“The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.”
Don’t get too caught up on pondering what kind of sacrifice the Lord would detest or even if this means that the upright don’t have to sacrifice at all. Some legitimate questions but not really what this is about. It’s all about the heart. If you God knows the motives of the wicked, even what might seem to be a sacrifice for Him will be selfish. They will be looking for what they get in return whether from God or from the world. By contrast, the uprights prayer will be anything but selfish. They will be humbly seeking to know God better, to serve him better, to hear from Him and to discern His desire. That’s the contrast that matters. The heart, the motives are what distinguishes the two kinds of people that Solomon is referring to. There’s a tendency to look at the actions of a person. That’s actually legitimate since unlike God we can’t see their heart. Scripture goes so far as to tell us that we actually judge the tree by its fruit. That’s also why this verse, like so much the scripture, is not written for us to use as a guide for judging others sacrifices and prayers. It is simply for us to check our own heart. It is very possible for a follower of Christ to sacrifice poorly or to pray empty prayers because our heart is not right. However, when we walk in the spirit, and are in right relationship with God, seeking the please him, our conversations with him and then walking them out in faith, is far greater than any sacrificial act done in service to ourself. This is kind of a lot to say a little. So I will end where we started. It’s all about the heart. Today allow God to continue purifying your heart so that what comes out of it will truly please him. #BeTheEdge
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b NIV