DAY 322 - Hiding Behind Your Religion

Isaiah 1:11-13, 15-19 (CEV) ¹¹ “Your sacrifices mean nothing to me. I am sick of your offerings of rams and choice cattle; I don’t like the blood of bulls or lambs or goats. ¹² “Who asked you to bring all this when you come to worship me? Stay out of my temple! ¹³ Your sacrifices are worthless, and incense is disgusting. I can’t stand the evil you do on your New Moon Festivals or on your Sabbaths and other times of worship. ¹⁵ “No matter how much you pray, I won’t listen. You are too violent. ¹⁶ Wash yourselves clean! I am disgusted with your filthy deeds. Stop doing wrong ¹⁷ and learn to live right. See that justice is done. Defend widows and orphans and help those in need.” ¹⁸ I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool. ¹⁹ If you willingly obey me, the best crops in the land will be yours.

What provoked God to such fury as to be sick of the offering of sacrifices? God was angry with the people of Israel because they were pretending at something that was not true. They performed the acts of worship and the duties of their religion, but their heart was not in it. God was angry at the people of Israel because they were actually hiding their lives and hearts from Him. And, of all places to hide, they were hiding behind their religion. They did worship as a way of avoiding any real encounter with the living God.

How can worship and trying to live like we should be a way of hiding from God? How many of us have ever had a quarrel in our marriage and instead of sitting down to deal with the cause of friction, we continued in the routine. We did our chores around the house. We had people over to the house. We may even have shown some affection toward each other. But, underneath this show, we were really at odds with each other. And the routine of life, which used to be a normal way we lived together becomes the way we avoid each other. That is what the people of Israel had done. Instead of truly repenting and meeting God face to face they maintained the routine of religion.

Is that true of us? Are we guarding our life from God, going through the motions of being a Christian, but secretly, inwardly keeping God from penetrating to the core of our life? We can appear to be very devoted to God, attend church every Sunday, or we can play the same game by checking in with God every three months or so. But, either way, this is not what God has ever asked of us, to go through the routine of worship when our heart is not in it. God wants to penetrate our soul, to bring about a transformation that leaves the very center of our life pure, clean, good, beautiful, and full of wonder. But, that means total exposure of our life to Him. Otherwise we are still fooling ourselves, still playing the careful game of avoiding God. The only way we can stop dodging and meet God face to face is through God’s promise to us. If we will only let God help us, if we will only obey God, then God will transform us and make us rich in Him.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope March 3, 1974

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell (Broyles)