The image is the modern Samaritan sacrifice that still goes on at Mt. Gerizim.
One of the studies I have found most productive is that of Leviticus. No, I am serious, Leviticus! It is a tremendous book that shares what moves my Father’s heart as He deals with me. The first in the series that I will be posting in the next few days is on the OLEH offering, or the BURNT offering. There is a precedent for the offering of one that gives ALL of the sacrifice to the Father, with nothing for any other.
My Offering to God: “The Smell of the Good Gift”
God wants me to dedicate myself to following Him. I get that. But, do I have to be perfect? Do I have to have every problem worked out to serve God and offer myself to Him? When Paul wrote to the Romans he said that God wanted us to offer ourselves to Him wholly. Yet, it wasn’t just the offering that pleased God, it was the preparation and the condition of the offering during the inspection that showed how much people took the Lord seriously in their lives. The smell of their carefully prepared sacrifice is what pleased Him. We need to understand that God is ready to do an inspection. That is the principle behind the sacrifice of Romans 12:1-2.
Key Principle: God has given us the principles we need to prepare ourselves for inspection!
What are the rules? How do I get ready?
Three Kinds of Law:
1. Exodus (Shemot) and Numbers (Bemidbar) are called Declarative Law (term taken from scenes of Exodus 19 and 32) or the CIVIL CODE of law. It is the foundational code that reveals what the basic principles of society were and how Israel was to act. Only ten chapters of the two books are code: (Exodus 20-23 is four chapters; Number 5,6,15, 28- 30 are six chapters.)
2. Deuteronomic Law: (Elleh Dvarim) Deuteronomy (second law) contains the CONSTITUTIONAL CODE of Law (Law of the Five Speeches: 1:6-4:43; 4:44-26:19; 27:1-30:30; 31, Appendices in 32-34). This is the basis of what defines a Jew living in a truly obedient Jewish society. It is set up in five speeches like a Suzerainty Treaty with five parts: Preamble; Prologue History (King’s Faithfulness), Stipulations (Conduct Codes), Penalties/Rewards (Covenant Sanctions), Succession Rights.
3. Levitical Law (Vayikra) also called Penal CRIMINAL CODE (sometimes referred to as Atonement Law). This deals with a violation against the lawful authority of God. It is “criminal” in the theocratic sense and expressed the basic principles of atonement and redemption, as well as what god saw as important to distinctiveness in following Him. All of Leviticus falls into two categories of laws:
Leadership Instructions: OR Criminal Codes:
1-7 Offerings 10 Death of Nadab and Avihu (fire)
8-9 Millu’im 19 Principles of Penal Standards
11 Food Rules 20 Penalties of Impurity
12-15 Health Issues: 26 Punishment standards
Post Partum (12) 27 Redemption Principles
Skin/Surface (13-15)
16-18 Restrictions
Yom Kippor (16)
Blood (17)
Sex (18)
21-25 Priestly Operations
General ops (21)
Sacrifices (22)
Calendar Guidelines (23)
Principles on preparing ourselves to be used by God (OLEH Offering – Leviticus 1):
1. God makes the rules (1:10). It isn’t up to our denomination, or our tradition. It is up to what the Lord revealed when he met man. We don’t have to be from the same background in this room in order to form a church that will please God, but we do have to agree that God truly has met man and given his Word. We have to agree that the Word is this Bible, or we cannot move forward as a church.
2. God gave FOLLOWING principles to those who already knew Him (1:2a “to the sons of Israel.) Don’t try to find God in sacrifices, we find Him by accepting His salvation. Jesus became our sacrifice and that is the basis of God’s acceptance. That’s the FIND, the principles in this list are when we come to Him AS HIS CHILD. Romans 12:1-2 were written to believers at Rome.
