The God far off comes near in fire and
smoke and tempest to judge those who think their sacrifices will keep the
righteous judge at bay. It is a common complaint of God. “These people honor me
with their lips but their hearts are far from me.” (Isaiah 29:13) God is done with the
sacrifices that have no heart and is tired by those who recite the statutes but
fail to live the covenant. So God rebukes those who hate discipline and live
without a concern for the consequences of deceitful lives. But “the Gospel is
always bad news before it is good news” (Friederich Buechner) and for the sake
of the creation gone horribly wrong the perfection that came out of Zion was
abandoned by the faithful and disfigured by the cross only to shine forth from
the empty tomb. Because of God's self sacrifice our sacrifice that is pleasing
to God is a contrite heart and a life of thanksgiving that honors the God of
salvation.
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