME THE GRACE TO EXCEL IN EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!

1 Corinthians 14:12 "In the same way, since you’re eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in them so that you help the church grow."

PRAYER 2 | FATHER, I PRAY THAT BY YOUR SPIRIT, EVERY TRACE OF MEDIOCRITY BE ROOTED UP SO THAT I WILL BE CHANGED FROM GLORY TO GLORY IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!

2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord."

PRAYER 3 | FATHER, FORGIVE ME FOR BEING CASUAL, MEDIOCRE, CARELESS, HALFHEARTED AND LAZY IN THE PURSUIT OF THE INTERESTS OF YOUR KINGDOM. GRANT ME THE GRACE TO HATE MEDIOCRITY THE WAY YOU DO IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

PRAYER 4 | FATHER, CAUSE ME TO FEAR YOU AND HONOR YOU MORE THAN I HONOR MEN IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!

Malachi 1:6 A son honoureth [his] father, and a servant his master: if then I [be] a father, where [is] mine honour? and if I [be] a master, where [is] my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

SO SHALL IT BE. 

🔃🔃🔃🔃🔃🔃🔃🔃🔃

JESUS IS LORD !

Pastor T.D. KASUKU K.K.

The Word Of Life Church International

Nairobi/Kenya