WHERE IS MY HONOUR?
A son honours his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, WHERE IS MY HONOUR? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
Malachi 1:6 (NKJV)
God considers it a denigration or an insult when you offer or give to God what is worthless out of what He has blessed you with. God saw what the priest and the people of Israel were bringing as a sacrifice to Him as a despise (Malachi 1:6).
They were even saying in what way have they despised Him. But giving
substandard or worthless things to God as a sacrifice is a way of indirectly despising Him—a way of denigrating Him. If you truly honoured God, you would give Him the best of whatever you have. You give Him the best of your money or resources.
One of the reasons why Cain's sacrifice was not accepted and honoured was that he came with things that are worthless. The Bible says, Abel, in contrast, brought the best of his animals:
- “AND IN THE PROCESS OF TIME IT CAME TO PASS THAT CAIN BROUGHT AN OFFERING OF THE FRUIT OF THE GROUND TO THE LORD.
- ABEL ALSO BROUGHT OF THE FIRSTBORN OF HIS FLOCK AND
OF THEIR FAT, AND THE LORD RESPECTED ABEL AND HIS OFFERING."
Genesis 4:3,4 (NKJV)
Knowing that God is not partial and does not subscribe to favouritism
(Romans 2:11); He would not have rejected or dishonoured Cain's
offering if it was not substandard or worthless.
Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. In other words, Abel considered God first and gave Him the best. It is a matter of heart—the place God occupies in your heart.
Do you honour Him, God, in your heart? Giving God the first and the best of what you have is a way of honouring Him.
God later asked Cain, if he did the right thing would he not have been accepted?
"SO THE LORD SAID TO CAIN , " WHY ARE YOU ANGRY? AND WHY HAS YOUR COUNTENANCE FALLEN? 7 IF YOU DO WELL, WILL YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED?" Genesis 4:6,7 (NKJV)
If you honoured God in your heart, it would show through the offerings
you brought to Him. Your attitude to God's work; what you give, how you spend your time on God's work, shows Him the condition of your heart towards Him.
Remember, God cannot be deceived or cajoled, the intent of your heart is plain or bare before Him. Bringing a defiled sacrifice, blind animal, amounts to dishonour or disrepute before God.
In the contemporary time, a believer who gives to God lesser than his or her worth is insulting God—dishonouring Him. You should always strive to give the best of whatever you have to God if your offering would be received and honoured.
Remember, you may give your offering in the church, or the ministry, and to the minister and be accepted; but if what you gave is not what you ought to, it would still be unacceptable in the sight of God. In other words, humans, your pastor or whoever, might receive whatever you give, but in God's sight, it might not be considered a sacrifice but a worthless gift.
Peace.