“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.”
Psalm 51:16-17 ESV
COMMENT:
Psalm 51 is a psalm of repentance. A recognition of having done wrong and repenting before the Lord. What’s interesting to me is that this Psalm was written after David sinned with Bathsheba.
Why is it interesting? Because the words of this psalm show that all sin is the same in the eyes of God. It doesn’t matter if you’ve committed adultery or let your heart be prideful. In God’s eyes, ALL sin is equally the same. Every one requires repentance.
But there is something mentioned in this psalm that we cannot miss. In order to truly repent, we must give a sacrifice. The sacrifice of humility. True repentance requires the realization of the reality of our brokenness and offering a humble heart before the Lord.
As David says, God does not delight in the offering of an animal, but takes joy in the offering of a penitent heart. We could do the physical offering with no real change inside, but we CANNOT FAKE a truly repentant heart. A broken spirit is all God needs in order to work in us and through us.
Lily
Galatians 4:8-10