Righteousness and Justice better than Sacrifice

 

Proverbs 21:3(NKJV)

3    To do righteousness and justice      Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Hmm.

Don't really know what to think of this.  In the New Testament Jesus holds up the widow who gave two mites as a great example of sacrificial giving.  We are told that sacrificial giving is a great thing.  And yet we have this passage from the Old Testament that tells us that to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to God than sacrificial giving.

That creates some questions in my mind and kind of goes to the heart of my problem with the Saintly Poor.  On the one hand we are told to care for the poor.  On the other hand we are told that X, Y, and Z are benefits of accepting Jesus and that not accepting Jesus leads to outcome A, B, C. 

Many of the poor have rejected Christ and earned the A, B, C outcome through their own choice.  And yet many well meaning Christians seem to think that we should give those people middle class lifestyles.

Scripture tells us that we serve a just God.  In light of that, the Scripture above makes sense to me.  The big question I continue to have is if we give all of the benefits of being Children of God to people who haven't qualified to be Children of God, how is that just?  And by not qualifying I mean they haven't accepted Jesus.

I just think that the way the Christian Church deals with the poor today is a bit out of whack.  I think we should look to the OT for what caring for the poor really means.