Hebrews 13:15 is often quoted when the object ”sacrifices of praise” comes up in the Christian teaching. Which of course is no surprrise, since we in that very verse are told to continually offer the sacrifice of praise, which is said to be the fruit of our lips!
But we should not stop reading there.
Verse 16 tells us to not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased!
One of Don Francisco´s songs comes to my mind every time I read this passage in the Scriptures, it is the one called ”Steeple Song”.
”I don´t care if your pastor´s superpowered
and your program´s always new
What you need is love and truth
and men are gonna come to you
It doesn´t matter if your sacrifice of praise
is loud enough to raise the dead
the thing I need to ask you
is: Have you done the things I said?
Do you love your wife?
For her and for your children
are you laying down your life?
Are you living as a servant to your sister and your brother
do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?”
Seems to me that those, who sing like crows and can´t use a piano for anything but firewood, have just as good a chance to give a sacrifice that pleases the Lord as the talented musicians and songbirds have!
There are passages in the Scritures where the Lord orders his people to stop all of their singing and playing, just because this other part of the sacrifices have not been brought before his face. Amos 5:21-24 is a good example of this…
But there is not one single verse in the Bible where the Lord orders his people to stop doing good and share, because they haven´t praised him with their lips loud or long enough!
And that should really make us think!
The sacrifice of praise is a fruit from our lips.
Doing good and sharing is a fruit from our hearts.
Annd since the mouth is said to speak out what is in the heart, our hearts are, as always, the real battlefield…