Tiny Devotional for RED Friday, 09-15-2023

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Remember Everyone Deployed!

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
Proverbs 15:8, NASB

We are given three contrasting pairs in this verse:

  • Sacrifice v prayer
  • Wicked v upright
  • Abomination v delight

The practice of sacrifice is no longer a part of our religious/spiritual service, but it was once an essential part of the worship practices of our spiritual ancestors. Today, the term means that you deny or deprive yourself of something significant, to benefit another; as in parents ‘sacrifice’ purchasing a new car, so they can send the kids to camp. It’s GIGANTIC!
But prayer? You can do that at the drop of a hat, and all it costs is the intent to do it.

Being wicked is also an archaic term; we think all our villains are really just misunderstood. In the past, though, the wicked WERE going to steal your stuff, then kill you.
The upright? They did their jobs, treated people fairly, and so on.

Without a good concept of sacrifice and wickedness, it’s also hard to grasp ‘abomination.’ However, if we take ‘disgusting’ to the extreme, we will closely approximate it. I have both cats and dogs: the dog finds a dead possum and rubs in it, then returns home; the cat proudly drops a semi-dead mouse in my bed. ABOMINATION! (sort of)

I got three things from this verse: 

  1. God is concerned about the heart, not the pocketbook.
  2. God ALONE can convert the wicked to the upright.
  3. When He does so, He converts it all, and makes it beautiful.

Peace be on your household.

Comments

  1. On Christ the Solid Rock I StandSeptember 19, 2023 at 5:53 PM

    Amen my Brother Pat, God is always concern in the heart, for God looks and searches the heart. Praise God my Brother Pat!

    ReplyDelete

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