“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me'” (Hebrews 10:5).
Hebrews 10:5 offers an opportunity to revisit an important, but potentially overlooked consideration from earlier within this epistle. That point involved the word “therefore.” Although some may look upon this word as little more than a bridge from one thought to another, the word “therefore” should alert us to the need to pay careful attention whenever we encounter it within the Scriptures.
You see, this word signals a transition from a teaching or idea to an associated action or behavior. It typically indicates that a Biblical author is about to summarize a teaching or concept from a preceding section and conclude with an application or action plan. Therefore, this word should prompt us to watch and listen carefully whenever it appears within the Biblical record.
In this instance, “therefore” introduces a quotation from the Old Testament book of Psalms…
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart'” (Psalm 40:6-8).
This passage offers a clue that helps identify a critical deficiency within the Old Testament sacrificial system. Even though God mandated these sacrifices and offerings, He found them undesirable because they were lacking something important. That “something” involved an internal attitude that sought to do His will. As a result, those sacrifices tended to devolve into ritualistic observances that held little meaning when it came to living a life that truly honored God.
The following commentary summarizes God’s intent for these sacrificial offerings in the lives of the ancient Israelites…
“Animal sacrifices could not take away sins; they provided only a temporary way to deal with sin until Jesus came to deal with sin permanently. How, then, were people forgiven in Old Testament times? Because Old Testament believers were following God’s command to offer sacrifices, he graciously forgave them when, by faith, they made their sacrifices.
But that practice looked forward to Christ’s perfect sacrifice. Christ’s way was superior to the Old Testament way because the old way only pointed to what Christ would do to take away sins.” (1)
(1) Life Application Study Bible [Hebrews 10:4] Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved.