The Book of Malachi perfectly illustrates the concept of “first the natural, then the spiritual.” Malachi wrote to the natural priests of Israel, the Levites, around 400 years before Christ. The word applied in the natural to the priests of that day, but they prophetically (spiritually) apply to Christian priests today.
God, through Malachi, first rebuked the Levites for “offering polluted food upon [his] altar.” (Mal. 1:7) Doubtless the priests in that day did offer blind, lame, and sick beasts to God in sacrifice. Such natural offerings rightly offended God. But, what do such offerings mean to us now? What, if anything, is the spiritual application of this offense?
To interpret this we must understand the New Testament doctrine of “food.” Hebrews says, “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.” (Hebrews 13:9) Here the writer directly equates the words “teachings” and “foods.” In my book When We Awake I go into great detail showing that “food sacrificed to idols” really means “Christian doctrines sacrificed to the idols of our heart,” which is to say “demonically interpreted Christian doctrine.”
Malachi’s first rebuke thus prophetically applies to Christian ministers who offer polluted (demonically defiled) doctrine to God’s people from their pulpits. Most pastors and teachers of God’s Word preach defiled doctrine because they themselves are blind, lame, and sick in the things of the Spirit. Thus Jesus warned the Church of Laodicea,
15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Rev. 3:15-20 ESV)
But, how can ministers of God’s Word buy eye salve to heal their blind eyes?
Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)
Now notice that in both passages quoted immediately above the LORD refers to “food.” Jesus wants the Laodiceans to open the doors of their hard hearts so that he may come in and eat with them. In Isaiah Jesus tells them to buy food only from him and to eat and begin to enjoy the fullness of the rich food he will give them. “Why,” he asks them, “do you spend your money for that which is not bread (food)?”
Their “money” means their “lives.” Why do they offer their lives to every sort of pleasure and entertainment which does not truly feed their souls? Why do they not offer themselves a living sacrifice unto God instead? That way they would spend their money for real food, not for food sacrificed to idols.
Thus we understand that Malachi speaks a spiritual language using parables. Yes, the story means what it says in the natural, but the spiritual application encompasses something much larger. We see the end of God’s priests offering defiled food (doctrine) to God’s people embodied in Babylon the Great of Revelation 17-18. Here we see her sitting as a religious harlot upon the beast governments of the world with a golden goblet of abominations and sexual impurities in her hand. Such is her food and such she offers to all who will listen to her.
When John the Apostle sees her in Revelation 17:6-7 he was astounded and marveled greatly. He had to think to himself, “Will the church I myself have helped begin end up like this?” Yes, this harlot represents the end-of-the-age church which offers polluted food on God’s altar. Some churches actually ordain people to the ministry who engage in sexual sins which the Bible clearly condemns. Others refuse to discipline their elders, pastors, and members when it becomes known that they engage in sexual sins. Other churches do not actively promote sexual sin, but they and their leaders do not come to Jesus daily to sup with him, to eat with him, to eat his body and blood, as Jesus himself says (speaking spiritually). These have erected laws and walls around their little congregations and have refused to move on with the Holy Spirit when he brought new revelation of his will, purposes, and way (new rich food).
Jesus always teaches with parables and now we see that something so natural and common as food means something far more than the wheat we bake and eat.
