Sacrifices & Reverence to God:
Rev. Joseph E. Esquivel
God’s Faith in Man Church ULC
Isa. 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your n sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. n 1 Sam.15:22.
1 Sam. 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Isa. 1:12 When ye come o to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? o Exodus 23:17
Exodus 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD God.
Isa. 1:13 Bring no more p vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, q the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. p Matt. 15:9.; q Joel 1:14.
Matt. 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Joel 1:14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD.
Isa. 1:14 Your r new moons and your s appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. r Num. 28:11.; s Lamentations 2:6
Num. 28:11 And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot;
Lam. 2:6 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
Isa. 1:15 And t when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: u yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. t Prov. 1:28.; u Ps. 66:18; Isa. 59:1-3; Mic. 3:4
Prov. 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Ps. 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Isa. 59:1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
Isa. 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Isa. 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Mic. 3:4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.
Isa. 1:16 v Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; w cease to do evil; v Jer. 4:14. w Rom. 12:9.
Jer. 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
Rom. 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
1 Samuel
Chapter 15
1 Sam. 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, a The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. a 1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1
1 Sam. 9:16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
1 Sam. 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?
1 Sam. 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, b how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. b Ex. 17:8, 14; Num. 24:20; Deut. 25:17–19
Exod. 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
Exod. 17:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
Num. 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.
Deut. 25:17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
Deut. 25:18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
Deut. 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.
1 Sam. 15:3 Now go and c smite Amalek, and d utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. c Deut. 25:19 d Lev. 27:28, 29; Num. 24:20; Deut. 20:16–18; Josh. 6:17–21.
1 Sam. 15:3 Total annihilation of the enemy is demanded here. See the note on Joshua 6:17.
Joshua 6:17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
Deut. 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.
Lev. 27:28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
Num. 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.
Deut. 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
Deut. 20:17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
Deut. 20:18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.
Josh. 6:17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
Josh. 6:18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
Josh. 6:19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
Josh. 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
1 Sam. 15:4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in † Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. † Telaim.
Telaim (Tǝ lā’ ĭm) Place-name meaning “young speckled lambs.” City in southern Judah where Saul gathered forces to battle the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:4). Suggested sites include Khirbet Umm es-Salafeh southwest of Kurnub and Khibet Abu Tulul 12 miles southest of Beer-sheba. The earliest Greek translation of 1 Sam. 27:8 reads “from Telem” rather than “from old.” See Telem.
1 Sam. 15:5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
1 Sam. 15:6 And Saul said unto e the Kenites, f Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for g ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So, the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. e Num. 24:21; Judg. 1:16; 4:11–22; 1 Chr. 2:55. f Gen. 18:25; 19:12, 14; Rev. 18:4. g Ex. 18:10, 19; Num. 10:29, 32
1 Sam. 15:6 The Kenites are spared because of their protracted kindness toward Israel. See the note on Judges 1:16.
Judges 1:16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
Num. 24:21 And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock.
Judg. 1:16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
Judg. 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.
Judges 4:12 And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
Judges 4:13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.
Judges 4:14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
Judges 4:15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.
Judges 4:16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.
Judges 4:17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
Judges 4:18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.
Judges 4:19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.
Judges 4:20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.
Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
Judges 4:22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
1 Chron. 2:55 And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the †Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab. † Tirathites. † Shimeathites. †Suchathites.
Tirathite (Tī’ răth īts) Family of Kenite scribes (1 Chron. 2:55)
Shimeathite (Shĭm’ ǝ ȧ thīt) Either a descendant of a person named Shimeath or, more likely, a native of the town of Shema (Josh.15:26), perhaps settled by the clan of Shema (1Chron. 2:443). See Shema 1 and 5.
Suchathite (Sū’ kȧ thīt) People who claim ancestry from the Kenites and the Rechabites (1 Chron. 2:55). KJV has Suchathites.
Gen. 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Gen. 19:12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
Gen. 19:14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Rev. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Exod. 18:10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
Exod. 18:19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
Num. 10:29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
Num. 10:32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.
1 Sam. 15:7 h And Saul smote the Amalekites from i Havilah until thou comest to jShur, that is over against Egypt. h 1 Sam 14:8; i. Gen. 2:11; 25:17, 18; j Gen. 16:7; Ex. 15:22; 1 Sam. 27:8.
1 Sam. 14:8 Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
Gen. 2:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
Gen. 25:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Gen. 25:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Gen. 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exod. 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
1 Sam. 27:8 And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
1 Sam. 15:8 And k he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and l utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. k. 1 Sam. 15:32, 33. l 1 Sam. 27:8, 9.
