May 21

May 21 - Today from Proverbs 21 we look at verse 27
"The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable - how much more when it is brought with evil intent."

As I study God's Word, I am constantly looking for the principles involved. A principle is a standard of moral behavior. God's Word is primarily to teach, instruct and equip us to know Him and to live a productive and fruitful life for His glory. A follower of the Lord Jesus is to lead a principled life. I say this because if I study this verse from my position in Christ, it doesn't apply to me. By His grace I am no longer a wicked person living out evil intents. So, from this perspective I tend to either pass over the verse, or to apply it to wicked people.
But, I don't think God intended that I pass over it or use it as a standard of judgment against the wicked. I think there is a principle involved for my instruction -- and for instruction to every believer. The wicked in this verse means morally wrong. There are times even in a believer’s life when they may act wickedly. David was a man after God's own heart. He received an unconditional promise from God (a covenant), that the Messiah would come from his seed and that his throne would be established forever. He was a righteous man. But, he was wicked - morally wrong - when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered. Even though the covenant remained intact, there were grave consequences for his wickedness. There is a principle for us in this story of blemish in the heart of David. God's covenant promise and eternal salvation do not negate the reality that we can both be wicked, and that we will suffer consequences for our wickedness.
Concerning this verse: What would the sacrifice of the wicked be? The principle involved here is that any time we are intentionally involved in any kind of immoral behavior (for a partial listing, see the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21), nothing we do out of religious duty will be pleasing to God. Not our worship, not our offerings, not our prayers. The only thing acceptable to God in such a circumstance is that which David offered when he was caught up in wickedness - a broken and contrite heart, evidenced by his confession and repentance. Only then was David restored to a proper relationship with God, and once again his sacrifices were honoring and acceptable.
What is worse than the sacrifice of the wicked? When it is brought with evil intent. In this case, evil speaks of a plan with a selfish purpose. The first half of the verse speaks of a person who is living immorally and yet going through religious duties in an attempt to continue to honor God. The second half carries it one step further. A plan means that there is intentional action. The immoral subject brings a sacrifice intending to manipulate God, to have God work His will to benefit the perpetrator of His moral code. I once saw a booklet written by a popular evangelist entitled, "Write Your Own Ticket With God". There was a core of truth in the premise, but with the wrong focus a wicked person would quickly buy into and utilize this faulty theology. The premise was, that if you had a need in life, you were to find a promise in God's Word that would cover that need. You are to meet any immediate conditions related to the promise and then claim the promise as your own. The result being that God was then obligated to fulfill the promise because God cannot lie. Sounds pretty good, except when you run across verses like this one in today's study, you discover that the first condition to any promise is a pure heart. Fortunately for us, if the heart is impure, by God's grace there are steps to make it pure; the blood of Jesus, confession, and repentance. Even then, the promise may not be fulfilled because one must have faith to realize its fulfillment, and faith is a gift of God -- not something we work up within ourselves. It is evil to attempt to manipulate God when our hearts are far from Him. And when our hearts are very near Him, manipulation is the last thing we would want to do.
Our worship, offerings and prayers are to flow from a heart of adoration, gratitude and reverence for a Holy God. Wisdom does not presume upon His grace, nor does it attempt to manipulate His will.