Meaningless Worship!

Isaiah 1:10-13
“Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom listen to the law of our God you people of Gomorah! “The multitude of your sacrifices what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this tramplings of my courts? Stop bringing me meaningless offerings!...”

Context: Isaiah was a prophet God used to speak to his people the Israelites. At this point in history Israel had been divided into the North Kingdom of Israel and the South Kingdom of Judah. Isaiah warned God’s people of Judah to give up their sinful lifestyle. They had turned away from God in so many ways, giving into the pagan culture around them. Little did they know their nation would be taken over by the Babylonians.

Isaiah was addressing the fact that they had turned so far from God that they didn’t know what pleased God anymore. They would prepare burnt offerings out of ritualistic tradition and they would offer sacrifices out of obligation. In the above passage, Isaiah was telling them God thinks that their offerings were meaningless to Him. He even asks them, “who has asked this of you…?” “What do you think you are doing, coming in here on my temple grounds with offerings I haven’t even asked you to bring, who are you trying to please, me or yourself?” [paraphrased]

Many things have changed since the time of Isaiah, however, people’s hearts haven’t changed. I think about the struggles that Gods people went through at that time and what we go through today and it sounds very much the same. There is still a battle between Gods way and the self-serving culture around us. It is so easy to get caught up in the world and what we want and what everyone else wants, that when we try and think of what God wants we draw a blank.

Application:
When it comes to worship there is no fooling God, he can see right through us. Some times we think just because we showed up to church, or just because I served in this area, God is pleased. When really God asks us specifically,

Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart O God, you will not despise.”

The word “contrite” means to show sincere remorse or to desire atonement. God wants a pure and broken heart towards him! How can we think our money or our service is enough for him, as if he is dependant on our material things. He doesn’t need that, He wants our heart!

Let us strive to offer worship full of meaning, may our hearts be pure, may our hearts break over our sin. May we worship God with nothing less than our whole heart!