Posted on 03/20/2021 10:30:51 PM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3 KJV).
There are all kinds of people in the world: some who are both righteous and religious (the godly); some who seek to be righteous but are not religious (the moralist); some who are not careful about righteousness but do try to be religious (the hypocrite); and some who are neither righteous nor religious (the out-and-out wicked). This verse is dealing with the third-listed group above (the hypocrite).
Bible History is not barren for examples of this but one that stands out is Israel’s first king, Saul. When Saul disobeyed the Lord’s direct command, the prophet Samuel goes to confront Saul in his sin. Rather than owning up to his sin, Saul tries to justify his actions.
“And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed” (1 Samuel 15:14-15 KJV).
The hypocrite makes excuses for his disobedience. Rather than owning his sin and asking for forgiveness, in pride he follows the footsteps of Adam and argues that his sin is not that big of a deal. He points the finger at everyone else rather than pointing it at himself.
Saul started out with a bright future. He was the first King of Israel. His anointing was cause for great celebration. Yet due to his sin and refusal to repent, the Lord would leave Saul and reject him as King.
“Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Samuel 15:19-23 KJV).
Saul’s was the wrong kind of obedience. His was what we would call pragmatic, or let the end justify the means. God does not approve of that, and that is why churches today are seeking the world’s methods for growing churches, rather than staying faithful to the Word of God, calling sins sin and proclaiming the Blood of Jesus Christ as man’s only hope for salvation.
David had the right kind of obedience, and when he committed a gross sin, he did not seek to excuse it, or cover it up, or proclaim his rights as king. He prayed:
“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:16-17 KJV).
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Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Leviticus 19:15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”
Isaiah 59:14-15 “The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.”
Luke 16:15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
Proverbs 22:8 “...Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster…”
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