“The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.” (Psalm 51:17 CSB)
David sinned against God, and he came to understand, as he worked through it, that the blood of bulls and goats, that the giving of burnt offerings to God could not remove the guilt of his sin. The animal sacrifices were only intended to be symbolic of something deeper, but as happens in many religious systems, the focus got put on the system rather than on the deeper significance. David thus came to the conclusion that the sacrifice that pleases God is the giving of a broken spirit and a humbled heart.
The adversarial view would say that God is harsh and goes around trying to crush people, to break their spirit. That is exactly opposite of the truth. God does not break people’s spirit or their will. The reality is that their own sin has broken and crushed them. That is the source of their guilt. What God does is to invite those who have a broken spirit to humble their hearts and bring their brokenness to Him, so that He may forgive, and heal, and restore. The one Sacrifice given for all once and for all by Jesus now shows the pathway to freedom from sin and the guilt that goes with it. His sacrifice brings us to Him to seek and receive His forgiveness. The Bible promises us that when we do so, God will be pleased to bless us and will never despise our brokenness. He gives us a clean heart. He seeks to heal and to restore us to wholeness.
Father, What a great joy it is to be in Your mercy and grace, to receive Your forgiveness and restoration. Your Spirit in us a truly a Breath of fresh air. Amen.
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