Sacrifices That Please God

Sacrifice was an important element of the entire Old Testament. It began with Cain and Abel and continued with the Laws given to Moses. They were a part of most cultures of that time. The Israelites offered the sacrifices prescribed in the Law, but unfortunately, added sacrifices to the Canaanite gods. These gods, especially Molech, required child sacrifices to appease the gods and promised a better life.

Many people think that the sacrifices required by the Law somehow made the ones who sacrificed acceptable to God, forgiven of their sins, etc. But there are many, many instances where God expressed extreme displeasure toward the sacrifices. A few examples out of dozens:

Genesis 4 – God considered Abel’s sacrifice acceptable, but not Cain’s. We’re never told exactly why, but the implication is that Cain’s heart wasn’t in it.

Hebrews 10:5 (quoted from Psalm 40) – “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.” Hebrews considers this a prophecy about Jesus.

Amos 5:21-23 – “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.” This is one of the strongest statements about not only their sacrifices, but their worship in song.

Psalm 51:16,17 – “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

David’s words in this Psalm get to the “heart” of the matter. The Law was about obedience, but ultimately it was all about the heart. Obedience without the heart, without love for God, was NOT pleasing to him.

Many people in ancient Israel put their trust in obeying the law and offering the sacrifices to be right with God. In Jesus’ day, most of the Pharisees fell into that category. That is why Jesus was continually confronting them about their hypocrisy, their lack of heart.

What about in our day? Yes, we have the Gospel, that teaches us that Jesus is our “Passover Lamb”. He offered up himself as the last and only sacrifice that we need. Through his sacrifice, he has forgiven us and brought into relationship with him. But I think many believers are still trying to get favor with God by modern “sacrifices”. Like regular church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, etc. etc. etc. It can be a very subtle thing, this form of religion that can lack relationship. I think all of us are vulnerable to thinking this way on occasion. There is a little “Pharisee” in all of us from time to time.

I’m not saying that obedience isn’t important. A faith that doesn’t do anything is dead, according to James’ letter. A living faith results in all of those things I mentioned above, and more.

Here’s the bottom line. There are two sacrifices that remain for believers. Hebrews 13:15-16 reads “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” The sacrifices we make based on laws, shoulds, musts, etc. do not please God, but these two do. Because these sacrifices flow out of our love for God.

During his last week before his sacrifice, Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was. He said in Matthew 22:37-40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Notice that the second one is “like” the first; loving God means loving our neighbor. You can’t do one without the other.

Back to Hebrews 13. A sacrifice of praise to God is loving him, the 1st and greatest commandment. Doing good and sharing, is “like” it, loving our neighbor as ourselves. It all boils down to a loving relationship with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, worshiping him, listening to him, and doing what he tells us to do. If we love him, we will do good to others. Jesus said in John 15, “if you love me, you will obey my commandments.” It’s really that simple.

David writes in Psalm 131, “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Like David, we need to cultivate a simple trusting relationship with our Lord. I think we (maybe I should say “I”), spend too much time on issues that aren’t really that important. Disputes about theology, practices in the church, politics, complaining about our culture wars, etc. But the image of a weaned child reminds us that all we really need is Mary’s “one thing”; to sit at Jesus’ feet, loving him.

The Old Testament sacrifices involved killing animals and burning them as an offering to God. Now, as Paul wrote in Romans 12, we are called to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Yes, we present our very selves, “considering ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). And he transforms us more and more to be like him.

Lord, help us to see your face, to know you more, to love you and our neighbor with all of our hearts. Amen.