Sin Offensive to God
Isaiah 1:11-15
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? said the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams…


1. The Scripture for our understanding ascribes senses to God, and here we find every sense displeased with their sins.

(1) They were offensive to His tasting; for their burnt offerings of rams, with the fat of lambs, etc., He could not relish — they delighted Him not, they were sour to His palate.

(2) They were offensive to His smelling; for He tells them that their incense was an abomination unto Him — that precious perfume, which was made with so many sweet spices and pure frankincense (Exodus 30:34, 35), did stink in His nostrils, the scent thereof He could not abide.

(3) They were offensive to His feeling; for their new moons and appointed feasts were a burden unto Him, He was a weary to bear them. And though He be not weary of bearing the whole world, yet He is aweary of this burden; so heavy is it to His sense, that He complains He is "pressed under it, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves" (Amos 2:13).

(4) They were offensive to His seeing; and therefore He tells them, though they spread forth their hands, He will hide His eyes. His pure eyes "cannot behold evil," nor endure to look upon iniquity, and therefore He must turn away His face from them.

(5) They were offensive to His hearing; for when they make many prayers He will not hear. Their prayers were as jarring in His ears as if divers distracted musicians should play upon divers bad instruments so many several tunes at one time.

2. Neither were their sins only displeasing to His senses, but also grievous to His mind, and therefore He tells them, their new moons and appointed feasts His soul did hate; which is an emphatical speech, and an argument of God's hearty detestation.

(N. Rogers.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

WEB: "What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?," says Yahweh. "I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed animals. I don't delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats.




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