Scripture
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. --Proverbs 15:8
Observe
The sacrifices of the ungodly are an abomination to the Lord, but the prayers of the righteous bring favor.
The Words
Three words I found interesting in this passage are: Sacrifices, Lord, and prayers.
- Sacrifices - Hebrew "zebach", to sacrifice, from "zabach", to slaughter for sacrifice. To me, slaughter is a brutal word--indicating a lot of hard work (to kill the animal) and personal forfeiture (because what once belonged to the person is no longer theirs).
- Lord - Hebrew "Yhvh", the proper name of the God of Israel (so holy Jews will not say it or spell it). It comes from the word "havah" which indicates the state of being and becoming. It reminds us that God is, was, and always will be.
- Prayers - Hebrew "tephillah", prayer, from "patal", to intervene or interpose. Remember how we discussed intercession? It's the act of intervening on behalf of another person. For instance, if my brother was getting in trouble for something my sister did, I would want to intervene on his behalf. When we pray for others, we are interceding (with God) for them.
This passage reminds me of two passages in Scripture that we have talked about recently: 1 Samuel 15 and Job 42.
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked.
<Read 1 Samuel 15>
God had given the king of Israel, Saul, an objective: Completely destroy the Amalekites--including women, children, and animals. They were to be entirely eliminated.
Saul went to war against the Amalekites, but he wanted to impress his men, so he saved the best of the Amalekite possessions, including animals and their king, Agag.
Because Saul was disobedient to God, He sent Samuel, His priest and prophet, to correct him. "The Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?” --1 Samuel 15:18-19
Saul tried to defend himself, stating that the items he collected were to be sacrificed to God. (He tried to appease God with a sacrifice to make up for his actions.)
But God, through Samuel, revealed His heart to Saul: "What is more pleasing to the Lord: Your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. --1Samuel 15:22-23a
Literally, God could not stand Saul's sacrifice, and the consequences were crucial. "So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king." --1 Samuel 15:23b
But he delights in the prayers of the upright.
<Read Job 42>
The story of Job is a simple one: Job was a faithful man of God, whom God blessed with family, land, and possessions. The devil challenged God, stating that if He removed His blessings from Job's life, Job would no longer serve Him. God, knowing Job better than anyone, took the challenge, and allowed the devil to take away Job's blessings. Job lost his children, his land was devastated, and his possessions were literally consumed by every kind of natural disaster.
But, Job still praised God.
So, the devil came back to God again, saying that if Job's body was injured, he'd break. God took the challenge again, and the devil was allowed to terribly inflict Job's body (as long as he didn't take Job's life). Job's body was covered in boils so bad that he scraped his skin off with pieces of pottery.
But, Job still praised God.
Job's wife turned bitter, and told Job to curse God and die.
But, Job still praised God.
Finally, Job's friends arrived, and for chapter upon chapter in the Bible, challenged Job's faith--saying things that weren't true about God, and declaring to Job that he must have sinned.
Literally everything that COULD go wrong in Job's life DID.
But, Job still praised God, saying, "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." --Job 13:15
Finally, at the end of the book, God shows up and reveals Himself to Job in a powerful way. Then:
"After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: 'I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.' So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!" --Job 42:7-10
Job's righteous prayer for his friends not only spared them from the wrath of God, but also brought incredible blessings back into Job's life.
Apply
For OUR Spiritual Growth: Every day we live, we make choices whether or not to obey God. God wants us to follow Him by laying down our will in the moment--the sacrifice of self. When we ignore God's voice, we feel the need to try to make up for our disobedience by doing random things for God--the sacrifice of stuff. Which does God prefer? "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.'" --Matthew 16:24
For OTHERS to Know God: Prayer is powerful. God loves us so much that, because we belong to Him, He chooses to listen to our requests on the behalf of others. When we ask for God to heal others, to introduce Himself to them, or to intervene when they aren't making good decisions, those prayers deliver our friends and family out of bondage, and free us up to receive the blessings of God.
Pray
God, help us to know you more. Please build our faith in you, so when you ask us to do things, we will be obedient in the moment. Give us hearts of compassion for others, so we can intercede for them. Give us wisdom in how to pray for the people around us every day. We thank you that we get to be part of your plans, and that you love us enough to listen when we pray! Amen.
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