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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." -(1 Sam. XV. 22).
Through the mouth of the Psalmist, Jehovah declared :
"I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most high."-(Ps. L. 9-15).
Surely David does not use ambiguous language when he says:
“ Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it: thou. delightest not in the burnt offering."-(Ps. LI. 15 & 16).
Even the compiler of the book of Proverbs unhesitatingly maintains :
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord : but the prayer of the upright is his delight."-(Pro. XV. 8.)
Similarly, “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." -(Pro. XXI. 3).
Isaiah is equally emphatic and unequivocal in proclaiming the will of the Lord :
"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...Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot sway with; it is iniquity even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood"(Is. I. 11 to 15.)
Can there be anything more emphatic than the
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