These passages say, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.”
In early Israel, God gave laws and commandments through Moses for the people to obey. Much of these laws required making physical sacrifices to atone for sin. God required his people to obey His laws so that He could be close to them. When Israel obeyed God, God blessed Israel. However, God removed His blessings when Israel became disobedient.
The Bible indicates that God wants more than physical sacrifices to atone for sin. Rather, God wants obedience from within. God loves His people. He wants His people to love Him. True love for God is evidenced by obedience to His Word, which we have in the Bible.
God wants people to live rightly before Him according to the Bible. He deems those who do so to be righteous. Those who reject God’s Word, He deems to be wicked. God delights in the righteous. Whereas, He abhors the wicked.
Unfortunately, religion does not necessarily produce righteousness. Some people mechanically attend church services and go through external rituals that they think will find God’s favor. However, the Bible says that God wants people to worship Him in ‘Spirit and Truth.’ He doesn’t want mechanical rituals. Rather, God wants His people to love him and obey the Word of God, which is Truth. Therefore, we must know the Truth. More importantly, we need to live our lives according to the Truth. Then, God will deem us to be righteous and allow us into Heaven after we die.
