Why God Wants Mercy, not Sacrifice

One huge mistake people make is to assume that God is only stern and judgemental. I know that I used to believe that. Was I ever wrong.

Throughout Scripture, the heavenly Father wanted a loving relationship with his people. But they consistently rebuffed him when things were going well. Jeremiah 11:6-8 (BBE) is just one example. "And the Lord said to me, 'Give out these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, "Give ear to the words of this agreement and do them." For I gave certain witness to your fathers on the day when I took them up out of the land of Egypt, and even to this day, getting up early and witnessing and saying, "Give ear to my voice". But they gave no attention and did not give ear, but they went on, every man in the pride of his evil heart: so I sent on them all the curses in this agreement, which I gave them orders to keep, but they did not'".

God did give ordinances such as sacrifices but it was his way of teaching the people about the consequences of sin. Hosea 6:4-6 (BBE) shows God's emotion toward those whom he loved. "O Ephraim, what am I to do to you? O Judah, what am I to do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes early away. So I have had it cut in stones; I gave them teaching by the words of my mouth; Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings."

Sadly, people turned those ordinances into a religion. They figured that just performing them would get God off their backs. We read how the Lord felt about that in Amos 5:21 (BBE). "Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings."

God takes rejection personally. When Israel wanted a human king instead of the Lord, it broke his heart. We read this in 1 Samuel 8:7 (BBE). "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Give ear to the voice of the people and what they say to you: they have not been turned away from you, but they have been turned away from me, not desiring me to be king over them.'"

Jesus, being part of the Trinity, felt the same sorrow of rejection by his people. Luke 13:34 (BBE) demonstrates this. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who were sent to her! again and again would I have taken your children to myself, as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, but you would not!"

The trouble with people is that we turn God's loving protection into a religion. Instead of obeying out of adoration, people go through the motions in the hope it's impressing the boss. How that must hurt his enormous heart!

I'll be writing more about God's personality in my book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? People forget that God is a person. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Neither does he lack feelings, the same ones he gave us.

On Thursday, I plan on posting about our motives for giving. Those are what count.