DOING WHAT IS RIGHT
Today’s Bible verse is fascinating. Why? Because God basically says, “I am more pleased when you do what is right and just than when you offer Me sacrifices.” Now, that might not mean that much to us today, but when God first revealed it, it was a significant shift at the time.
“To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:3)
To grasp the importance, we have to understand how important sacrifice was to the Jewish people. Before Jesus, the people lived under the law of the Old Testament. It was a hard and heavy burden.
Whenever the people failed to live up to it, they needed to go to God with a sacrifice to ask for forgiveness. You can see then how the sacrifice became a significant part of their religious life. Sacrifice was both a symbol of failure and forgiveness. It was a staple of their culture. It was part of their religious life, and sadly, part of how they saw their religious performance.
It was a little upending when God essentially told His people, “While I accept your sacrifice as your acts of repentance, what I would like to receive more, are your acts of justice. Focus on doing good and right rather than trying to make up for what you did wrong.”
Justice is God’s way. It is the idea of making things right, and sacrifice is people’s way of atonement. It was our attempt to make up for the wrong things we did. God would prefer we do the good and right thing rather than give a sacrifice to make up for the wrong thing we did.
Justice has a double blessing. First, it helps those around us when we pursue what is right. Second, it helps us because if we are trying to live right, it means we are not doing wrong and have no need for a sacrifice to make up for it. Of course, all that changed when Jesus came, and He became our ultimate sacrifice. That makes what God said even more relevant to us today.
We do not have to worry about making sacrifices to make up for our failures. We are forgiven and free. We can be completely focused on doing good and showing God’s love to others, and seeing that would please God more than anything.
Heavenly Father, I want to please You more than anything. I want to walk in righteousness and justice. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit within me that helps me in my journey each day and to help me do what is right. I will show this love to others as I walk close and rely on Your leading. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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We Are Forgiven And Free. We Can Be Completely Focused On Doing Good And Showing God’s Love To Others, And Seeing That Would Please God More Than Anything.
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