Not Without a Righteous Life

	Not Without a Righteous Life
	The writer of Psalm 40 makes a rather strange comment in verse 6. "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required." In view of the many sacrifices and offerings commanded in the Law of Moses, how could this be said? Take a look at verse 8 and you see why he said it. "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." What he is saying is that going through a worshipful ritual like sacrifice and offering is really of no value unless you order your life according to His will. It is much like Samuel's words to Saul, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). God was not repudiating proper worship. But to go through a form of worship and then live a wicked life invalidates your worship. Worship without a righteous life is more akin to hypocrisy than it is pleasing to God.