1 Sam. 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1 Sam. 15:33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
1 Sam. 27:8 And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
1 Sam. 27:9 And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.
> 1 Sam. 15:9 But Saul and the people m spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. m 1 Sam. 15:3, 15, 19.
> The above is troubling proof of disobedience of God’s commandments, lacking true faith and belief. Obedience before ceremonial rituals, for without obedience the ceremonials rituals are meaningless.
1 Sam. 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1 Sam. 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
1 Sam. 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1 Sam. 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1 Sam. 15:11 n It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is o turned back from following me, p and hath not performed my commandments. And it qgrieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. n Gen. 6:6, 7; 1 Sam. 15:35; 2 Sam. 24:16. o Josh. 22:16; 1 Kin. 9:6. p 1 Sam. 13:13; 15:3, 9. q 1 Sam. 15:35; 16:1.
1 Sam. 15:11 God’s regret is an expression drawn from human experience. Yet, the LORD was doubtless grieved because of Saul’s disobedience. However, such anthropomorphisms do not indicate weakness or changeability in the divine will (cf. James 1:17). See the note on verse 29.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Gen. 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen. 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
1 Sam. 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
2 Sam. 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.
Josh 22:16 Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD?
1 Kings 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
1 Sam. 13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
1 Sam. 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1 Sam. 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1 Sam. 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Sam. 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
1 Sam. 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
1 Sam. 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1 Sam. 15:14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
1 Sam. 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: t for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. t [Gen. 3:12, 13; Ex. 32:22, 23]; 1 Sam. 15:9, 21; [Prov. 28:13]
1 Sam. 15:15 Once again Saul, the sinner, attempts to shift the blame to others (cf. 13:11, 12), or plead extenuating circumstances (cf. vv. 20, 21). The practices are as old as sin itself (cf. Gen. 3:12, 13).
1 Sam. 13:11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;
1 Sam. 13:12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
Gen. 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Gen. 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Exod. 32:22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
Exod. 32:23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
1 Sam. 15:9 But Saul and the people m spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1 Sam. 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
> 1 Sam. 15:16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
> Here and to the end Samuel speaks of Saul’s not obey the commands God put upon him, in not destroying the king Agag, and allowing his people to take spoils. Not destroying all livestock and every living thing they possessed. Failing to follow God’s commands!
1 Sam. 15:17 And Samuel said, u When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? u 1 Sam. 9:21; 10:22
1 Sam. 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?
1 Sam. 10:22 Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.
1 Sam. 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
1 Sam. 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1 Sam. 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, v I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. v 1 Sam. 15:13; [Prov. 28:13]
1 Sam. 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
Prov. 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
1 Sam. 15:21 w But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. w 1 Sam. 15:15.
1 Sam. 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: t for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
> Sam. 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1 Sam. 15:22 These verses reinforce the Old Testament viewpoint that religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality and of a life of total allegiance to a sovereign † LORD is worthless (cf. Ps. 40:6–8; Is. 1:10–20; Mic. 6:8). † Lord, ruler or president of a country or state.
To obey man’s laws and breaking God’s laws that break God’s commandments, places man over God, as if to worship man and his nature above God. “Amen”
Ps. 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Ps. 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Ps. 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Isa. 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Isa. 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isa. 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Isa. 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Isa. 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
Isa. 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Isa. 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isa. 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isa. 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isa. 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isa. 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Mic. 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
> Note how it is pointed out to Saul, God loves his people who obey his commands more than the ritual sacrifices made to him.
1 Sam. 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, z he hath also rejected thee from being king. z 1 Sam. 13:14; 16:1.
1 Sam. 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
1 Sam. 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
1 Sam. 15:24 a And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because b I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. a Num. 22:34; Josh. 7:20; 1 Sam. 26:21; 2 Sam. 12:13; Ps. 51:4 b [Ex. 23:2; Prov. 29:25; Is. 51:12, 13]
Num. 22:34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
Josh. 7:20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
1 Sam. 26:21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
2 Sam. 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
Ps. 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Exod. 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
Prov. 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
Isa. 51:12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
Isa. 51:13 And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
1 Sam. 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1 Sam. 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: c for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. c 1 Sam. 2:30.
1 Sam. 2:30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
1 Sam. 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, d he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. d 1 Kin. 11:30, 31
1 Sam. 15:27 28. In the customs of the ancient Near East seizing the edge of the robe was a symbolic gesture of submission or supplication. The symbol turns against Saul; as the robe has been torn, so the LORD has torn Saul’s kingdom from him.
1 Kings 11:30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
1 Kings 11:31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
1 Sam. 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, e The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. e 1 Sam. 28:17, 18; 1 Kin. 11:31.