3. God presumes that we understand that we need to offer ourselves and our things to Him (1:2a, note “When any man” not IF). We offer them because they are rightfully HIS. WE are rightfully his! 1 Cor. 6:18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. How many people here have ever taken their kid’s to MacDonald’s. Ok you’ve taken the fruit of your loins to the golden arches, you’ve forked over some of your hard earned wealth, received your dinner and now you have retired to one of the tables to indulge yourself in these culinary delights. You begin this experience of excess when you realize that you’ve only ordered one large fries, now if there is only one thing that MacDonald’s does extremely well it is their fries, and so you reach over to junior’s side of the table and help yourself to one of the fries. When suddenly his hand is upon yours he looks deep into your eyes and says, “Don’t eat my fries”. His fries? His fries? Who earned the money for the meal? Who drove the car to get to the golden arches? Who ordered the meal? Who paid for the meal? His fries? Now, how often do we refuse to give God some of our fries? After all isn’t he the great provider of all our french fries?
4. God expects every person to be responsible for caring for their own offering to Him (1:2b note “you shall bring”). We don’t get points based on heritage, pedigree or accomplishment. We come to God as His child bringing what He has given us, and offer it back to Him. It takes effort on our part to walk with God. If we don’t learn to take real stock in what He has given, and truly offer it, we will not be truly yielded. Sometimes we aren’t really clear what our real problems are! A concerned husband went to a doctor to talk about his wife. He says to the doctor, ’’Doctor, I think my wife is deaf because she never hears me the first time and always asks me to repeat things.’’ ’’Well,’’ the doctor replied, ’’go home and tonight stand about 15 feet from her and say something to her. If she doesn’t reply move about five feet close and say it again. Keep doing this so that we’ll get an idea about the severity of her deafness’’. Sure enough, the husband goes home and does exactly as instructed. He starts off about 15 feet from his wife in the kitchen as she is chopping some vegetables and says, ’’Honey, what’s for dinner?’’ He hears no response. He moves about five feet closer and asks again. No reply. He moves five feet closer. Still no reply. He gets fed up and moves right behind her, about an inch away, and asks again, ’’Honey, what’s for dinner?’’ She replies, ’’For the fourth time, vegetable stew!
5. God doesn’t accept someone else’s stuff from us (1:2b note “from your herd or your flock”). Walking with God, sacrificing your heart and life, is a personal pursuit. There are those who can help us find God (note the “priest” and his work in 1:7,11,15). We become like the farmer who had two calves, and he told the preacher that when the time came to sell them, that he was going to give the proceeds from one of them to God. Well during the year a big storm came and after the storm the farmer came to church and said “preacher you know that big storm we had last week?” and the preacher said “yes” “well” replied the farmer “during that storm, God’s calf died.”
6. God accepts what you have to give, and does not expect what you cannot give (1:2b: note: “from the herd or the flock”). Yet, we must GIVE IT! Just be yourself with God and offer who you are and what you have. The LA Times ran this cute little story not long ago: Bernie was a businessman who didn’t have as much money as he wanted. So he prayed, “Please God, you gotta help me. I’ve done wonderful things all my life, given money to charity, I’ve helped other people, I’d like to win the lottery.” Sure enough, the next week Bernie wins $5 million in the lottery. He buys a $125,000 car and a beachfront condo, divorces his wife, gets a nose job, face lift, fantastic toupee and expensive new wardrobe. Later, he’s driving along the Hollywood Freeway with his young starlet girlfriend when suddenly he smashes into an abutment. He’s thrown 30 feet from his car, his suit is ripped, his toupee falls off, his face is smashed and there are bruises all over his body. Bernie looks to the heavens and cries out: “Oh God, why did you do this to me?” A voice from heaven sounds out: “Sorry Bernie, I didn’t recognize you,” (Los Angeles Times 6/30/94). Children look for the loopholes in our instructions. During a long and losing baseball game, the restless teens in the dugout were questioning Ritchie, their assistant coach, about his attractive younger sister. Annoyed at the idle chatter, the head coach hollered, ”When you’re in the dugout, talk baseball!” After a moment’s silence, a young voice began, “So, Ritchie, does your sister play baseball?” It is in the nature of children to test obedience. Someone once said, There are three ways to get something done: 1. Do it yourself. 2. Hire someone else to do it. 3. Forbid your kids to do it.
