sacrifice

"You shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter..." (Deut.16:11).

Israel in the Old Testament could come to worship God, and He commanded them to come and "rejoice before the LORD your God." They could rejoice, not because they were good enough to please Him, nor for anything in themselves - but because when they worshiped, they brought the sacrifice commanded by God.

Something outside themselves, to atone for their own sin. There was no thinking they were pleasing God by their moral lives, or their charitable deeds. Coming with only good works would not make them accepted. And without acceptance, there can be no rejoicing before God, for He is angry with those break His laws.

Is this not a picture of true religion today? We cannot rejoice before God based on our own merits, hoping "the goods outweigh the bads", and that that will be enough for God. Perfect justice demands punishment for all law-breaking. We can only rejoice before God the same way that Israel did: by trusting in the sacrifice of Another - in Jesus Christ who died to atone for our sins, to appease the wrath of a just God.

This is surely the only way to "rejoice before God" when we come to worship. To come trusting in the Sacrifice of something outside ourselves, as that by which God will accept us and our worship - that by which God will rejoice over us, and therefore we can also rejoice in Him!