Bible cDAILY WORD 8/2/21

8. The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.

9. The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness.

Proverbs15:8–9 NLT

Today’s Passage is a stark reminder that God doesn’t play games with individuals that choose to live their lives in a manner unbecoming His Reflection. We are beings created to Glorify Him in our actions, and when we decide to diverge from that path, His reaction is visceral and immediate.

Let’s take a quick look at both Verses and at the unique position God has placed us in. Blood Sacrifice in the days that the author wrote this book was the only way to cover the sins of a transgressor, and it was the only way to show the Lord your loyalty and give Him Praise.

A Sacrifice was just that. In an era where animals were commodities, prized for their meat, skins, wool, and milk, to offer up one of them, especially for those who only had a few, to begin with, was a true and often costly Expenditure. However, it was the only way to prove to God that you were faithful and devoted.

But just because you offered up a Sacrifice to God didn’t necessarily mean that He was going to accept it. We see in Verse 8 that there were absolutely those who brought the blood of animals to the alter whose offerings were not pleasing to Him.

Those were individuals who had not repented of their sins. They were people who intended to go out and transgress again but who were offering penance for their wrongdoing without surrendering their wills to God.

They were paying what amounted to lip service to appease their guilt or to save face before their neighbors but held none of the remorse required to cover their sins. They clung to their wickedness and, in essence, spit in the face of the institution of Sacrifice that God set up for their benefit.

The author states clearly in Verse 9 why these actions displeased God. To walk the path of unrighteousness and still claim to Love God is a lie. Our internal attitudes and actions prove our Love, not our outward-facing performances.

We have been given the benefit of free will and can decide to do what we want, but we cannot forget that God sees the intents and desires of our hearts. We cannot pull one over on Him and expect Him to Bless us just because we look clean when we’re really hiding all the dirt and filth we harbor in the dark places of our hearts.

God desires and will respond to the prayers of the upright. The rest may as well not even be uttered. He appreciates those that Follow Him, not those that fake the funk. You might be able to fool others, but there is no fooling God.

Part of why He came as the Perfect Sacrifice, changing the dynamic of annual Blood Offering for sin, was because He saw the flaw in the system. The flaw was our inability to separate ourselves from our fleshly desires without assistance. That is why He Offered us His Spirit to help us walk in His Perfection.

We often go to God, asking for whatever we think we need, never realizing that our requests are falling on deaf ears because of our own selfish, sinful actions. If you ever find that your prayers are going unanswered, you may want to take an assessment of your life and see if there are unconfessed sins that you need to repent.

Take care of those first, then go to God. Once He sees that you are serious about your walk with Him, that’s when the Blessings that He has Promised will begin to flow. Until then, you can expect things to crumble and rot around you.

God will not release His Grace and Glory upon those who do not truly Love Him. It just doesn’t work like that. He is not a vending machine, and even if He was, the price required is our righteousness. We don’t receive Blessings for actions. We receive His Grace for our Steadfastness and Devotion. If you want God’s Blessings, give Him your life. That is the only Sacrifice that matters!

Have a Marvelous Monday and remember, God, Wants Our Righteousness, Not Our Lip Service!

#dailyword