1 Sam. 28:17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
1 Sam. 28:18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.
1 Kings 11:31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
1 Sam. 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel f will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. f Num. 23:19; Ezek. 24:14; 2 Tim. 2:13; Titus 1:2
1 Sam. 15:29 The word translated Strength carries with it the further ideas of preeminent brilliance and perpetuity. Therefore, the focus is on the Lord in all His magnificence and glory. This Glorious One is Israel’s only Strength. (See the similar sentiment in Ps. 3:3.) Here the emphasis is on God’s immutability, therefore serving to keep the statement in verse 11 in proper balance.
Ps. 3:1 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
Ps. 3:2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
Ps. 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Ps. 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Ps. 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
Ps. 3:6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
Ps. 3:7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Ps. 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. † Selah.
Selah (Sē’ lah) Term of unknown meaning appearing in psalms, outside the book of psalms only in Hab. 3. Scholars have advanced various unprovable theories: a pause either for silence or musical interlude; a signal for the congregation to sing, recite, or fall prostrate on the ground; a cue for the cymbals to crash; a word to be shouted by the congregation; or a sign to the choir to sing a higher pitch or louder. The earliest Jewish traditions thought it meant “forever” Mike Mitchell
Num. 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Ezek. 24:14 I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.
1 Tim. 2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
1 Sam. 15:30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet g honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
g [John 5:44; 12:43]
John 5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
John 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
1 Sam. 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
1 Sam. 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1 Sam. 15:33 And Samuel said, h As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. h [Gen. 9:6]; Num. 14:45; Judg. 1:7; [Matt. 7:2]
1 Sam. 15:33 As the Lord’s priest and prophet, Samuel carried out what the LORD had originally commanded Saul to do.
Gen. 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Num. 14:45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
Judge. 1:7 And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
Matt. 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
1 Sam. 15:34 Then Samuel went to I Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to jGibeah of Saul.
I 1 Sam. 7:17. j 1 Sam. 11:4.
1 Sam. 7:17 And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.
1 Sam. 11:4 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
1 Sam. 15:35 And k Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel. k 1 Sam. 19:24.
1 Sam. 19:24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
Isa. 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, a The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? a 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 6:18; Ps. 11:4; Matt. 5:34; Acts 17:24.
1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
2 Chron. 6:18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!
Ps. 11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
Matt. 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Isa. 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: b but to this man will I look, c even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. b Ps. 34:18; [Is. 57:15; 61:1; Matt. 5:3, 4; Luke 18:13, 14]. c Ps. 34:18; 51:17.
Ps. 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Isa. 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isa. 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Ps. 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Ps. 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Isa. 66:3 d He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he e cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. d [Is. 1:10–17; 58:1–7; Mic. 6:7, 8] e Deut. 23:18.
Isa. 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Isa. 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isa. 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Isa. 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Isa. 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
Isa. 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Isa. 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isa. 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Mic. 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Mic. 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Deut. 23:18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Isa. 66:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; f because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. f Prov. 1:24; Is. 65:12; Jer. 7:13.
Prov. 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Isa. 65:12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
Jer. 7:13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
Isa. 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that g hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, h Let the LORD be glorified: but I he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. g Ps. 38:20; Is. 60:15; [Luke 6:22, 23] h Is. 5:19. I [2 Thess. 1:10; Titus 2:13]
Ps. 38:20 They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
Isa. 60:15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
Luke 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Isa. 5:19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
2 Thess. 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Jer. 6:17 Also I set u watchmen over you, saying, v Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. u Is. 21:11; 58:1; Jer. 25:4; Ezek. 3:17; Hab. 2:1. v Deut. 4:1.
Jer. 6:17 The prophets were at times called watchmen for God on behalf of His people (cf. Is. 21:6, 11; Ezek. 3:17; 33:7–9; Hab. 2:1). For other terms relative to the prophet’s office, see 1 Samuel 9:6–11.
Isa. 21:6 For thus hath the LORD said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
Isa. 21:11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
Ezek. 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Ezek. 33:7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
Ezek. 33:8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Ezak. 33:9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Hab. 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
1 Samuel 9:6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.
1 Sam. 9:7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?
1 Sam. 9:8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.
1 Sam. 9:9 (Before time in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
1 Sam. 9:10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.
1 Sam. 9:11 And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here?
Isa. 21:11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
Isa. 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Jer. 25:4 And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
Deut. 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
Jer. 6:18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.
Jer. 6:19 w Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring x evil upon this people, y even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. w Isa. 1:2 x Jer. 19:3, 15 y Prov. 1:31.
Isa. 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Jer. 19:3 And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.
Jer. 19:15 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.
