Malachi 2:13-17 (NASB) says, “13“This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14“Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15“But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the LORD of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

17You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

Rejection! That is one of the greatest struggles people face in life today, especially with the overwhelming growth of social media, bullying in schools and failed relationships. The fear of rejection can filtrate and dominate your life if you are not careful. The fear of man is truly a trap of the enemy (Proverbs 29:25), and while so many people say, “I do not care what people think,” deep down to one degree or another they do! But while God will accept anyone who is willing to repent and give their lives to Him, what we do can be rejected by Him, which is scarier than be rejected by any human being! 

In Genesis 4:3-5, God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but rejected Cain’s! It’s hard to imagine how Cain must have felt knowing what he did wasn’t acceptable in God’s sight, but here are some questions to ask. Is it possible that God has rejected our sacrifice because it wasn’t our best or what He wanted, and, as a result, we are attacking our brothers and sisters? This is what happened with Cain. While Abel gave the firstling of his flock, which was truly a sacrifice for him, Cain brought fruit from the ground. The fruit of the harvest was a tithe. God wasn’t looking for what was given out of obligation, but rather out of sacrifice! When we give God our best, He will always show respect and honor it! 

Another example of a rejected sacrifice is found in Malachi 2:13-17. The prophet Malachi reveals that while the children of Israel wept at the altar, even so much covering it with tears, God would no longer accept or regard their offerings. He was even being wearied by their prayers! The two reasons were because of how poorly their husbands were treating their wives and calling evil good in God’s sight. If we want God to accept our sacrifices, in particular in the areas of church and ministry, we must treat our homes with the greatest level of honor, love and respect! By husbands loving their wives as Christ loves the church, wives submitting to their husbands, parents not provoking their children to wrath and children honoring and obeying their parents, the family can be whole in God’s sight, and their prayers would not be hindered before the LORD (Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Peter 3:7). We also cannot be hypocritical in calling evil good and sin righteousness because we must honor God’s Word and commands as absolute truth. God will not place His approval on sin, unethical and unbiblical preaching, or disobedience! If we do the right thing, God is more subject to accept what we do rather than reject it, regardless of whether it is inside or outside the church!