The Façade of Righteousness

Proverbs 21:27 (KJV) The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

I noticed that there seems to be two levels of abomination.  The first one is simply bringing a sacrifice is not righteous.  He may not even be thinking about it.  He may be living in rebellion and so used to that lifestyle that he doesn’t even seriously consider the things that God expects of him.  He brings a sacrifice.  It is an empty ritual.  It is an abomination.

Then you go to a deeper level.  This speaks of someone who comes consciously thinking wicked things.  He still goes through the motions.  He still offers sacrifices. He may work overtime to make people think he is living a righteous life, but underneath he knows exactly what he’s doing.

So?  I would hope this does not apply to me or you.  But what it does tell us is that we need to be aware of people who know how to go through the motions and are either not thinking about it or are deliberately being deceptive.  Discernment is a quality that God wants us to develop.