God’s Name Among the Nations
Before continuing into the second half of Malachi chapter one, it is important to remember what we learned in the previous section. God rebuked the priests for offering polluted sacrifices and for treating His worship as something common and unimportant. Their outward religious service no longer reflected hearts that honored God. Rather than giving Him their best, they offered Him what was left over. Beginning in verse 11, however, God shifts the focus from Israel’s failure to His own glorious plan. Even though Israel had dishonored Him, God’s purpose to glorify His name throughout the world would not fail.
“11. My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty.
“12. But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’
13. And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the LORD Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD.
“14. Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.”
Malachi 1:11-14 (NKJV)
Malachi 1:11 declares, “For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles.” This verse can be understood in two beautiful ways. First, it can point prophetically to Jesus Christ—from His coming into the world to the completion of His earthly ministry through His death and resurrection. Throughout His life, Christ glorified the Father and fulfilled God’s plan of redemption. Secondly, the phrase can also describe the entire world and all of time, from east to west and from generation to generation (Romans 1:19-20). In either understanding, the central truth remains the same: God’s name will be glorified everywhere. This statement also serves as a remarkable hint that salvation would extend beyond Israel to the Gentiles through the coming Messiah. The prophets had already foretold the coming of Christ in passages such as Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, and Zechariah 9:9. This also provides a foreshadowing of Revelation chapter 20 with the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ. For at this moment, His name, while great, is not offered incense through the prayers throughout everywhere as we will fully see developed during the thousand years. What a marvelous time that will be, a time of Israel receiving the promises that they have been given, but the Gentile nations receiving the promises they have been given and the opportunity to jointly worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
The Lord continues by saying, “In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering.” Under the Old Covenant, incense was part of the worship that symbolized prayers and devotion rising before God. Here, however, Malachi is shown beyond the temple in Jerusalem to a day when true worship would arise from every nation. This points to the Church, the Bride of Christ, worshiping God throughout the world. Psalm 86:9 declares that all nations whom God has made will come and worship before Him. The “pure offering” ultimately finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Unlike the blemished sacrifices offered by Israel, Christ became the perfect and spotless sacrifice for sin once and for all. Hebrews 10:10–14 teaches that His one sacrifice has forever accomplished what the Old Testament sacrifices never could. After Christ’s resurrection, both Jews and Gentiles became one body through faith in Him, and the Gospel began to spread as commanded in Matthew 28.
Nevertheless, the prayers of the Saints are an incense before the Lord. Revelation 5:8“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” We can also see that the prayers of the Saints will one day be utilized as more than incense before the Lord. When we pray “Lord come soon,” or we pray for the Lord to act, and it appears that the Lord does not act, remember, He is acting on His time, not ours. Every prayer of judgment that the believers have asked for will come. Revelation 8:1-6“When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw [it] to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.” Why do I bring all this up? It is because one day the Lord will make His promises, as we see here in the book of Malachi, come to pass; thus, as we continue to read, keep that in mind.
Verse 12 returns to the present condition of Israel: “But you profane it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; and its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’” While God was revealing His future plan of worldwide worship, the priests continued to despise His altar. They treated the Lord’s table as though it had little value. In the church age, we no longer bring animal sacrifices. However, we still bring offerings to God through our lives. Our obedience, worship, service, generosity, and love for others become spiritual sacrifices that honor Him. Romans 12:1 calls believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, while Hebrews 13:16 reminds us that doing good and sharing with others are sacrifices that please the Lord. God desires that everything we do for Him be done with sincere love, gratitude, and joy rather than obligation or resentment.
In verse 13, the priests complain, “Oh, what a weariness!” They had become tired of serving God and viewed worship as a burden instead of a privilege. Their hearts had grown cold, and this attitude was revealed by the sacrifices they continued to offer—the stolen, the lame, and the sick. God then asks, “Should I accept this from your hand?” The question is rhetorical because the answer is clearly no. God is perfectly holy and cannot approve of evil or hypocrisy. Psalm 5:4 teaches that God takes no pleasure in wickedness, Habakkuk 1:13 reminds us that His eyes are too pure to look upon evil with approval, and Isaiah 59:2 explains that sin separates people from fellowship with God. Rather than simply condemning the priests, God asks this question so they might reflect upon their actions, recognize their sin, and return to Him with genuine repentance.
Malachi concludes the chapter with a final warning in verse 14: “But cursed be the deceiver… For I am a great King… and My name is to be feared among the nations.” Some Israelites possessed healthy, acceptable sacrifices, but intentionally offered blemished animals instead after making a vow to God. They broke their promises because they valued their possessions more than obedience. Their deception revealed hearts that did not truly fear the Lord. As Christians, we are called to live differently. 1 Peter 1:15–16 commands believers to be holy because God Himself is holy. Reverence for God is not simply fear of punishment but deep respect, awe, and obedience toward our King. Proverbs 9:10 teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and Ecclesiastes 12:13 summarizes man’s duty: “Fear God and keep His commandments.” Israel repeatedly failed to live out that calling, but God never lowered His standard of holiness. One day, Israel will fulfill this calling. Read Ezekiel chapter 39 through the end of the book of Ezekiel and see the richness and the blessings that God will do with Israel. The book of Zachariah, chapter 13, says that a third of the Jews will make it through Jacob’s trouble and will be refined as silver, and they will fulfill the promises that they were commissioned to do.
In conclusion, Malachi 1:11–14 reminds us that God’s glory does not depend upon man’s faithfulness. Even when Israel failed to honor Him, God declared that His name would one day be great among all nations through the coming of Jesus Christ. Today, believers have the privilege of being part of the initial fulfillment of that promise as the Gospel continues to spread throughout the world. At the same time, this passage challenges us to examine our own hearts. Are we serving God with joy, gratitude, and reverence, or have we allowed worship to become routine and burdensome? God is worthy of our very best—not because we earn His favor, but because Christ has already given His life for us. Since Jesus became the perfect sacrifice, our response should be lives marked by holiness, faithful obedience, sincere worship, and a desire to glorify His great name among the nations.
Stay the Course for the Kingdom,
Austin