Prayer as Abomination

For Thursday, January 10, 2008
Proverbs 28:9

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.

This lesson is taught elsewhere.

Consider Isaiah 1:11-17:

11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
12 "When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers, I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good; seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.

Consider 1 Peter 3:7:
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

To break God's law, to ignore God's law and then to presume that he will hear our prayers is an abomination to him. Yes, we are always sinners and always guilty of sin when we pray. But this proverb addresses the attitude that one can consciously sin and then expect God to listen to one's prayer as though no wrong had been done. It is good to pray aware of God's mercy; it is an abomination to pray presumptious of God excusing our sin.