For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart–
These, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:16, 17
Spurgeon writes in his commentary on this Psalm: All sacrifices are presented to You in One, by the man whose broken heart presents the Savior’s merit to You. When the heart mourns for sin, You are better pleased than when the bullock bleeds beneath the axe. “A broken heart” is an expression implying deep sorrow, embittering life itself, it carries the idea of all but killing anguish in that most vital of human organs. So excellent is a spirit humbled and mourning for sin that it is not only a sacrifice, but also a plurality of excellencies and preeminently, God’s sacrifices.
How often am I actually broken by my sin? Sadly, it is not often enough. Even when I am aware of sin in my life, I forget that first, and foremost, it is sin against a holy and righteous God. I tend to view my sin in terms of how it affects my terrestrial relationships, forgetting that even my smallest sin is enough to separate me from my God FOREVER. Thankfully, there is One who never sinned, who “always lives to make intercession” for me. Were it not for Him, I would most certainly suffer the fires of hell, and rightly so, for all eternity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, make me truly sorry for my sins because they separate me from You. Break my heart over offending You, and send me running to the Cross, for it is there that I find my Salvation. In Christ I pray. Amen.
on the shoulders of giants... 