My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
(NKJV)
I looked at these words written by Malachi around 450 B.C, and I said to myself: "Hey, I'm included in this prophecy!". Ha! Every Gentile Christian is a living testimony of the prophecy. The Lord looked at His chosen people, the Jews, and they have been found wanting.
As a result, He says through Malachi that as surely as the sun will rise and set, His name will be great among the Gentiles. In contrast to the polluted and defiled offerings of the Jews, God says that in every place, incense will offered to His name and a pure offering. God has sovereignly declared that salvation as well as the worship and praise of Him have been offered to the Gentiles and not just the Jews. And that all the nations will come to know of His truth and His name. The words also point to the time when the Gospel would be spread to the world through workers of God.
In the Old Testament, the Jews used animal sacrifices to worship and honour God as well as to have sins forgiven and to have fellowship with God restored. With Christ who became the perfect sacrifice by bearing all our sins on the cross, we no longer need to resort to such practices in order to have our sins forgiven and to have a personal relationship with God. Our sacrifice is now that of praise and worship through our lips and giving thanks to His name, and worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth. God is well pleased also with doing good and sharing.
John 4:23-24
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Hebrews 13:15-16
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
References:
1. Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Bible
http://www.ccel.org/h/henry/?show=worksBy
2. John Calvin's Commentary of the Bible
http://www.ccel.org/c/calvin/?show=worksBy
3. The Spirit-Filled Bible (NKJV)
4. Life Application Bible (NIV)
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