Hi Studyman.
I would ask “Does God desire obedience over sacrifice?
I would have to say no
Psalms 51:16-17
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
God desires a broken and contrite heart.
Out of that obedience will follow.
God can deal with a heart that seeks after him, like David, like you and me.
As I said for me he desires a heart after him rather than obedience with no heart connection. Just like the Pharisees.
Please note I am not calling you a Pharisee but just wanted to give my thoughts on your post.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.
I am puzzled by all the folks on CC that try and make the claim that the Pharisees were trying to be obedient to God to get to heaven. That they were somehow rejected because they strived to obey God instead of having Faith.
Yet, they can not give one example of a person of faith who didn't humble themselves before God's Commandments. And they can not give one example of the Pharisees actually striving to obey God.
I would greatly appreciate any scripture you could provide to support your claim that the Pharisees were trying to obey God. And, it would be great if someone could show me an example in the Bible of Faith that doesn't include obedience to God.
A Pharisees is not an example of a man trying to please God by obeying Him. Jesus clearly exposed the Pharisees as "Transgressors of God's Commandments by their own doctrines and traditions." They didn't teach to obey God, rather Jesus said they "taught for doctrines the commandments of men".
I think what causes the "Heart" connection is humble submission to God and His Righteousness.
If the Pharisees had truly Loved God with all their heart, they wouldn't have created their own path, traditions and doctrines, they would have done like other examples of Faith, actually ALL other examples of Faith, and humbled themselves to Him and His instructions.
In contrast we have another Jew, also a priest, who did have a connection with God.
Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife
was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name
was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Quite a contrast between someone who honors God with obedience and one who honors God with their lips.
How can we seek God and ignore His instructions. David didn't. Abraham didn't.
The idea that the Pharisees somehow proved that obeying God didn't work is just not true my friend.
Rom. 10:
2 For I bear them record that
they have a zeal of God,
but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
I very much appreciate your reply and opinion. I certainly don't want to be a Pharisee.
But if you think about, they were rejected by Jesus because they Transgressed the Commandments of God by their own man made church doctrines and traditions.
Do you believe Jesus changed His Judgment?