Post B2cnXjVZ3flUo2h91M by SuperLutheran@poa.st
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 (DIR) Post #B2cnXjVZ3flUo2h91M by SuperLutheran@poa.st
       2026-01-24T23:09:11.575584Z
       
       3 likes, 2 repeats
       
       1 Thus says the Lord:“Heaven is my throne,    and the earth is my footstool;what is the house that you would build for me,    and what is the place of my rest?2 All these things my hand has made,    and so all these things came to be,declares the Lord.But this is the one to whom I will look:    he who is humble and contrite in spirit    and trembles at my word.3 “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;    he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck;he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood;    he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.These have chosen their own ways,    and their soul delights in their abominations;4 I also will choose harsh treatment for them    and bring their fears upon them,because when I called, no one answered,    when I spoke, they did not listen;but they did what was evil in my eyes    and chose that in which I did not delight.”-Isaiah 66:1-4Isaiah ends his book the way he began it, pronouncing an oracle from the Lord which condemns the hollow worship offered by the children of Judah. The very first chapter gives the same message, but now it is louder. And what does our Lord find so important that He bookends Isaiah with it? Simply put, worship is sin when faith is absent.This applied first to the Mosaic system of sacrifice and to Solomon's Temple, but it rings true to this day. If you do not trust in the Lord for salvation, your prayers for forgiveness are empty. If you do not love the Lord, then your works of charity are token of evil against your neighbors. The tribes of Judah could point to the Law's commands, but people are not made righteous by laws. They are made righteous by the Lord who can *make* them good. So long as there are those who think that their rote obedience suffices for true worship, wrath remains on them. Meanwhile, the one who is humble and contrite, fearing and loving the Lord, he is the one who is saved.