ESOCS Devotional 25 August 2023 – Give God a Befitting Sacrifice
MEMORY VERSE: “And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering of the Lord.” Leviticus 23:12
TEXT: LEVITICUS 3:1-22 (KJV)
And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
5 And Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
6 And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the Lord be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
7 If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the Lord.
8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.
9 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
10 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
11 And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord.
12 And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord.
13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.
14 And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
15 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the Lord’s.
17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
In the scriptures, God always emphasizes He wants us to give Him the best of our possessions any time we make an offering or sacrifice to Him. He demands best quality in everything. He is a loving perfectionist. He will not demand from us anything we cannot afford. He likes people who live a life of high moral integrity. He cherishes honest, spotless, faithful, responsible, dedicated, and committed people. He highly appreciates people who pursue a life of virtue, holiness, and righteousness with great zeal. People with these glorious qualities are those for whom He says: “Gather my saints together to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Ps. 50:5). People who have these qualities sacrifice the things and pleasures of this present world in order that they might gain heaven.
Paul said, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Phil. 3:8).
He was happy that he had dropped all the privileges and positions he used to enjoy as a Roman soldier and had gained Christ instead. He sacrificed those things for Christ; and he gave to God the best things that he could afford; that is, his life, heart, mind, and services. In Romans 12:1, he made a passionate appeal to us when he said, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind that he will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” NLT
God demands that things we offer to Him must be without blemish; that is, they must be pure, holy, and of very high quality. The extent of our love, respect, and fear of God determines the quality of what we give to Him. Therefore, we should always search our hearts before we give anything to Him to make sure we have the right attitude toward Him. He does not accept all kinds of sacrifices. He rejected Cain’s sacrifice because it was not good. But He accepted Abel’s sacrifice because it was good, and of very high quality.
When He made the everlasting sacrifice that saved us from eternal condemnation in the fire of hell, He gave the best for us: His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. That was the example He set for us. That is His standard. We should always give Him the best of the things we possess. He will not accept anything else. Let us understand that He is supreme in all things and that He deserves the best from us at all times.
- What kind of gifts and offering do you give to God?
- Do you have the right attitude toward God in the tithe, offering, and services you give?
- Pray the Holy Spirit to guide you in making the right sacrifices to your heavenly Father.
- Pray for the spirit of wisdom and understanding to worship God appropriately.
FURTHER READING: Joel 2:23-end; Luke 12:49-end; Zechariah 8:9-17; 1 Corinthians 7:25-end
Thank you for reading the ESOCS Devotional today. Please share and follow us on all our platforms to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.
ESOCS Devotional 25 August 2023
