Psalm 51:14-19 “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. Lord, open my lips. My mouth will declare your praise. For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart. Do well in your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offerings and in whole burnt offerings. Then they will offer bulls on your altar.”

Psalm 50 and 51 come together here. Sacrifices without heart are useless. God wants us heart, mind and soul. When we do wrong, He wants broken spirits and broken hearts. We also have a warning here that the relationships of the individuals in the community toward God affect the well-being of the community. When all is well, God’s good pleasure shines forth.

Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

1 Corinthians 12:26 “When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. When one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

For additional worship: Just a Closer Walk With Thee (Bart Millard)