MARCH 27, 2023 Deuteronomy 13:3 You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Have you ever wondered why God would allow someone bent on deception and wickedness […]
MARCH 26, 2023 Deuteronomy 13:1-3 If there arises among you a prophet … and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods”—which you have not known— “and let us serve them,” you shall not listen to the […]
MARCH 25, 2023 Deuteronomy 13:1-3 If there arises among you a prophet … and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods”—which you have not known— “and let us serve them,” you shall not listen to the […]
MARCH 24, 2023 Deuteronomy 13:1-3 If there arises among you a prophet … and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods”—which you have not known— “and let us serve them,” you shall not listen to the […]
MARCH 23, 2023 Deuteronomy 12:29-30 When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, […]
MARCH 22, 2023 Deuteronomy 12:26 Only the holy things which you have, and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. When discussing the importance of “The Place” and where the Creator established His Name, it should not be overlooked that He emphasized “where” His people were to worship Him –- […]
MARCH 21, 2023 Deuteronomy 12:23, 25 Be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat … You shall not eat it, that it may go well with you and your children after you, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord. Once again, the […]
MARCH 20, 2023 Deuteronomy 12:10-11 But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. Embedded in […]
MARCH 19, 2023 Deuteronomy 12:8-9 You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes— for as yet you have not come to the rest. Until the Sanctuary was built in Jerusalem, it would seem that private altars were permitted, a fact that seems obvious in the day […]
What gift can you get for the Almighty? It's hard to shop for a God who has everything. The Hebrew word for sacrifice, korban, could be translated as “something brought near,” or to put it another way, it could be translated as “gift.” The Israelites were to view the sacrifices as gifts that they could bring to God.
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. (Leviticus 1:4)
In Romans 12:1, Paul urges us to present our bodies as a “living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.” What does this mean in practical terms? Is Paul asking us to build altars and literally sacrifice ourselves upon them? Of course not. Paul is using the sacrificial language as an illustration for obedience. He is urging us to set aside our stubborn wills, our wayward flesh and our self-centered egos and force them to submit to the commandments of God. When we set aside our own personal desires and inclinations for the sake of obeying God, we are sacrificing ourselves for the sake of heaven. Instead of offering a bull, a goat or a lamb to God as a gift, we are offering ourselves. This is why the prophet Samuel declared that obedience is better than sacrifice:
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. (1 Samuel 15:22)
Through the prophet Hosea, the LORD declared, “I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Yeshua was fond of quoting this verse to prove that God was more concerned with ethical behavior than perfunctory ritual obedience. This is an important principle for all religious people. Regardless of one’s religion, it is always easier to attend to ritual concerns than to live godly lives. The writer of the book of Hebrews says, “Do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16).
In today’s world there is no Tabernacle or Temple in which a person might offer a sacrifice. If we desire to give God a gift today, what can we give Him? We can give no better gift than our own humble submission to His will. We can give Him the simple sacrifice of grateful obedience.
Vayikra – ×•×™×§×¨× : “And he called” Torah : Leviticus 1:1-5:19 Haftarah : Isaiah 43:21-44:23 Gospel : Luke 1-3
