Daily Bible Study

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Day 241 Isaiah 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? says 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. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 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. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 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. Rituals. Everyone has things they do by rote without thought because it’s familiar and comfortable. God brought a word to Isaiah. He didn’t want the people to bring their rituals to Him. He wanted them to cease the familiar because they didn’t think about what they did. They only thought about what they always did. It was familiar. God told Isaiah He wouldn’t hear their prayers because their hands were bloody. They performed their rituals and then continued with their plans. As Christians, you sit in church, hear the word. You might take notes, but your thoughts are elsewhere. You don’t pay attention to what God says to you. You only notice when your minister comes to the end of his sermon with an Amen. God doesn’t want that kind of worship from you. When He speaks, He wants your attention. Your WHOLE attention. When you walk into His presence, put the world aside. Don’t worry about what you cannot control. Prepare your heart to listen to what God would say to you. Nurture your spirit with God’s Word. Let it sink into your heart and mind. Then you will come away with a glad heart, knowing you sat in God’s presence. You want God to hear your prayers. Hear Him. Listen when He speaks. Hear what He says to you. God told Isaiah what He wanted from His people. Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. To become clean, you must confess your sin with a sincere heart. Seek God’s will for your life and do it. God promises to take care of you when you seek Him with an obedient heart. Otherwise, you will die in your sin. Are you ready to put aside your rituals and embrace God, to listen when He speaks, and heed what He says? Let’s pray: Father, my life is a ritual. Help me put away the familiar and turn to You with a willing heart to hear what You would have me do. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 9 February 2022 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay.