The Worship That God Will Not Accept

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. —Psalm 51:16–17 “You Will Not Delight in Sacrifice” There is a truth we have to wrap our minds around regarding worship that comes from Psalm 51:16: There is worship that God does not accept. Already you may be somewhat uncomfortable. You may be asking, “What do you mean ‘worship that God does not accept?’ Doesn’t God receive any worship from anyone who will offer it at any time?” Well, no. If you go back to nearly the beginning, Scripture teaches this sobering truth. In Genesis 4 both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord, but only Abel’s was accepted. Why? Abel offered his sacrifice in faith, but Cain brought his offering with a heart that was not right before God (Heb. 11:4). It was not merely the offering but the posture of the worshiper that mattered. Then in Exodus 32, while Moses was up on the mountain meeting with God, Aaron and the people fashioned a golden calf down below. They claimed to worship God but did so by means of a carved image, directly breaking the se...