Classic KJV - Proverbs 15:8

There’s an enormous contrast between the first and second clauses of this proverb. In the first section, something is being sacrificed to God, while in the second, something is being asked of Him. The message of the first part is doubly important, since it’s repeated in Proverbs 21:27. Look there to learn more about money and sacrifice. Here we can focus on the second part: “the prayer of the upright is His delight.”

Prayer can be our expression of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, supplication, or intercession for others. In what sense is the word prayer used in this text?

Translation Clarification

This Hebrew word for “prayer” here, תפלה (tepil•lāh, pronounced “te-fil-lah”), is used seventy times in the Bible, almost always referring to particular requests spoken to God. It appears first in 2 Samuel 7:27 when King David (the father of Solomon) acknowledges that he found the courage to ask something of God (a prayer of supplication) only because of God’s own promises to him. In other words, David was able to ask favours of God, only because he remembered God’s promises of blessings for him. Consider the following alternate translations:

• The LORD is disgusted by gifts from the wicked, but it makes him happy when his people pray.  (Contemporary English Version)
• The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. (Christian Standard Bible)
• The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayer of the upright. (New Living Bible)

The last few words in the text show (consistently) how God loves to hear prayers from His people. 

The Almighty Likes to Give

Prayer acknowledges our dependence on God. It celebrates that He is the Source of everything, even our very being, right here and now. We can ask Him for anything, since He already supplies everything. But who on Earth could stand all this continual pleading? Mere mortals, always competing for finite resources, are annoyed and angered by constant begging. God is different.

This proverb says that God enjoys the prayer of the upright, delights in their prayer. So what distinguishes their prayer, so that God hears and answers them? Who are the upright? The Hebrew root word for “upright” here (y-sh-r) literally means “to go straight,” directly on the way. In a moral context, it means to be free from deception and obedient to the law.

Why does God enjoy giving good things to the upright? Some suggestions:

• He is confident that they’ll use their gifts well;
• Being upright Himself, He enjoys conversing with the upright;
• They need to become always more dependent on Him, to grow His kingdom in his will;
• Delighting in life, He delights in others’ delight.

What Makes Our Prayers Ineffective?

Praying to the wrong God.

The Creator God is the only true God. As the Creator of everything, He has supreme knowledge and authority over everything (Isaiah 45:5-7).

Prayers directed to other gods—who, if they exist at all, are not gods, but lesser creatures of limited influence—such prayers are effective only with the acceptance of the true God. However ardent and prolonged, prayer directed at false gods is at best a pitiful waste of time and effort, and at worst an insult to the Creator. Read an excellent account of zealous, but misguided, prayers in 1 Kings 18:20-29.

Praying with a false heart, “the sacrifice of the wicked,” can include:

• Deliberate rejection of God’s word (Zechariah 7:11-13).
• Refusal to heed God’s counsel (Proverbs 1:24-28).
• Ignoring God’s words and worshiping others as God (Jeremiah 11:10-11).
• Religious hypocrisy (Isaiah 1:12-15).
• Justifying personal evils (Psalm 66:18).
• Mistreating other people (Micah 3:1-4).
• Insincere submission to God (Proverbs 15:29).

Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend

Jesus told us to pray for our particular needs, starting with our basic nourishment. He said we should ask God for our food on a daily basis, saying, “Give us this day our daily bread,” Matthew 6:11. But He offers much more.

Jesus said that, if two conditions are met, we can ask for whatever we want and He will supply: “If [first] you abide in Me and [second] My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you,” John 15:7. The first condition, “abiding in Jesus,” comes by seeking a close, personal, constant, conversation with Him. The second condition, “His words abiding in us,” comes from deep meditation on Jesus’ open teachings. When we abide in Jesus, and His words abide in us, we experience a deep relationship with Him, and our wishes are guided by His Spirit. Then, instead of selfish desires, we ask for what pleases God—and what brings us true joy. God wants us to delight in what he gives.

Jesus says, “Until now you have asked for nothing in my name; ask and you will receive that your joy may be made full,” John 16:24. As the perfect parent, God enjoys making His children happy.