1. Malachi 1:7 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Did the priests actually say that the table of the Lord may be despised?

Malachi 1:7 (ESV)

7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised.

It is not likely that the priests would have spoken this way since that was so clearly contrary to God’s explicit commands to maintain the holiness of the altar (Exodus 29:37). But often actions speak louder than words. In this case, the offering of polluted food clearly revealed the unspoken disdain that the priests had for the sacrificial service of the temple.