Ps 51:16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Why would David say God does not delight in sacrifice? What’s wrong with burnt offerings? Didn’t God command that His people sacrifice burnt offerings, as required by the Law? Yes, He did, but David had a foresight that not many Old Testament characters had. He sensed that while sacrifices and burnt offerings were commanded, they were not changing the hearts of man, nor could they. After such offerings, men remained as firmly entrenched in their sins as before. Many Christians today are trusting in things other than sacrifice or burnt offerings. They are relying on their church attendance, service within the church, good deeds, being a “good person,” etc, to be their “sacrifice, or burnt offerings” to the Lord. Those are of value only if they are done out of love for God, and with the understanding that they do not serve the purpose of atonement. God would rather that each of us come to Him with broken spirit and a contrite heart first, then engage in the above mentioned things.
David knew the real need was for man to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Those are the inward evidences of an individual who knows he needs God, and who is sincerely seeking Him. The man who comes before God broken and helpless, recognizing and repenting of his sins, is the man whom God heals and restores. God will always reject offerings given with wrong motives, but He will never reject or despise a man’s broken heart. It was when I came to the Lord in utter desperation, thoroughly disgusted with myself, saddened to a point far beyond an attitude of half-hearted confession, that He moved most decisively. It was during those times when His forgiveness meant the most to me. It was those moments which bonded me together with my Heavenly Father in the deepest way. I can recall vividly those moments when His peace overtook me, and I knew I was forgiven.
We can get bogged down in all the do’s and don’ts of Christianity, and fail to address the needs of our heart. All of our good deeds, our church attendance, our practicing religion before man, are worthless if our hearts are not in tune with our Lord. Once we get our hearts right, then all of our thoughts, our speech, and our deeds automatically begin to change, as outward signs of what has taken place deep down in our souls.
Prayer: Lord, give me a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Convict me when I fail You, and restore me when my heart is broken. What would I do without Your grace and mercy? Where would I go? From whom could I find comfort? There is no other but You. What a joy to know You will not turn me away when my sinfulness overwhelms me once again. Thank You, forever and ever!
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