Category Archives: Offering Sacrifices

Compassionate, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Offering Sacrifices, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Speaking, Study the Word, Through Prophets

Do Animal Sacrifices Still Have Relevance Today?

We no longer conduct animal sacrifices as God’s people. Our repentance and forgiveness are no longer administered through an earthly priesthood, but rather now directly through death and resurrection and relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is both the sacrifice and the priest. He is our savior.

Animal sacrifices documented in the Old Testament were an important part of demonstrating repentance and remaining in communion and relationship with God before Christ’s earthly ministry. There is deep symbolism and meaning to be studied and appreciated that still has meaning today.

The burning body of the animal reminds us of the judgment awaiting those who do not accept the gift of forgiveness by grace through faith offered by Jesus Christ. The penalty for sin is death. God is serious about sin. It is offensive. A holy and righteous God requires a penalty be paid. Fortunately for us, this same loving God came to walk among us as Jesus Christ and pay the penalty for us.

The sacrificial animal was to be without blemish. This is a foreshadowing of the perfection we witness in Jesus Christ.

The owner must choose of his own free will to make the sacrifice. Jesus indeed made this choice of His own free will on our behalf.

The person bringing the sacrifice would take action to put their hand on the head of the animal symbolically so the sacrifice could make atonement on their behalf. Similarly, we must make a choice of our own free will to accept Jesus as Lord and submit our lives to Him. He is our sacrifice, but we must choose Him.

We also see another example of understanding and compassion in our Creator. For those who could not afford the animals of the herd, they could bring one from the flock or even some small birds. God was not demanding someone to go bankrupt with big “donations”. He was leading the people to come before Him asking for repentance and forgiveness. He was helping them to remain aware of their sin and need for repentance.

Leviticus 1

The Law of Burnt Offerings

      1Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 3‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 4‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. 5‘He shall slay the young bull before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 6‘He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. 7‘The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8‘Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 9‘Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

      10‘But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer it a male without defect. 11‘He shall slay it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 12‘He shall then cut it into its pieces with its head and its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 13‘The entrails, however, and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

      14‘But if his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering from the turtledoves or from young pigeons. 15‘The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar. 16‘He shall also take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar eastward, to the place of the ashes. 17‘Then he shall tear it by its wings, but shall not sever it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

There is much more significance than what little I have covered here. The Old Testament is rich with symbolism and meaning to help us understand our Creator and how He wants us to relate to Him even today. Take care not to neglect the study of the Old Testament for sake of only reading the New. That is like reading only part of an instruction manual and assuming you understand the whole thing. Both are consistent. Understanding the Old will help you gain a greater context and understanding for the New. They are intended to work together to communicate the full picture of God’s relationship with His people and how He wants us to live and interact with each other and Himself.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Guide, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Offering Sacrifices, Prayer

Bring Prayers Before Our Father As Fragrant Incense

There is much symbolism imbedded in the detailed plans Jehovah provided for the tabernacle in Exodus. Surely some have looked to hard and identified some symbolism that was not intended, but I can say with as much confidence that our Father was thoughtful in His plans. The tabernacle was intended to help His people understand how to relate to Him. As we explore the altar of incense in Exodus 30, let us remind ourselves that incense is compared as a metaphor elsewhere in scripture for prayer.

Psalm 141:2

      2May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

Let us also consider that before one could approach the altar of incense, you would have to first pass by the altar where sacrifices were made to atone for sins. So too, we can be reminded that we must first repent for our sins and accept Jesus as Messiah before we are to approach Jehovah in prayer. The tabernacle is symbolic of Jehovah’s relationship with His people… then and still today.

Exodus 30:1-10

The Altar of Incense

      1“Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2“Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3“You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. 4“You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on opposite sides—and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5“You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6“You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7“Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8“When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 9“You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10“Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

The incense was not offered once and neglected. It was offered multiple times a day, every day. So, too with prayer. We are to keep in close relationship with our Creator through prayer. Prayer is more than just asking forgiveness or asking for God’s help in petition, though both of those are important. Prayer is listening. Prayer is praising and thanking our Father. These things are like a fragrant offering to the Lord.

Let us repent, or turn away, from wrong behaviors and attitudes. Let us humbly ask forgiveness. Yes we can bring our petitions before the Lord, but let us also bring praises and a thankful heart.  Let us do so every day, and do not be confined to just once a day by convention or habit. Come before Him as often as you can.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices

To Obey God Is Better Than To Sacrifice To Him

Our obedience to God is very important. It means nothing to go through the motions on going to church or paying the tithe if we are not willing to obey the Lord. Writing a check and going to church once a week for an hour will not put is in good standing with God. We are called to submit all of our lives to Him. We are to do so joyfully and His commands will not be a burden to us. In fact they set us free from sin and self and show us what is good and right.

1 Samuel 15:22-23

     22Samuel said,
“Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

      23“For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He has also rejected you from being king.”

When we refuse to submit to and obey God even in some aspects of our lives we are essentially in rebellion to Him. We are either fully submitted or in rebellion to Him. One can not simply say that I am “mostly submitted to God” and hold back certain areas of your life as if He will be pleased with this approach. “Mostly submitted by God” is the same as “in rebellion against God”. We are completely submitted and obey or we are not. It is a binary solution. There is no gray area. This does not mean we are obeying perfectly, but rather than we are submitted fully and in our hearts trying to obey fully. We should not accept any areas of our lives knowingly in rebellion or refusing to submit to God’s instruction.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Offering Sacrifices, Visions

Sometimes The Ball Is In Our Court

Have you ever wondered why you do not hear from God during a difficult time in your life? You know He is there, but you do not hear from Him. There are several reasons why this may happen and we do not cover them all in this devotion, but to start with the basics… Did you genuinely seek Him? Or are you waiting for Him to “pop in” uninvited?

In order to hear from God, we should recognize that sometimes the “ball is in our court”. We must reach out to God… to genuinely seek Him and He will answer.  As a father, I find this principle to be true in leading my children as well. I love them. Sometimes I even already know what their concerns or problems are… but I want to let them learn how to handle a difficult situation. Will they ask for help? Will they try to figure it out all on their own?  Do they know how to solve this particular problem? Watching them work through issues can help me to have wisdom about where they are and how I can help them grow in maturity as their father. However, if they come to me and ask for help I will respond and help them directly. I want them to know that they can come to me when they have trouble and I will always help them.

Jacob made the mistake of not seeking God in Genesis 42 when deciding whether or not to send Benjamin to Egypt. He acted in fear and kept his sons from returning as Joseph, governor of Egypt, had demanded. Jacob’s son, Simeon, suffered by remaining in Egypt in captivity while Jacob delayed.

In Genesis 46:1-7, Jacob sets out with all he has and then offers sacrifices to God. He reaches out to God to honor Him. God, in return, speaks to Jacob in visions and gives confirmation about the decision to go to Egypt.

Jacob Moves to Egypt

      1So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4“I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.”

      5Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6They took their livestock and their property, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him: 7his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

God loves us and wants to help His people. However, He will not force us to come to Him for help or force His help on us. Sometimes He waits for us to approach Him. There may be many reasons why He does this in different situations. One example may simply be to remind us to bring our needs before Him, humbly in prayer and ask for help… to depend on God in tough situations instead of depending on ourselves.

What problems or difficult situations are you experiencing in which you have not heard from God? Have you asked Him for help, genuinely and humbly seeking Him and expecting Him to answer?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.