Dumb and Dumber
“For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.”
(Psalm 51:16)
The prophet Samuel said, “…to obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) David is reiterating that here in Psalm 51. In fact in the Mosaic Law, there was no sacrifice for adultery or murder. He knew He faced death. This was in strict violation of God’s commandments and David saw no way out. There was no blood sacrifice to cover the sin he committed. Today, we are always looking for a way to cover our sin…hide it, even though we have the grace and mercy present in blood of Jesus. We continue to try to work our way into God’s graces instead of living our way closer to God! It was dumb to think that then (in David’s day) and even dumber to think that now!
God provided the Jews with a way to atone for sin, through sacrifices and offerings. We no longer are bound by that law and are freed up through the sacrificial blood offering of Christ. When will you and I really begin to live a life pleasing to God by allowing the Holy Spirit to completely control our lives? I struggle with it each and every day. It is indeed a process, yet one we can accomplish. We must give up the reins however!
The Amplified Bible translates the verse below in the following way: “Make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.” I believe we’re hearing that in lieu of God’s mercy, it’s just plain dumb to think we can do anything but live right before God to really please Him! Our offering, our worship, our praise, our basic gift in response to His love for us is simple: live a life pleasing to Him. We need to be the type person God saw in David; a man or woman running after God’s own heart!
“…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable (service.” (Romans 12:1)
“For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.”
(Psalm 51:16)
The prophet Samuel said, “…to obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) David is reiterating that here in Psalm 51. In fact in the Mosaic Law, there was no sacrifice for adultery or murder. He knew He faced death. This was in strict violation of God’s commandments and David saw no way out. There was no blood sacrifice to cover the sin he committed. Today, we are always looking for a way to cover our sin…hide it, even though we have the grace and mercy present in blood of Jesus. We continue to try to work our way into God’s graces instead of living our way closer to God! It was dumb to think that then (in David’s day) and even dumber to think that now!
God provided the Jews with a way to atone for sin, through sacrifices and offerings. We no longer are bound by that law and are freed up through the sacrificial blood offering of Christ. When will you and I really begin to live a life pleasing to God by allowing the Holy Spirit to completely control our lives? I struggle with it each and every day. It is indeed a process, yet one we can accomplish. We must give up the reins however!
The Amplified Bible translates the verse below in the following way: “Make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.” I believe we’re hearing that in lieu of God’s mercy, it’s just plain dumb to think we can do anything but live right before God to really please Him! Our offering, our worship, our praise, our basic gift in response to His love for us is simple: live a life pleasing to Him. We need to be the type person God saw in David; a man or woman running after God’s own heart!
“…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable (service.” (Romans 12:1)
No comments:
Post a Comment