Judges: Chap 2: How does a sinner follow a righteous conditional covenant? Adjustment to God's plan in grace.

Title: Judges: Chap 2: How does a sinner follow a righteous conditional covenant? Adjustment to God's plan in grace.        

 

Announcements / opening prayer:

 

 

The Israelite could consider himself forgiven of an iniquity as he offered the proper sin offering, during which ritual he was to understand that another would bear the burden of his sin and to this the proper response was a contrite heart that was broken of all pride.

 

Psa 51:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

 

Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness [David doesn't diminish his act of sin. He had Uriah murdered], O God,

The God of my salvation;

Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

 

Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips [He needs grace],

That my mouth may declare Your praise.

 

Psa 51:16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

 

Is God seeking to abandon the sacrifice? No. His delight is in the actual forgiveness of sin in Christ. David understands this.

 

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and meal offering You hast not desired;

My ears You have opened;

Burnt offering and sin offering You hast not required.

 

Psa 40:7 Then I said, "Behold, I come [Jesus];

In the scroll of the book it is written of me;

 

Psa 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;

Your Law is within my heart."

 

This is quoted in Heb 10.

 

Psa 51:16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

 

David will offer the sacrifice, but he will not only go through the motions of the ritual. In his heart and spirit he will solemnly acknowledge his sin against God and his pride will be broken. He will accept the grace of God but he will not devour it. He will accept God's mercy and forgiveness with respect, godly fear, and thankfulness.

 

The offering is only a temporary cover for his sin. It is obvious from verse 16 that David understands this, which he clearly conveys in Psa 40.

 

Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

 

The inward part of a man is said to be broken and crushed when his sinful nature is broken, his ungodly self slain, his impenetrable hardness softened, his haughty vain glorying brought low, when he is in himself become as nothing, and when God is everything to him. Of such a spirit and heart, panting after grace or favor, consist the sacrifices that are truly worthy God's acceptance and well-pleasing to Him.

 

It may sound like feeling bad or displaying inward guilt, but it is not that. These things only amount to the flesh trying to add some payment to the grace of God in Christ's atonement. It isn't guilt but genuine humility and lowliness before God. It is the breaking of pride and boasting. It may be accompanied by godly sorrow, but such sorrow does not last, but is only turned to rejoicing and is without guilt or condemnation.

 

2Co 7:10

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

 

Such a spirit is called God's holy temple:

 

Isa 57:15

For thus says the high and exalted One

Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,

"I dwell on a high and holy place,

And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit

In order to revive the spirit of the lowly

And to revive the heart of the contrite."

 

Psa 51:18 By Your favor do good to Zion;

Build the walls of Jerusalem.

 

Psa 51:19 Then You wilt delight in righteous sacrifices [offered in the right state of mind],

In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

 

An Israelite could not consider himself forgiven if he simply went through the ritual of the sin offering with no regard to his obligation to God or fear of God.