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The relationship between worship and ethics surfaces in Proverbs 21:3: To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice (v. 3). The verse stands in a long line of Old Testament passages that subordinate ritual to ethical obedience.
Samuel told Saul, "to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22). Hosea wrote, "I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). Isaiah recorded the LORD's weariness with multiplied offerings from people whose hands were full of bloodshed (Isaiah 1:11-17). Solomon condenses the same truth into one proverb: God prefers a righteous life to a religious performance.
Sacrifice is not abolished here; it is set in its proper place. Worship matters, but praise offered by hands and lips that practice injustice is not what God is looking for.
Used with permission from TheBibleSays.com.
You can access the original article here:Proverbs 21:3 Meaning
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