Episode 110: A better sacrifice

You may already be familiar with the worship song, “We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise.” The title is drawn from the book of Hebrews 13:15: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” In saying this, the author is also drawing upon the ancient prophetic tradition that criticized God’s people for turning sacrifice into a soulless religious ritual. A similar idea can be found in Psalm 40—words which are quoted by the writer of Hebrews and put into the mouth of Jesus.