'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? 7. Ye offer
polluted bread upon Mine altar. And ye say, Wherein have we
polluted Thee?'--MALACHI i. 6, 7.
A charactistic of this latest of the prophets is the vivacious dialogue
of which our text affords one example. God speaks and the people
question His word, which in reply He reiterates still more strongly. The
other instances of its occurrence may here be briefly noted, and we
shall find that they cover all the aspects of the divine speech to men,
whether He charges sin home upon them or pronounces threatenings of
judgment, or invites by gracious promises the penitent to return. His
charges of sin are repelled in our text and in the following verse by
the indignant question, 'Wherein have we polluted Thee?' And similarly
in the next chapter the divine accusation, 'Ye have wearied the Lord
with your words,' is thrown back with the contemptuous retort, 'Wherein
have we wearied Him?' And in like manner in the third chapter, 'Ye have
robbed Me,' calls forth no confession but only the defiant answer,'
Wherein have we robbed Thee?' And in a later verse, the accusation,
'Your words have been stout against Me,' is traversed by the question,
'What have we spoken so much against Thee?' Similarly the threatening of
judgment that the Lord will 'cut off' the men that 'profane the holiness
of the Lord' calls forth only the rebutting question, 'Wherefore?' (ii.
14). And even the gracious invitation, 'Return unto Me, and I will
return unto you,' evokes not penitence, but the stiff-necked reply,
'Wherein shall we return?' (iii. 7). In this sermon we may deal with the
first of these three cases, and consider, God's Indictment, and man's
plea of 'Not guilty.'