22 September 2020

All deeds are right in the sight of the doer,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
From Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13, NRSV

Today’s Old Testament reading  comes from the Book of Proverbs (or Book of Solomon). The word proverb in English leads us to think of short, pithy sayings such as “actions speak louder than words.” The writing in the Book of Proverbs has a much wider meaning. As part of the so called “wisdom literature” of the Bible, it raises basic questions about the values by which we should live and about the morality of our behaviour. Today’s passage leads us to question the motivation for the things we do. Solomon reminds us that God looks deeper than what can be seen on the surface. We can justify all sorts of actions as being the right thing to do in rational terms, but if our actions are directed by our heads rather than our hearts they may not measure up to God’s law of love.

• • Why did Solomon say that to “do righteousness and justice” would be more acceptable to God than sacrifice?
  • What gets in the way of our acting with justice – how can we address this? 

Think about a deed that you need to perform today. Allow your heart as well as your head to inform how you might go about this.