Wisdom from Book of Proverbs
v15 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked but the prayer of the upright please him.
This verse felt different than the others I have been reading in Proverbs. I am going to talk it out to myself as I type. :)
Since these verses go with opposites to make the point I am trying to better understand these. My impression is that many people would say 'There is no sacrifice to pray it is just an act'. The whole purpose of sacrifice is to show love by giving away something that means so much to you that you ackowledge having less because of the sacrifice.
How can I wicked man sacrifice to the Lord? My guess is this would be done in a public fashion with the attempts to gain favor from those watching. Yet praying may often be done in private with no one noticing. Therefore, this to me means the Lord acknowledges and desires a personal relationship more than a public display of symbolism. One must have a heart for God for the sacrifice or prayer to please him.