Proverbs 21:3. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
In the Old Testament, righteousness and justice always go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. Together, righteousness and justice describe the heart of God. Why? Because God is love, and you can’t love, without loving righteousness and justice.
But what are righteousness and justice?
Righteousness = God’s standard of uprightness, fairness, and equality. To DO righteousness is to treat everyone with kindness and fairness.
Justice = Correcting it when people aren’t treated with kindness and fairness. Restoring righteousness. Sometimes through the punishment of the wicked doer, and always through the aiding of the vicim, the oppressed.
In the Old Testament the people offered sacrifices to God. Why did they do that? Because God is righteous and they were not. They sinned. Constantly. They did not do righteousness and justice. They didn’t uphold God’s standard of uprightness, fairness, equality, and love, and they didn’t correct problems for the weak and powerless when they occurred. In fact, we might say they increased in unrighteousness rather than in righteousness.
Oh, but they kept bringing their sacrifices to God. They gathered at the Temple and offered animals on the altar to cover up their sins. But here’s the problem. The people would bring their sacrifices to the Temple to receive God’s forgiveness, but then they wouldn’t change how they lived. They would not do righteousness and justice. They withheld wages for workers. They didn’t share with the poor. They didn’t care for the widows and orphans. They didn’t pursue justice for victims. Here’s how the prophet Amos described this kind of cognitive dissonance in ancient Israel:
Amos 5:21-24. 21“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. 23Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Yes, they brought all the right sacrifices to the Temple. They prayed all the right prayers and sang all the right songs on the holy days. They celebrated all the feasts and festivals. But they didn’t DO righteousness and justice. Do you think there is a danger of us making this same mistake today? Have you ever confessed sin only to turn around and condemn a brother or sister in Christ? Have you ever attended church regularly, but failed to serve your neighbor? Do you do daily devotions, read blogs like this one, but refuse to share with the poor? Are you kind in church, but ruthless at work? Do you serve the community, but bully your own kids? Do you play favorites and ignore fairness?
The good news is that you don’t have to live so superficially. You can have the righteousness and justice of God in Christ, and you can do righteousness and justice because Christ is in you.
You: In what ways are you sacrificing to God without doing righteousness and justice?
You in Christ: How does having the righteousness of God in us allow us to do the righteousness of God in the world?
Christ in you: Where can Jesus use you to do righteousness today?
Pray: Father, you desire justice over sacrifice. Keep showing me the difference, especially in my every day life. Amen.
To Live is Christ 