Old Testament Insights: The Sacrifice of a Broken Heart

by Mary Jane Woodger, Kenneth L. Alford, Gaye Strathearn

We are instructed to offer unto the Lord a broken heart and a contrite spirit, a concept taught in Psalms 34:18, which is at the heart of the prophetic teachings on sacrifice and in the lived experiences of people in every age. But what does the phrase "broken heart and contrite spirit" mean, and what does God require of you? Old Testament Insights, featuring a compilation of essays from twenty gospel scholars, provides clarity for readers on the eternal principle of personal sacrifice, both as taught throughout the Old Testament and in its modern application.

Featuring multiple perspectives on the practice of sacrifice, this powerful volume offers valuable insight into our Heavenly Father's expectations for His covenant people. By looking to the experiences of individuals in scripture to anchor discussion, contributors weave together an in-depth explanation of the law of sacrifice and the true and eternal value of turning to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Genres: Religion

Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Dr. Mary Jane Woodger is an Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. Born and raised in American Fork and Salt Lake City, Utah, Dr. Woodger has always had a great love for teaching. After obtaining a B.S. in Home Economics Education, Dr. Woodger taught Home Economics and American History in Salt Lake City where she received the Vocational Teacher of the Year Award from Jordan School District. In 1992, she completed her M.Ed. at Utah State University. In 1997, she received from Brigham Young University an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, with a minor in Church History and Doctrine.

In 1998 Dr. Woodger was honored by Kappa Omicron Nu, with an Award of Excellence for her dissertation research, entitled "The Educational Ideals of David O. McKay." Since then she has had three books published about the life and teachings of David O. McKay. She has also authored numerous articles on doctrinal, historical, and educational subjects. These articles have appeared in various academic journals, as well as venues for the LDS audience including the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Deseret News Church News, and The Religious Educator. She was recently honored with the best article of the year award from the Utah Historical Society. Her current research interests include twentieth century Church history, Latter-day Saint women's history, and Church education.

(from https://religion.byu.edu/mary-jane_wo...)

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the focus of this book--what the Old Testament teaches about having a broken heart and a contrite spirit, what that means, and why it's important. Even during the days of the law of Moses, the Lord was teaching us about the importance of the intentions and motivations of our heart. We can't just go through the motions. We need to truly desire and do His will.

Here are some quotes I liked:

"God's commandments have required us not to covet--to sacrifice our own desires, our own will in favor of God's--so that we can love as He loves. A willingness to offer sacrifices flows from the same river of faith as not coveting (p. 73)."

"Although the book of Ruth never used the word 'sacrifice' nor the phrase 'a broken heart and contrite spirit,' the concepts are woven throughout the fabric of the entire text. It is the story of the relationships of three mortal people who each made sacrifices (p. 116)."

"'Let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish' (Esther 7:3-4). In this, Esther reveals her willingness to risk her life to do the will of the Father: 'not my will, but thine, be done' (p. 123)."

"At the heart of the book of Psalms is Israel's relationship with Jehovah. Psalms is a collection of poems, prayers, and hymns that seek to mend, establish, reaffirm, or reflect on the relationship between Israel and Jehovah. This connection is both personal and national, local and cosmic, intimate and expansive... Because God is righteous and wants so badly to rescue us, He only requires that we bring our broken hearts, our need, and our desperation if we want His help. Rather than wanting an animal or money, God wants to bear our pain and our brokenness; our relationship with Him and our healing become the only rewards He seeks (p. 125)."

"God is not here to be served by us, but rather He is here to serve us. He does not demand something of us before He is willing to help us. He wants us to bring Him our problems and our brokenness. This is what will 'buy' us access to Him. Rather than accept a tangible offering like a sacrificial animal, God demands that we bring Him our broken hearts (p. 131)."

"This great love shown by God in Israel's Exodus from Egypt became the paradigm of His love and commitment to Israel. The ancient prophets looked to a time when there would be a second Exodus when God would enact an even greater act of love and deliverance that would begin a 'new covenant' or new relationship with Israel. The New Testament Saints believed this prophesied act of deliverance occurred in Gethsemane and Golgotha. This supreme act of love is the foundation of the relationship that binds Jesus Christ to His covenant people (p. 131)."

"We do not and cannot pay God back for His saving miracles, but we can live in gratitude and thanksgiving by offering to others some of that miracle that was given to us. Because God has healed our hearts, we can now heal another's (p. 133)."

"He asks us simply to offer ourselves in our fallen state to Him. The sacrifice involved in approaching Him in vulnerability--allowing Him to see us in our weakness--is all it takes for Him to accept our offering (p. 135)."

"We often fail to see the possibility of reading 'broken heart and contrite spirit' as literal, but when translated as 'broken heart and crushed breath,' it brings to the modern mind the imagery of a malfunctioning cardiopulmonary system. The heart is broken and no longer pumping oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. However, even if the heart were functioning, the breath is crushed--the lungs have, perhaps, collapses, and oxygen is no longer available for the dying heart or the rest of the body. The entire system is broken... So the phrase 'broken heart and contrite spirit' could also be reinterpreted as 'heartbroken and emotionally crushed' (p. 140)."