7. God doesn’t accept leftovers. He wants our best every time (1:3 note “without defect”). God knows exactly what we are able to do. He knows our potential, and isn’t open to our second best! We really aren’t that aware of the value of things; our judgment is greatly influenced by marketing efforts. We live in a world where the value tags have been switched and determined by supply and demand. Let me give you an example: “Worried About Gas Prices? So, you think a gallon of gasoline is expensive, huh?
Consider the following ….”
Diet Snapple 16oz for $1.29 = $10.32 per gallon
Gatorade 20oz for $1.59 = $ 10.17 per gallon
Pint of milk 16oz for $1.59 = $12.72 per gallon
STP Brake Fluid 12oz for $3.15 = $ 33.60 per gallon
Vick’s Nyquil 6oz for $8.35 = $ 178.13 per gallon
Pepto Bismol 4oz for $3.85 = $123.20 per gallon
Scope 1.5oz for $0.99 = $ 84.48 per gallon
And this is the REAL KICKER … Evian water 9oz for $1.49 = $ 21.19 per gallon…..$21.19 FOR WATER!! So next time you’re at the pump, be glad your car doesn’t run on Nyquil, Scope, or Pepto Bismol!!!!”
8. God doesn’t accept offerings in secret (1:3 note at the door”) and not from a proud heart (1:4 note “for him to make an atonement”). This was not his salvation, it was an offering made by a believer that knew he had sinned, and wanted to renew his commitment to fellowship with God (1 John 1:9). Some time ago I ran across a wedding prayer that illustrates how subtly we can substitute religious talk for obedience. This is a girl praying on her wedding day:
“Dear God. I can hardly believe that this is my wedding day. I know I haven’t been able to spend much time with You lately, with all the rush of getting ready for today, and I’m sorry. I guess, too, that I feel a little guilty when I try to pray about all this, since Larry still isn’t a Christian. But oh, Father, I love him so much, what else can I do? I just couldn’t give him up. Oh, You must save him, some way, somehow. You know how much I’ve prayed for him, and the way we’ve discussed the gospel together. I’ve tried not to appear too religious, I know, but that’s because I didn’t want to scare him off. But he’s not totally against you or anything. I can’t understand why he hasn’t responded. Oh, if he only were a Christian. Dear Father, please bless our marriage. I don’t want to disobey You, but I do love him and I want to be his wife, so please be with us and please don’t spoil my wedding day.”
That sounds like a sincere, earnest prayer, does it not? But if it is stripped of its fine, pious language, it is really saying something like this:
“Dear Father, I don’t want to disobey You, but I must have my own way at all costs. For I love what You do not love, and I want what You do not want. So please be a good God and deny Yourself, and move off Your throne, and let me take over. If You don’t like this, then all I ask is that You bite Your tongue and don’t say or do anything that will spoil my plans, but let me enjoy myself.”
In Luke 6:46, the Lord says, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
9. I must offer God my own ability to produce my future (1:5-6) in exchange for trusting that He will take care of my needs (note: male in vv. 3,10 and “bull” in 1:5). What if God showed up this morning? And He said, “I’ll make you a deal. If you obey Me and follow MY rules, I will bless every area of your life. Your family, your finances, and your future. You’ll never have to worry about these things anymore! I’ll watch over you and provide for you both now and forevermore!” How many of you would see this as a good deal? How many of you would say, “Lord, sign me up! I want to be in on this! I don’t want to miss any of the blessings you have for Your people?” I’m glad you feel that way. Because this offer is for real! Deuteronomy 28:1 puts it this way: “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.” In other words, ‘if you fully obey the Lord, you will go from being the most hated nation to being the most hailed nation. If you obey the word of the Lord, you will experience the blessing of the Lord!
10. What God is pleased with is the smell of the offering that was carefully prepared. When His Word is painstakingly followed in our lives, it becomes an aroma God loves! (1:17b). 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 “Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”
There it is. We can be ready when inspected, because God has given us the principles we need to prepare ourselves for inspection!
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