And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering; Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you(Lev. 22:17-20).
God expects us to present to Him our best. It’s really that simple. Nothing less than our all is acceptable in His eyes. He is not asking for perfection; He knows that for mortal man, perfection is impossible. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one (Rom. 3:10). He does, however, expect us to give Him our best effort and to prioritize Him above all else. God does not want to be an afterthought, and he refuses to accept our leftovers. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and My name is dreadful among the heathen (Mal. 1:13-14).
God endeavored to drive this point home to the Israelites while laying out the specifics of what constituted an acceptable sacrifice. At the same time, He laid the groundwork for their eventual understanding and acceptance of the final, perfect sacrifice upon which the entirety of the sacrificial law was based. Every animal brought to sacrifice, from the mightiest bull to the smallest pigeon, typified the body of Christ. Every sacrifice made was merely a placeholder, a foreshadowing of what was to come. God understood this, even though His people as of yet did not. Jesus went to the cross as the perfect, sinless Son of God. At the moment of His death, God gave us His all. In order to prepare His children to receive His best, He first had to teach them to recognize and appreciate the concept.
Today, we in the body of Christ are privileged to live under grace. With the utterance of the words, it is finished (John 19:30), the bonds of sin were broken, and the sacrificial law was fulfilled. Our debt has been paid in full, but that does not mean our responsibilities to God have ended. When we accepted His gift of grace and entered into the body of Christ, we offered ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. Our lives now belong to him, and our best is still required. To offer Him anything less dishonors the sacrifice He made in our stead.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God(Rom. 12:1-2).
Thought for Today: God expects us to offer Him our best— measured by His standards, not the world's.
Christ Revealed:In the seven great holy days of the Lord: Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) -- all of which typified Jesus Christ (Lev. 23). Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us (I Cor. 5:7); Bread of Life (John 6:35); Christ risen from the dead, and become the Firstfruits of them that slept (died) (I Cor. 15:20).
Word Studies:22:9 ordinance = biblical law; 22:10 sojourner = guest; 22:14 unwittingly = unknowingly; 22:15 profane = desecrate; 22:16 suffer = permit; 22:23 vow = required offering; 23:2 convocations = sacred assemblies.
Pray For StaffJudy McCrary • Government Officials: Gov. Jay Inslee(WA) • Country: St. Martin (31,530) Caribbean • Major Language: French • Religious Freedom • Roman Catholic; Protestant; Jehovah Witness, Hindu • Prayer Suggestion: Seek God in prayer with your whole heart and He will hear you (Jer. 29:12-13).
Optional Reading:Mark 12