As David continued to contemplate how God rescued him from his troubles, his heart was overwhelmed with gratitude and thanksgiving. He realized that his relationship with God is more than just doing all the necessary spiritual rituals; it is about obedience. David wrote, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened—burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:6-8).'" All the sacrifices and offerings, such as giving animal sacrifices to the priest for his sin, were not enough to satisfy God's demands. Today, we do not sacrifice and offer animals to be burnt by the priest because Jesus replaced the burnt sacrifices with His own life on the cross. So, the sacrifices and offering for us today are the equivalent of what we do in trying to please God. For example, going to church on Sundays, giving money to the church, taking the sacraments, water baptism, prayer, reading the Bible, and service. Although these are very important in our relationship with God, it is not the same as our obedience to God.
A person can do all those things to cover up disobedience or to compensate for wrongdoings. For example, a criminal will give thousands of dollars to the church but still abuse, oppress, or kill innocent people. He gives to the church, hoping that God will ignore his sin. Or, we go to church and do all the rituals and confession but are not willing to change and continue living in sin. Throughout church history, many religious people oppressed and abused others because they thought that God would ignore their sins because of all the sacrifices and offerings that they made, and this is the reason many people do not trust the church anymore. David was saying in this Psalm that God desires our obedience rather than our sacrifices and offerings. God wants us to repent from our sins and do what God is telling us to do. It is about righteous living that is acceptable to God.
We cannot have the right relationship with God if we are not willing to repent of our sins. The only way we can have a good relationship with God is through our genuine faith in Him and obedience. Everything else will not mean anything to God. We cannot bargain with God with our spiritual offerings and service.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you). Which one does God desire from me: my obedience or my offerings and service? Why does God want me to obey first rather than just give my resources and time to Him? How can I please God?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, you are the sovereign God who created everything. You do not lack anything, for all your creations are yours. You do not need my help because there is nothing impossible for you. Everything that I have comes from you, even my very breath. And because of that, you desire my obedience and a repentant heart. Please help me to obey you and confront any sin in my heart so that I can walk in a way that is pleasing to you. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.