April 27, 2024

Sacrifices

SeekingHimLogo

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God,
You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17

God is looking for men and women who are willing to come to the point of accepting their wrongs, their sinful nature…and repent.

This psalm is a repentance psalm which was cited after David saw that he had missed the track and wanted to get back to God and to renew their relationship. David knew, “If I am to prosper and walk in God’s abundance of blessing I need to reunite myself with my God.”

Even today, what God wants us to do is to reunite ourselves to Him.  And for our relationship to be intimate.  If you love someone you will do what that someone wants you to do.  We can tithe, we can give love offerings, we can give firstfruits, we can sacrifice our time in prayer and fasting; but if our hearts are not clinging to the mind and will of God then we lose out and there is nothing we can gain.

Check out the following Scriptures where God is explicitly saying He doesn’t need our sacrifices but, rather, our hearts.  Let us give our all to Him!

The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to Me, says the Lord, I have more than enough of burnt offerings or rams and the fat of fattened animals….
Isaiah 1:11

…For I desire mercy not sacrifices and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6

Even though you bring Me burnt offerings, I will not accept them.
Amos 5:22

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings….
Micah 6:6

I therefore pray that we yield ourselves to Him and be righteous rather than give sacrifices that the Lord does not receive.

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Father, I thank You that You hear us when we pray.  We thank You for the revelations in the Scriptures.  By Your grace, Lord, cause us to seek You more and do Your will and please You rather than offering sacrifices that are useless in Your sight.  We pray for forgiveness of our sins and iniquities.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Brokenness

SeekingHimLogo

The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.
Psalm 51:17

Brokenness – stricken, wounded, dismayed, to be grieved, to make sad

In Psalms 51:15-17, David is consumed with guilt.  He is in anguish and would do almost anything to escape from it.  What God really desires from David (and from us!) is only that we are truly broken over our sin.  David would have offered sacrifices. Sometimes we try to take the easy way.  We try to negotiate with God—offer a sacrifice of sorts.  But God looks at the heart.  He looks for true repentance, a deep sorrow.  God wants a heart pliable to His Word, one that trembles at His Word, tender and obedient.  In other words, God seeks a broken and contrite heart.  Man may despise what is broken but God does not.  Instead, He looks with favor upon a broken and humble attitude.

But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble
and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.
Isaiah 66:2b AMP

God chooses to dwell among the humble because they have a reverent attitude. All of our wrong doing comes to a climax at the foot of the Throne.  Our faith and repentance glorify God.

The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart
and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin
and are humbly and thoroughly penitent.
Psalm 34:18 AMP

Brokennessto be stricken, wounded, grieved by our sin—that is what God desires.