Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nothing? neither do you kindle fire on my altar for nothing. I have no pleasure in you,
says the LORD of hosts,
neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
Read Chapter 1
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
Now I turn to Malachi. This man, prophesying of the church which by Christ’s power has now expanded far and wide, takes on the person of God to say to the Jews: “ ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will not receive a gift from your hand. For from the rising of the sun even to the going down thereof, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation for my name is great among the Gentiles,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Now if we see that everywhere in our time, “from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof,” this sacrifice is being offered by Christ’s priests according to the order of Melchizedek, and if the Jews are in no position to deny that their sacrifices, rejected in the first verse, have come to an end—how is it that they can be looking for another Christ? They read the prophecy; they see its fulfillment before their very eyes. Why can they not realize that he must have been t...
Lastly, O Jews, if you try to distort these prophetic words into another meaning according to the dictates of your heart, you resist the Son of God against your own salvation…. The house of Jacob or Israel is the same people, both called and cast off—not called in respect to some and cast off in respect to others, but the entire house called to walk in the light of the Lord. … The reason why the house had been cast off was because its people were not walking in the light of the Lord, or some of the house certainly were called and others cast off in such a way that without any separation having been of the Lord’s table as regards the sacrifice of Christ. Both called and cast off were under the same old sacraments, to be sure; both those who walked in the light of the Lord and observed his precepts and those who rejected justice and deserved to be abandoned by it. If you choose to interpret these testimonies in this manner, what are you going to say and how will you interpret another pro...
Gratis? Are you not well paid? Why then perform you not your duty exactly? (Calmet)
Septuagint, "Wherefore also among you shall the doors be shut, and my altar is not enkindled for nought "(Haydock) as if God menaced the Jews with the rejection of the temple, as the sequel does. (Calmet)
Pleasure. Many other prophets had foretold the reprobation of the synagogue, but none more plainly. The reason is also assigned, viz., the ingratitude and repeated sins of the people, on which account the Gentiles of all countries shall be chosen. (Worthington)
Scripture did not pass over in silence the rejection of the Jews. Notice how the prophet Malachi foretold this too. “Behold, among you the doors will be shut, and fire will not be kindled on my altar for anything.” He also foretold who would now pay God worship. “From the rising of the sun to its going down, my name has been glorified among the nations.” And again he said, “And in every place incense is offered to me and a pure sacrifice.” Do you see how he made clear the nobility of worship? How he showed that the new worship had a special honor and differed from the old? Worship will not be confined to a place or a way of sacrifice, nor will it consist in savor or smoke or omens; it will be a different ritual.
After their captivity in Babylon the Jews did rebuild their temple and restored the place where they were allowed to observe all the rituals according to the law. But now the power of Christ, the power that founded the church, has also destroyed their restored temple. And their prophets foretold this and showed that God would reject Judaism and introduce a new way of worship.
The Jews did return from Babylon, they did recover the city, they did rebuild the temple, and they did offer sacrifices. But it was only after all this that Malachi predicted the coming of the present desolation and the abolition of Jewish sacrifices. This is what he said speaking in God’s behalf: “ ‘Shall I for your sakes accept your persons?’ says the Lord God almighty. ‘For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, my name is glorified among the nations; and everywhere they bring incense to my name, and a pure offering. But you have profaned it.’ ” .
“And the offering of fine flour, sirs,” I said, “which was prescribed to be presented on behalf of those purified from leprosy, was a type of bread of the Eucharist, the celebration of which our Lord Jesus Christ prescribed, in remembrance of the suffering which he endured on behalf of those who are purified in soul from all iniquity. [This was prescribed] in order that we may at the same time thank God for having created the world, with all things therein, for the sake of humankind, and for delivering us from the evil in which we were, and for utterly overthrowing principalities and powers by him who suffered according to his will. Hence God speaks by the mouth of Malachi, one of the twelve [prophets], as I said before, about the sacrifices at that time presented by you: “ ‘I will have no pleasure in you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will not accept your sacrifices at your hands. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, my name has been glorified among the Gentiles, and in ...