Prov. 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Jer. 6:20 z To what purpose cometh there to me incense a from Sheba, and the b sweet cane from a far country? c your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. z Ps. 40:6; 50:7–9; Is. 1:11; 66:3; Amos 5:21; Mic. 6:6, 7. a Is. 60:6. b Is. 43:24. c Jer. 7:21–23.
Ps. 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Ps. 50:7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.
Ps. 50:8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.
Ps. 50:9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
Isa. 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isa. 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
Amos 5:21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
Mic. 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
Mic. 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Isa. 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.
Isa. 43:24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
Jer. 7:21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jer. 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer. 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Jer. 6:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.
Jer. 6:21 To lay stumbling blocks before the blind was forbidden (Lev. 19:14). However, Judah’s spiritual blindness had caused them to erect stumbling blocks hewn from greed (Ezek. 7:19) and idolatry (Ezek. 14:4) that the Lord would turn to their own destruction.
Lev. 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.
Ezek. 7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
Ezek. 14:4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
Amos 5:20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Amos 5:21 c I hate, I despise your feast days, and d I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. c Is. 1:11–16; Amos 4:4, 5; 8:10. d Lev. 26:31; Jer. 14:12; Hos. 5:6.
Amos 5:21-22 I hate, I despise your feast days: Religious activity without heart reality is repugnant to God. God-ordained forms of worship and religious expression without heart reality become only nauseating, empty formalism; and they anger rather than appease God.
Isa. 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isa. 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Isa. 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Isa. 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
Isa. 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Isa. 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Amos 4:4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
Amos 4:5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
Amos 8:10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
Lev. 26:31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
Jer. 14:12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
Hos. 5:6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
Amos 5:22 e Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. e Is. 66:3; Mic. 6:6, 7
Amos 5:22 I hate, I despise your feast days: Religious activity without heart reality is repugnant to God. God-ordained forms of worship and religious expression without heart reality become only nauseating, empty formalism; and they anger rather than appease God.
Isa. 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
Mic. 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
Mic. 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Amos 5:23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
Amos 5:24 f But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. f Jer. 22:3; Ezek. 45:9; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:8
Jer. 22:3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
Ezek. 45:9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD.
Hos. 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Mic. 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Amos 5:25 g Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? g Deut. 32:17; Josh. 24:14; Neh. 9:18–21; Acts 7:42, 43.
Deut. 32:17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
Josh. 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Neh. 9:18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
Neh. 9:19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Neh. 9:20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
Neh. 9:21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
Acts 7:42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
Acts 7:43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
Amos 5:26 But ye have borne the tabernacle h of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. h 1 Kings 11:33.
1 Kings 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and † Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. † Milcom.
Milcom (Mĭl’ cŏm) Name of deity meaning “king” or “their king.” Apparently, a form created by Hebrew scribes to slander and avoid pronouncing the name of the national god of Ammon (1 Kings 11:5,7), who may have been identified with Chemosh, the god of Moab. From the inscription of Mesha there appears to have been a god, Athar, whose local titles were Chemosh and Milcom. This cult may have been practiced in Jerusalem before Israelite conquest. “King” may have been the god’s name or his title as king of the gods. David defeated Ammon and confiscated the crown (2 Sam. 12:30) of their king (KJV, NASB, NIV) or of the statue of the god Milcom (NRSV, REB; cp. TEV). Solomon built sanctuaries to Milcom on the Mount of Olives at the request of his foreign wives, reviving the ancient cult (1 Kings 11:5, 33) he sites of Solomon’s sanctuaries were destroyed and defiled during Josiah’s reforms in 621 B.C. (2 Kings 23:13). Jeremiah described past accomplishments attributed to Milcom; but in a play on Judg. 11:24, he announced destruction and captivity for Milcom (Jer. 49:1,3 NRSV, NASB, REB; cp. NIV, TEV). Worshipping Milcom was turning one’s back on Yahweh (Zeph. 1:5,6). See Chemosh; Gods, Pagan; Moab; Molech.
In closing if we are to believe in Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven, it is not good enough just to go to services donate money, Pray and worship in their names. We must above all live as they have commanded us, do we not understand Jesus Christ is not just our Lord and Savior to fulfill our prayers. He is also our teacher and perfect example of how we are to live our lives, with the kindness, mercy and care Jesus had for us. He came not to condemn us, judge us or place us in orders of who is black or white and hate because we do not understand those different from us. As it is said in Malachi 2:10.
Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
For we are all one people created by one God, all no matter of nation or ethnic persuasion’s brothers and sisters under one God. When we pray for all we pray for all mankind. “Amen”
Rev. Joseph E. Esquivel
God’s Faith in Man Church ULC.