Going Through The Motions

 “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).

Some are confused by what God is saying here.  “But I thought God was the One who commanded sacrifices and burnt offerings from those who lived under the Old Covenant.  Now He wants something else instead?  Are the sacrifices no longer required?”  What is going on here anyway?

God’s people had fallen into a ritualism in their worship.  They were going through the motions of sacrifice but in many other areas of their lives they were living in rebellion to God.  In the earlier chapters of Hosea, God has repeatedly called them to account for these sins.  You see, honoring the true God involves much more than just going through the motions of sacrifice.  It involves a willingness to be loyal to Him in all aspects of life.

This was the problem that became the straw that broke the camel’s back for the reign of King Saul (1 Samuel 15:1-26).  Several other prophets of the Lord addressed this very same issue (Amos 5:21-24; Isaiah 1:12-17; Micah 6:6-8).  Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6 at least twice as he confronted His critics who were famous for being scrupulous over certain aspects of the Law but unconcerned about what were “weightier” matters (Matthew 9:14; 12:7; 23:23).

The temptation to settle for a mechanistic, ritual-dependent, “check-the-right boxes” religion remains yet today.  But God is after our hearts.  Are we called by God to sing, pray, study, and give?  Sure.  But we can do all of those things and still remain distant from God in our hearts (Matthew 15.8-9).  Loyalty to God encompasses things beyond worship.  Knowledge of God involves more than keeping a list.  Ignoring God for six days of the week but going through the motions on Sunday misses the point.

God loves you!

Mike

Where Is The First Place You Turn?

            I periodically receive sale notices via email from the company that produces my Bible software program.  A recent one contained offers concerning several different “study Bibles.”  A study Bible is a particular version of the Scriptures along with explanatory commentary notes and insight from human authors.  The following sales blurb was included in the description of one of these texts: “This comprehensive and reliable reference work should be the first place Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, missionaries, and pastors turn to for biblical insight.”

            I shook my head as I read the words.  I know these sales people would say, when asked, that the Bible is the most important part of their product, but that isn’t what they are being paid to promote.  It’s the human notes that makes their “study Bible” different from others.  It’s the Bible AND their added notes and commentary that makes it a must-have resource, at least according to their advertising.

            I have nothing against study Bibles or any other works that offer help in understanding, like commentaries, dictionaries, or word studies.  I have several examples of each and use them in my own study.  They can be helpful in a lot of different ways.  But one must be careful to keep them in their proper place.  The danger is that one can be more impressed with someone’s interpretation of the Bible than what the Bible actually says.  They can become a crutch that we lean on rather than doing the hard work of studying the text for ourselves.

            The Bible itself should be the first place we turn for biblical insight, not some other book or set of notes.  Only the Scriptures are “...inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), not the words of those commenting on the Scriptures.  As long as we keep that in mind, we will be able to avoid trouble.  And be wary of any sales literature that suggests otherwise.

 

God loves you!

Mike