“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
Hebrews 10:6-7
What offering’s are we bringing before the Lord?
From the beginning, Genesis shows the offering that is acceptable to the Lord described as the first and best. Abel’s offering, in Hebrews, is described as ‘a more acceptable sacrifice’ and in 1 John 3, it is called ‘a righteous deed’.
Aaron’s sons, in the wilderness, offered up ‘strange fire” and were consumed by the Lord. Leviticus 10:1
Israel was defeated at Ai in Joshua 7 because the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things.
Saul is rebuked by the prophet Samuel for sacrificing an offering instead of obeying the command of the Lord in 1 Samuel 15 :22-23:
“And Samuel said, ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ “
The prophet Malachi challenges the nation of Israel over their offerings. They are bringing the sick, the lame and polluted food to offer unto the Lord. Malachi calls it evil saying there is no honour, no fear of the Lord in their offering, but rather a despising of His table. Malachi 1.
There are times in our lives where we try to offer God ‘something’ other than what has been required of us. For whatever excuse we may offer, the root lies in fear and must be overcome. These are always ‘heart issues’.
From the New Testament we learn the Pharisees and Sadducees honoured the Lord with their lips but their hearts were far removed from Him. Jesus said where your heart is there will be your treasure.
King David wrote in the Psalms ‘ Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord… but he who has a pure heart.’ Moses was told to come up to the mountain with tablets that the Lord would write upon. Today, for us, the Spirit of the living God, writes not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Our fellowship with the Lord must be in spirit and in truth as we present to Him, not only our bodies, but our minds and hearts for Him to teach us His way’s and write them upon the tablets of our hearts. The priests of the OT wore a head dress with a frontlet inscribed “holiness to the Lord”. A constant reminder of whose they were and who they served.
Shall our offering be any less than a whole hearted devotion that includes all of us; spirit, soul and body?
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired but a body you have prepared for me, In burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will O God,