Courtney Gilmore “I will freely sacrifice to You. I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.” Psalm 54:6
The Israelites were told to make sacrifices to the Lord & they had rules & rituals to follow. These may not sound relevant to us today, but each detail pointed to Jesus.
Burnt offerings were fully given to the Lord. No one ate any of their meat because the animal was not cooked for them. It burned on the altar all night as a sweet smelling aroma to the Lord. The people gave the most expensive animal they could afford, making it a true sacrifice of all they had. What about us? Do we give fully to the Lord all that we have to give? Did you know that the bible says righteousness, trust, thanksgiving, prayer, praise, & doing good to others are all sacrifices to God. That is because these things are hard. We have to give up our own sinful desires, pride, discontentment, self-reliance, selfishness, etc.
All of their sacrifices had to be unblemished. They could not offer damaged or useless animals but were commanded to present their best to the Lord. We too should always give our best to God. We shouldn’t offer Him only the things we don’t want to control or possess ourselves. We shouldn’t offer what is useless to us or what is left over. God is worthy of the most valuable & useful things in our lives. He deserves priority over everything. We are insufficient to control anything in our lives. He alone is powerful & trustworthy. We have no right to hold on to our possessions, because everything we have was given to us by Him in the first place & everything belongs to Him anyway.
The priests & leaders paid a higher price for their sin because their sin cost more to the people. Leaders are held to higher standards. Those who know better, should do better. Those with greater responsibility, naturally have the greater consequence.
Even unintentional sins required a price. But as soon as the people became aware of their sin, they had to admit it by bringing an offering. Then they sacrificed the animal themselves to remind them of the price for their sin. We too must confess our sins & take full responsibility for them. The bible says that if we try to cover up our sins, then we will not benefit. But if we confess them & turn away from them then we will have mercy.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
The priests kept the fire burning on the altar at all times to show that it was always ready to receive the people’s sacrifices. Thankfully, our Lord is always ready to accept Jesus’s sacrifice for us. “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Ephesians 5:2
So what are you willing to sacrifice for the Lord Jesus, since He gave His life for you?
Excerpt from Episode 76 “What Will You Sacrifice” on Podcast and YouTube
