The Contrite Heart

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise."

Psalm 51:17

At times I have wondered how people who lived thousands of years ago would react to common experiences today--like riding in a car on the motorway.  This is something most of us have experienced regularly throughout our lives.  As small children we rode in the backseat an looked forward to have a chance to sit up front and see everything better.  I imagine it would be exhilarating or terrifying to be moving so quickly and yet experience the insulated quiet and stillness of a modern vehicle cabin.

I wonder what people from ancient times would think if they were suited up and led into an operating theatre to watch surgery in progress.  They might be shocked to discover there was a living person on the table opened up with organs exposed, cruel torture taking place before their eyes!  I imagine them watching in horror as a surgeon made an incision or remove cancer, and the observers might have judgments about the expert medical professional that is far from the truth--that the surgeon is a barbaric butcher when the procedure actually "went well" with the intent to promote the health of the patients.

I believe there are today that have a similar misunderstanding about God, for they condemn Him as cruel and bloodthirsty without ever knowing Him.  Based on what they know, they would not want to know Him.  What some do not understand is man is solely responsible for bringing death into the world through sin (which God specifically warned against), and the sacrificial system in the Old Testament was a physical means by which spiritual cleansing and union with God was miraculously possible.  God condemned human sacrifice as an abominable practice, and He allowed select animals to provide substitutionary sacrifice for guilty sinners.  It wasn't blood God desired to see but broken and contrite hearts as David said.  God despises sin, but He loves to see humble people approach Him in faith marked by obedience.

God demonstrated His love for sinful mankind by becoming a man, Jesus Christ, and He provided His own life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.  Jesus humbled and allowed Himself to be killed by sinful men on the cross, that whosoever that believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  His shed blood provided atonement so those who were cut off from God by their own sin could draw near to God in repentance for sin by faith in Jesus.  It is not the one proud of themselves but the humble heart God looks upon as it is written in Psalm 138:6:  "Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar."  James 4:6 also says, "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

God does not despise a broken spirit and contrite heart, but the proud heart rises up with enmity against Him.  The fool justifies himself criticise and condemn God he does not know rather than submitting to God who knows all hearts.  Consider the love and grace of God, that He would lay down His life so those who hate Him could come to know Him!  This is the case for every Christian, for we were once aliens of the commonwealth of God and headed for ruin when the grace of God appeared by Christ crucified.  It was not Jesus but the Romans who invented crucifixion, and though Jesus did no wrong the Jewish rulers arrested Him and condemned Him to death.  By laying down His life Jesus conquered sin and death, evidenced by His resurrection from the dead 3 days later and His ascension into heaven.

We will pay big bucks for a medical procedure which requires us to bleed in the wish for a positive medical outcome:  should we condemn or criticise God for freely shedding His blood so we could be guaranteed forgiveness and eternal life by faith in Jesus?  God has sanctified believers with the blood of Christ (Heb. 13:12), and Acts 20:28 explains God's purpose in His sacrifice:  "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. "  How humbling it is God has extended His grace to us in our low estate, and how blessed we are to know God in truth.  It is well for the humble, contrite heart before God.