God is far more interested in how we treat other people than in how many religious ceremonies we go through. He prefers mercy to sacrifice. He places practical morality above ritual. It might seem strange to read that God doesn't desire sacrifice, because it was He who instituted the sacrificial system in the first place. But there is no contradiction. While it is true that He ordered the people to bring sacrifices and offerings, He never intended these to take the place of justice and kindness. "To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice" (Proverbs 21:3)The Old Testament prophets thundered out against people who observed all the proper rituals, yet who cheated and oppressed their neighbors. Isaiah told them that God was fed up with their burnt offerings and religious holidays as long as they oppressed the fatherless and widows (Isaiah 1:10-17). He told them that the fast God desired was to treat their employees fairly, to feed the hungry and clothe the poor (Isaiah 58:6-7). Unless their lives were right, they might as well offer a dog's head or swines' blood (Isaiah 66:3).Amos told the people to stop their religious observances because God would continue to hate these rituals until justice and mercy flowed like a mighty torrent (Amos 5:21-24). And Micah warned that what God wants more than ritual is reality - the reality of fairness, justice, mercy and humility (Micah 6:6-8).In our Lord's day, the Pharisees earned His scorn by pretending to be religious with long, public prayers while evicting widows from their homes (Matthew 23:14). They were careful to give God a tenth of the mint in their garden, but this could never take the place of justice and faith (Matthew 23:23). It is futile for us to bring our offering to the Lord if our brother has a valid grievance against us (Matthew 5:24); the gift is acceptable only after the wrong has been righted. Attending church regularly will never serve as a cover-up for dishonest business practices during the week. There is no use giving mother a box of chocolates on Mother's Day if we treat her hatefully during the year. Or a shirt to father on Father's Day if we do not show love and respect to him the rest of the time.God is not fooled by externals or rituals. He sees the heart and our day-by-day behavior.

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." (Matthew 9:13)

We have here a command. He that spake from Sinai, saying, " Thou shalt not covet," speaketh now from the cross, saying, " Rejoice.' He that finds Christ, finds this command. It is not a matter of choice with him whether he will be a rejoicing Christian, or a downcast Christian. He has no more right to neglect the fulfillment of this duty, than to forget his duty to his neighbor. In fact, this command is so inextricably interwoven with other obligations, that he who does not obey it, exposes at once his deficiency in the matter of faith towards Christ, gratitude towards God, love towards his fellow-men, and hope of future bliss. But can tears be dried, the wounds of the heart healed, the face irradiated with smiles, by a simple command? Were it not more reasonable to bid the leopard change his spots, the Ethiopian his complexion? God has not been pleased to discover to us a tree whose leaves will blanch the skin; but he has been pleased to open up a fountain for the removal of human woes. To command a person to rejoice, without at the same time presenting a sufficient consolation for his sorrows, is but to mock his grief. But he that bids us rejoice, shows us what to do with our griefs. If we will let him, he will take up each several grief, and cast it into the crucible of his word. The command to rejoice, is a command - to contemplate God and his affections; especially as manifested in Christ; in his relations to us individually - to feed upon the promises - to study God's will; and, paradoxical though it may seem, to be not much occupied with the matter of our personal happiness, but rather with that of others. " It is more blessed to give, than to receive." (Read Isaiah 58:1-14.) Rejoice evermore, because Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. The word of God abides for ever. All things work together for good to them that love God.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

"Rejoice evermore." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16 

6 <poetry>“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice <indent>and untie the cords of the yoke,</indent> to set the oppressed free <indent>and break every yoke? </indent> </poetry>

“Is not this the kind of fasting<cr>1</cr> I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice<cr>2</cr> <indent>and untie the cords of the yoke,</indent> to set the oppressed<cr>3</cr> free <indent>and break every yoke?<cr>4</cr> </indent>

Isaiah 58:6

 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting   I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice   and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed   free and break every yoke?   

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 “Is not this the kind of fasting  I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice  and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed  free and break every yoke?  

<poetry>“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice <indent>and untie the cords of the yoke,</indent> to set the oppressed free <indent>and break every yoke? </indent> </poetry>

 “Is not this the kind of fasting   I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice   and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed   free and break every yoke?   

Bible Verse of the Day

February 24, 2026

Isaiah 58:6 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

More on the web

Group of Brands