Justice, Not Sacrifice

Here is a classic passage of the prophets. God says He wants mercy and knowledge and not sacrifice. He does not want us to teach others about sacrifice. He wants us to teach them the knowledge of God so they can know how to live His way and be blessed with their family and nation. Righteous exalts a nation, not sacrifice. God wants our nation exalted.

They had a faithfulness that lasted like the morning dew. They always needed correction. They could not be trusted beyond five minutes, but would revert to their nature. This is because they lacked new birth. They were faithful when being watched, by faithless when no one was looking or checking.

…for your goodness is like a morning cloud and as the early dew it goes away. Therefore I have hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth…For I desired mercy and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:4-6).

I hate, I despise your feast days and I will not smell (accept) in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; for I will not hear the melody of your viols.

But let judgement run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. (Amos 5:21-24).

What beautiful poetry these prophets wrote. They depicted a righteous and just nation, with courts and fair law and protection for all peoples, as one where waters ran like streams, nourishing the people. What a beautiful sound to the ears is a good report of faithfulness in the heart of the people, like the sound of a stream of water. But how bad is the sound of a evil report of corruption.

The pagan gods come to take your food and make you sacrifice (to steal, kill and destroy). God wants our children to grow up in a safe, peaceful society where they are cared for and loved. This is what true religion is for. It is not the devil that stops this, but the ways of the people. This must be stopped by the gospel.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah said whether we know God is shown by our life style. Doing what is right, turning from oppression and caring for others is the knowledge of God. He said exactly what Isaiah 58 said. Some were building big houses while others lacked, while they took their wealth unlawfully and did not care for their workers.

Woe to him that builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by wrong; that uses his neighbour’s service without wages and gives him not for his work. That says, I will build me a wide house and large chambers and cut him out windows; and it is ceiled with cedar and painted with vermilion. Shall you reign, because you clothe yourself in cedar?

Did not your father eat and drink and do judgement and justice and then it was well with him? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him; was not this to know Me, says the Lord? But your eyes and your heart are full or covetousness and for to shed innocent blood and for oppression and for violence, to do it. (Jer 22:13-17).

The rebuke of the prophets was towards covetousness.

Isaiah

Hear the word of the Lord you rulers of Sodom (Jerusalem); give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me says the Lord? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to tread My courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination to Me; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot. Away with it, it is iniquity, even the solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates: they are a trouble to Me; I am weary of them.

And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you: yes, you shall make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. (Is 1:10-17).

This was the mindset of the nations, that Israel adopted. They saw religion as appeasing gods, keeping them happy, paying them a bribe, meetings their needs, as we get on with own lives, doing what we want. They tried to make their god more glorious than the nations around them by building them a greater temple. The gods needed them to do this, because they were impotent: they could not do it for themselves. How is it that our mind can be so dumb, that we worship a god who cannot care for himself?

True religion is not sacrifice, but justice and judgement. It is not ritual and trying to be spiritual, but truth and mercy. This is why Jesus came to end all sacrifice and put it away. It promotes false religion, which God hates. This is why in Isaiah 58 God condemned their fasting. He said that the fast (meaning true religion) that He has chosen is righteousness and caring for the needy.

David

In some nations each year we have a Thanksgiving Service where people are made to give large amounts to show their gratefulness to God for that year. Thanksgiving is good, but straight out fundraising should be called what it is. Benson Idahosa preached the best thanksgiving message we heard, from David. David knew God had provided His Son:

I will take no bullock out of your house, nor he goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you. For the world is Mine and the fullness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats.

Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High. And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me. (Ps 50:9-15).

First, God said He did not need anything from us. This is how the pagans worshipped. He said that He is our helper. We need Him. He promised, “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you.”. For a price? No. Then He said what He wants. He wants a changed life. This text thunders in our heart. It is the essence of the gospel.

Pay your vows means keep your integrity with God. This is not asking for a gift, but speaking of our life style. “Live in truth and righteousness.” At one point David too had this the wrong way around. He wanted to build a house for God. Nathan said fine. Then God sent Nathan back to David with another thundering prophecy:

When have I ever asked Israel to build Me a house? Do I need a house? Do I need you to care for Me? Is that why I called you? The heavens are not big enough to contain Me. How will you build a house I can use? Do you not you see yet that I am the Father and that I called you because I have a plan for you?

I took you from following the sheep and raised you up. Behold, I will build your house. I will raise up your seed (Christ) and He will build My house (the church). You just allow Me to do My will in you and let Me take care of My plans. (Paraphrased, see 2nd Samuel 7 and 1st Chronicles 17.)

What a difference between this and the way the pagans worshipped their useless gods, meeting all their needs. Look at ancestry worship. If you do not meet the need of the ancestors they curse you. You have to feed the idol each day. Do not bring this to God and worship Him that way. (These are not ancestors, but demons.) “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not be in want…” (Psalm 23). Sounds like David got it!

God Provides

Abraham made a powerful statement when he was taking his son Isaac up the mountain. His son asked, “Father, I see the wood and the fire, but where is the sacrifice for the burnt offering?”. Abraham answered, “My son, God shall provide for Himself a lamb for the offering.” (Gen 22:18). This statement strikes at the centre of true worship.

In true faith God provides the offering that changes us. He provides the new heart by which we worship Him acceptably. This also strikes at the very heart of corruption. When we have an appeasement mindset it permeates our whole life and society. When we give to make a way for our self, corruption has already ruined the very fabric of our nation. This must be changed at the root: how we see God.

God is our keeper. We do not keep God with our gifts. He provides His Son as the offering. We do not provide for Him. He changes our heart. We do not change Him in prayer. This is acceptable religion to God. He does it for free and when our heart is changed we also freely give to others.

Obedience

So Samuel, inspired by the Holy Spirit, gave us one of the greatest lessons in scripture. It so clearly describes true religion. Religion is not sacrifice, but obedience. It shows that though Saul was offering to the Lord, it was idolatry, walking in the ways of the nations around him.

And Samuel said, Has 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 you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king. (1 Sam 15:22-23).

This passage also shows what witchcraft is. It is rebellion and manipulation. Saul tried to manipulate God with his offering. We learn this from a very young age, as children disobeying our parents. We learn how to manipulate them. This is witchcraft: an attempt to get our own way by manipulation. When we grow older we learn more fancy ways of doing it.

All witchcraft is manipulation, bluff, fear and rebellion. It has no authority. It is merely a work of the flesh (Gal 5:19-20). There is no supernatural power in witchcraft unless God allows it. On the other end of the stick, all manipulation, whether by Christian or non-Christian, is witchcraft: human nature.

Saul

Saul is the personification of compromise. He was supposed to lead Israel in the ways of God, but allowed the people to lead him in their ways. God told Saul to kill all the livestock and people of the Amalekites. But Saul did not kill the king and he kept the best of the animals. Then he claimed he had obeyed the Lord. When Samuel asked about the animals, Saul answered:

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. (1 Sam 15:21).

So Saul blamed the people he was supposed to be leading. Saul’s other excuse was that he would sacrifice these fine animals to the Lord. This is appeasement, rather than obedience. He did not know God’s heart. God did not want the sacrifice. He did not need the offering.

This thinking can make us believe that we have a better way than God. We have a plan that will enhance God’s kingdom and name, although it is not really in line with His word. The results will look great. We can say, “God needs the money, or He needs this or that to save the world.” If we will follow His plan the world will be reached. His plan is that we love and obey Him and live the life style He asks us to.