Importance of Sacrifice

 "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

Proverbs 21:3

God delights in His people who obey Him, who walk according to His righteousness and justice.  God was not interested to receive offerings from people who refused to seek and submit to Him as is written in Proverbs 15:8:  "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight."  The prophet rebuked erring King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22:  "So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."  Everything that is has been created by God, and all we have is a gift from Him.  God delights more in the obedience of Him people to Him than the sacrifice itself.

One might read these passages and assume because obedience and doing righteousness and justice is better than sacrifice, that sacrifice is of little value.  Perhaps because Jesus has fulfilled the Law and burnt offerings cannot be offered at the temple, the concept of offering sacrifices is irrelevant to us.  On the contrary:  it is important we realise sacrifice to God is very important and critical to the lives of Christians.  Sacrifice is important, and to obey God and walk in His ways is even more important!  See the importance of everyone bringing a sacrifice according to God's blessing in Deuteronomy 16:16-17:  "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. ¹⁷ Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you."  To appear before the LORD empty-handed was to say God failed to provide anything when He is the source of all blessing.

Obedience to God always comes at a cost, and to do righteously and justly always involve personal sacrifice.  God is more pleased with the sacrifices of a broken heart and a contrite spirit more than the fat of rams (Psalm 51:17).  Through God's marvellous works, the Law of Moses, psalms, prophets and His Son Jesus Christ, He has demonstrated how we ought to live as Micah 6:8 says:  "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"  We are wholly insufficient in ourselves to do what God requires of us, and it is when we are born again by faith in Jesus we are given a new heart and the Holy Spirit.  We then are guided by His love, wisdom, and justice according to the riches of His grace go follow Jesus.

Jesus came to this world not to be served but to serve and give Himself as a ransom for many.  By faith in Jesus He has become righteousness for us, and we are called to walk in His steps that involve personal sacrifice unto the LORD in our dealings with one another.  Christians are urged in Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."  Since we are called to present our bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God in Christ Jesus, this heightens the importance of living righteously, justly and with integrity.  We ought to give God the love, glory and obedience He is due, and Romans 13:8 says concerning our conduct towards others:  "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."