“and this is another thing you do; covering the altar of YHWH with tears, with weeping and groaning; because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.” Malachi 2:13

Weeping and Groaning – Is God without compassion?  As Paul would say, “May it never be!”  God reveals Himself filled with compassion.  But compassion has a statute of limitation.  When His people refuse to live according to His instructions, when His servants mislead and deceive His children, God’s ear is deaf to their pleas.  Come to the altar and weep.  Come to the altar and groan.  It’s useless.  Get life in order first!  Go and make things right.  Then God’s ear attends to your every whisper.

Does this seem too harsh?  Don’t we expect that God will overlook our disregard of His Torah and see the longing of our hearts?  Perhaps we need to take one sweeping look at the relationship between obedience and worship.  What did God say to Cain?  “If you do right, will you not be lifted up?”  In other words, “Go and do what I have asked.  Then come back with your offering and it will be accepted.  Then you will receive the blessing you are looking for.”  What did Cain do?  He refused to obey.

When Yeshua instructed His disciples concerning worship, what did He say?  “If you come to the altar and remember that someone has something against you, leave your offering and go make it right.  Then come back and your offering will accomplish its purpose.”

From Genesis to Matthew, the instructions are the same.  First get your life in order.  Then come to the altar for worship.  There is no point in weeping and groaning over God’s lack of response until you have done what you are supposed to do.  In Hebrew, be-kiy (weeping) and ‘anaqah (groaning) are certainly emotionally charged words.  They express our distress when we deeply desire God’s attention but find ourselves under a leaden sky.  Malachi offers a solution.  Look to yourself!  See if disobedience, rejection  or refusal is contributing to compassion’s limitation.  Make it right.  Then come back.

Does Malachi’s condemnation imply God’s rejection?  “May it never be!”  God does not reject us forever, but He does chastise in order to bring us to repentance.  Silence is one form of chastisement.  When we need God’s favor, when we weep and groan for lack of divine guidance, God sometimes speaks to us in silence.  He reminds us that there are issues we must settle before He can act with favor.  Are you listening?

Topical Index:  weeping, groaning, be-kiy, ‘anaqah, compassion, Malachi 2:13