10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I [d]have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
12 “When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires [e]of you this trampling of My courts?
13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 “So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are [f]covered with blood.16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
[g]Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
19 “If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;
20 “But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
In vv. 10-15, we see how weary God is of sacrifices, of their festivals, the cattle, and rams, and feasts. He never desired sacrifices, which the people would know if they remembered the words of Samuel (1 Sam. 15:22), “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”
There were times when the people didn’t even bother with sacrifices, so you’d think the fact they were still doing them was something worthwhile. However, based on the scathing comparison with Sodom and Gomorrah, that was not the case. Instead of the sacrifice bringing them back to God, it was a mere attempt to appease an angry deity, after wantonly violating His commands. They might as well have worshipped Baal or Chemosh, which they likely did also.
So what did God really want? We find the answers in vv. 16-20. He wanted them to do good and seek justice, defend the orphan and widow, and come. It’s ironic that God says, “…let us reason together”, when the next verses make no logical sense. Though their sins be scarlet and crimson, if they would repent and obey, then He would make them white as snow, to enjoy the land that was His gift.
It’s the same illogical offer He makes today. He doesn’t want sacrifices and lip service, He wants our hearts, which naturally results in obedience, doing good, seeking justice, etc. As He told Samuel also, God doesn’t judge by appearances, but He looks deeper within, to our hearts. Does God have my heart? Does He have your heart? It isn’t enough to say a prayer, He must be King of our hearts, each day, for as long as we live–which will be forever, if we surrender it all to Him.