Forgiveness Without Sacrifice – Part 05
We saw in the Isaiah passage we discussed in the previous part, that God does not desire sacrifices, which is a strong indication that sacrifice and the shedding of blood does not bring about forgiveness, and this same kind of message has been spoken since the time of Samuel. Note what we are told in 1 Samuel 15:22.
22. And Samuel said,
“Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
NASB
And even though this verse leaves open the possibility that in some cases the Lord might accept a sacrifice, it is by no means what He desires, which was the case in our discussion of Genesis 8:21.
However, David is much more definitive in his repentant prayerful psalm following his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the killing of her husband, Uriah, in Psalm 51:16-17…
16. For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
Thou art not pleased with burnt offering.
In other words, David knew that he would be forgiven without a sacrifice, and we know that the Lord did forgive him, which is further proof that through His grace, God forgives people who have a truly repentant heart, without any sacrifice, which is what David explains next.
17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
NASB
If Samuel and David knew these truths over three thousand years ago, then the whole sacrificial system must have been outside the will of God, and the oral cultish tradition which must have also been going on at the time was added at a later date, which was most likely in the time of Ezra some 600 years after the time of Samuel and David.
God’s forgiveness does come without the sacrifice of any animal or the shedding of any blood.
Go on to Forgiveness Without Sacrifice – Part 06
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