"'Broken heart and contrite spirit' can be read as a 'broken heart and crushed mind' (p. 142)."

"Hezekiah's reforms included cleansing the temple of foreign or pagan influences and reestablishing a purified temple as the religious center of the kingdom. The temple would stand as a powerful symbol of Judean independence from Assyrian rule. The king fully understood that the help of the God of Heaven would be the only route to successfully throw off the Assyrian's oppressive regime (p. 147)."

"God is concerned about the intent of the heart of the worshipper. God is concerned with not only the outward actions but also the inward commitment. The question the Lord asks ancient Israel, 'What purpose is... your sacrifice unto me?' becomes a timeless question as we evaluate our own motives in our personal worship (p. 148)."

"There is a danger in getting lost in the mechanical, repetitive, or systematic aspects of worship if we are missing the eternal teachings of becoming like God. Simply doing without learning, going through the motions without letting the motions change us is the warning Isaiah is trying to give. Missing this divine opportunity to grow is to miss the entirety of the message. We must allow change to become a part of our heart and soul (p. 150)."

"The Lord cares more about our internal development (obedience) than our external actions (sacrifice) (p. 157)."

"While Amos, Jeremiah, and Isaiah each emphasized the need for obedience and social justice to accompany material sacrifices, the more general doctrine they preached was repentance (p. 167)."

"Although the terms 'broken heart and contrite spirit' appear together only once in the Old Testament (see Psalm 34:18), the concept of exhibiting a broken heart and contrite spirit is manifest through the exhortations and experiences of the Old Testament prophets. Sacrifice is tied to the broken heart and contrite spirit in Psalm 51:17: 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise' (p. 181)."

"Both repentance and faith are necessary for having justice, mercy, and humility before God in our lives and for these three elements to work in conjunction with each other to produce a humble person who will love kindness and act justly (p. 189)."

"Humbly accepting the Lord's call and sacrificing one's will may prevent one from being swallowed up by whatever form a 'great fish' may take in one's life. Even if a believer is swallowed up, God grants numerous chances to repent and return to Him (p. 190)."

"'Outward and mechanical worship is useless without an inward effort of the heart (p. 193).'"

"The heart was not only a representation of emotions but also of personality, intellect, memory, discernment, and will (p. 194)."

"As the symbol of the innermost thoughts of an individual, the heart is the laboratory where one's true devotion is made manifest (p. 195)."

"Hosea... avoids the phrase 'hard heart'... this Old Testament prophet refers to the heart that resides within the Israelites as one that lacks understanding, control, sense, and memory, and consequently, it lacks the ability to truly worship the Lord. Such a heart is the result of forgetting the Lord, indulging in pride, placing trust in corrupt individuals, being consumed by anger, and seeking a life of ease and comfort by shirking labor. The inherent unintentionality of these characteristics further emphasizes that proper worship is only attainable when coupled with the conscious intent of a proper heart (p. 196)."

"Because the Israelite heart is false, it prevents them from gaining mercy and knowledge, characteristics stated by Hosea as necessary prerequisites to proper worship (p. 203)."

"'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statues, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them' (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Even with a skilled surgeon, the process by which this new heart is cultivated is painful but strategic and impactful (p. 204)."

"Abraham and Isaac both exemplified the qualities of meekness and lowliness of heart as they, through their willingness to sacrifice, showed their submission to God (p. 209)."

"His freewill offering of His very life demonstrates His deep love for each of us and is the means by which we are saved (p. 213)."

[Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quoting from the Editors' Introduction, "The purpose of this book is to help [members of The Church of Jesus Christ of] Latter-day Saints better understand ... the importance of having 'a broken heart and a contrite spirit' [as] taught throughout the Old Testament, and to help them recognize how to apply ... teachings regarding sacrifice to their lives today." Each of the 20 chapters by various authors is very scholarly, well documented, and most are focused on specific, significant Old Testament events. The book is a gold mine of sources for information and interpretation about these events. Some of the chapters swished over my head, but I finally dog-eared three pages. On p. 185, "Through the prophet Amos, the Lord showed that He wants His covenant people to be just ... and ... obedient to the spirit of His word rather than [offering] a superficial and obligatory performance of sacrifice." This is much more than I have ever before gotten out of the Book of Amos. Obligatory describes much of my personal Church service, and certainly much more joy accompanies obedience to the spirit. On p. 190, "The Lord's desired sacrifice is not a type or number of animals, an amount of grain, or liquid, or even an amount of time spent in service. Amos and Micah both stressed what the Lord requires of His chosen people: a love of good that is manifest by acting justly and kindly while walking humbly before God." On p. 195, I couldn't resist one more dog-ear where it is made clear that Old Testament writers knew hardly anything about the brain; the heart was thought of and written about as if it were the center of all that happens in the mind. I have for years wished for the Old Testament narrative in accurate time sequence, but this book has clearly shown the futility of my wish. It also suggested to me the parallel between a broken heart and a well-broken horse.