Psalm 40 (New International Version, ©2010)
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened[c]—
burnt offerings and sin offerings[d] you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.[e]
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
All through the old testament you hear about this sacrifice or that sacrifice. They sacrificed sheep, lambs, and all to wipe out their sins or to honor the Lord. But, God does not desire our sacrifice. Go does not even require them. Verse 7 tells what God is really after. He's after US! He wants us to come to him, to desire to do his will and to take his will deep into our hearts.
I haven't heard of too many people building alters and sacrificing lambs or sheep. I haven't seen too many sacrificial alters around town. But, this thought of sacrificing and giving offerings to God is just as "ritual" as ever. We go to church out of obligation. We giving our tithes grudgingly. We sacrifice our time only in small amounts. We commit to christian service only when we have to. We are going through the same ritual sacrifices they did in the Old Testament. God doesn't want these types of offerings and he doesn't require these kinds of sacrifices.
The "law" must be within our hearts. We can't serve the Lord out of obligation. We must serve, give, and sacrifice from the heart. It has to be us. We can't just do it on Sunday. We can't just do it as a monthly commitment to a ministry. We have to live and breath service to the Lord, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for the rest of our days on this Earth. That is pleasing to God!
but my ears you have opened[c]—
burnt offerings and sin offerings[d] you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.[e]
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
All through the old testament you hear about this sacrifice or that sacrifice. They sacrificed sheep, lambs, and all to wipe out their sins or to honor the Lord. But, God does not desire our sacrifice. Go does not even require them. Verse 7 tells what God is really after. He's after US! He wants us to come to him, to desire to do his will and to take his will deep into our hearts.
I haven't heard of too many people building alters and sacrificing lambs or sheep. I haven't seen too many sacrificial alters around town. But, this thought of sacrificing and giving offerings to God is just as "ritual" as ever. We go to church out of obligation. We giving our tithes grudgingly. We sacrifice our time only in small amounts. We commit to christian service only when we have to. We are going through the same ritual sacrifices they did in the Old Testament. God doesn't want these types of offerings and he doesn't require these kinds of sacrifices.
The "law" must be within our hearts. We can't serve the Lord out of obligation. We must serve, give, and sacrifice from the heart. It has to be us. We can't just do it on Sunday. We can't just do it as a monthly commitment to a ministry. We have to live and breath service to the Lord, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for the rest of our days on this Earth. That is pleasing to God!
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