Why Sacrifice?

Animal sacrifice to deities is a foreign practice and concept to many in the west and the world.  My observation of the purpose behind sacrifice outside Judaism is one of appeasement, to ensure rains will come, the sun would rise, fertility, or for good fortune.  Sacrifices were made to obtain something desirable and beneficial like a man offering a bribe to a corrupt official for favours.  While no one can know for certain the motivations of the hearts of men, it is likely among the Jewish nation this was true to a degree:  sacrifices were at times offered to receive atonement from God and prevent falling out of God's favour.

There are many times recorded in the Bible sacrifice followed deliverance and victory as a show of acknowledgement of God's help with thanksgiving and gratitude.  An example of this is after God delivered Noah, his family, and many animals from the great flood and he offered a sacrifice.  Another time was after Joshua and the children of Israel, mightily helped by God, defeated the inhabitants of Ai.  In obedience to the Law of Moses Joshua 8:30-31 states, "Now Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in Mount Ebal, ³¹ as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: "an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool." And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings."  To offer burnt and peace offerings to God was a solemn and joyful duty in response to God's goodness and glorious deliverance.

The nature of sacrifice is it always costs the giver.  I wonder:  as children of God are our sacrifices unto the LORD given out of a desire to gain something from God or a response to His goodness?  Is it possible I make "sacrifices" with the hope of future benefits rather than rejoicing for all God has already done for me?  I can say undoubtedly I have and I desire this selfish, short-sighted practice is struck from my life.  To have a relationship with the almighty God who loves us and offered Himself as a sacrifice once for all is the greatest treasure, that He is our inheritance!  As the old hymn goes, "Jesus paid it all!  All to Him I owe.  Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow."  In light of who He is and all He has done we offer ourselves as living sacrifices unto Him, our lives a testimony of His love, grace, and forgiveness.

The Final Offering

A child born into royalty could take much for granted.  This child would not know hunger or cold like the starving daughter of a farmer whose parents cannot afford wood to heat their dwelling.  It must be a severe famine indeed to impact the palace kitchen of the king and queen.  The prince or princess would never know the feeling of a parent imprisoned or the need to help raise little brothers or sisters with servants at the ready.  The fact their father is the king would influence their perspective and attitude.  It would take losing everything to begin to realise how much of their lives was foreign to the rest of the subjects of the realm.

After coming to Jesus Christ as poor beggars, our heavenly Father has adopted us as His own children by faith in our Saviour and LORD.  Our humble background as street urchins creates a very different problem to the one raised in the luxury royalty affords:  we do not realise what is ours as children of God.  God has fitted us with a robe of righteousness and we use it for a dog's mattress.  Instead of drinking from the goblet of heavenly joy and peace we try to satisfy our thirst lapping from puddles fouled by the hooves of horses and donkeys.  We have the best teacher in Jesus and the Holy Spirit who has provided the word of God but we are not familiar with the material or God's patient methods of teaching.  We are more taken watching boys wallow in a street fight than comprehending spiritual truths that transform our lives from within.  A man who learned to navigate the sewers in darkness as a boy suddenly finds himself through the Gospel accepted, embraced, washed, and thrust into a life he never imagined as a child of God.

Before stepping foot into the palace a common person would have heard many things about the king, and a lot of them would be untrue.  There are many things he would continue to believe until he was corrected or learned by experience.  So it is for us who are children of God by faith in Jesus.  Religions and "spiritual" people are riddled with error when not grounded in Bible truth, and we are naturally hostile towards God and His ways.  The scriptures explain to the unregenerate the wisdom of God appears foolishness (I Cor. 2:14).  When we are born again our disjointed souls are snapped into the proper orientation--like when a dislocated knee is set.  Our eyes are opened to see lavish blessings we could not have dreamed were possible given our past.

One of these is found in the book of Hebrews.  The writer sets the stage by saying Jesus came according to the will of God to establish a new covenant which supersedes the Law of Moses.  Hebrews 10:10-18 says, "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹ And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. ¹⁵ But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ¹⁶ "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," ¹⁷ then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." ¹⁸ Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin."

Isn't it amazing followers of Jesus have been sanctified through Him once for all?  Through Jesus we are perfected forever as those being sanctified.  God no longer deals with us according to our sin but the grace of God and just forgiveness through the Gospel.  Because He does not remember our sins and lawless deeds any more, having provided remission of these, "there is no longer an offering for sin."  There is literally nothing we can do to add to the sacrifice Jesus has made for us, no penance or lessons to be learned:  when Jesus said "It is finished!" it is true concerning the payment for our sins and acceptance into His fold by faith in Him.  After His resurrection Jesus taught His amazed disciples that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations (Luke 24:27).  The foundational precept of nearly all religions in this world emphasise what man must do to be accepted by God:  Christianity is unique in declaring what God has done so sinful men by faith in Jesus alone are declared righteous and sanctified.

Praise be to God for His marvelous love towards men!  We were lost and without hope in the world, had no power to save ourselves, blind and headed for hell, and the Light of the World shines upon us by the grace of God.  As citizens of heaven whose eyes have been opened let us open our hearts to receive the timeless truth of the Bible and the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  We are blessed for coming to Christ in faith at the first, but let us also go on with Him--growing in love towards God and more fully understanding the implications of our inheritance as children of God.  In light of what Jesus has done it is our reasonable service to offer ourselves as living sacrifices unto God, rejoicing to serve and glorify Him now and forever.

Heeding Wise Counsel

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise."

Proverbs 12:15

The definition of a fool in the Proverbs is a person whose words and actions deny the existence of God.  Instead of looking to God for the right way he follows the impulses of his own heart.  The eyes of a fool are blind to the wisdom of God found in His word and sees no need for a so called "god" in his life.  The fool is unwittingly in a harrowing predicament and what is worse is he cannot see the danger of going his own way which leads to ruin.  When a boxer sees the glove coming he steels himself to absorb the shot, yet the fool does not notice the telegraphed punch his own folly brings like a hammer upon him.

There is a folly found in youth, a self-confident assumption of knowing all the important facts.  There is a folly found in older people too, a cynical attitude built on distrust and shattered expectations.  They risked following the counsel of others and found themselves taken advantage of.  The danger of heeding counsel is when the counselor is deceitful, corrupt, or just plain wrong.  In contrast to fools the wise are determined by their faith in God and reliance upon Him.  Solomon wrote in Proverbs 19:20-21, "Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. ²¹ There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel--that will stand."  Blessed is the man who speaks with God, and more blessed is the one who hears Him.  It is the one who hears who is led by God in what to say and do.

God's word and counsel will stand forever.  To heed God's counsel is to walk wisely, and the idea of heeding is to hear, take to heart, and walk accordingly.  The implication of heeding God's counsel is it was not our natural impulse or desire.  This means humbling ourselves by laying aside our own ideas and plans with the intent to listen and do what God has said.  There is no shortage of advice concerning health, wealth, happiness, and fulfillment inside and outside the church, and even well-meaning people can lead us astray from God's will with their convincing arguments.  That is why it is critical for us to know God's word and not to deviate from His timeless truth in belief and practice.  Familiarity with the genuine helps us recognise cheap imitations.

Jesus said in John 10:27-30, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one."  Amid the confused multitudes of voices shouting for our attention, the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ speaks.  Do you recognise the voice of the One who has opened your eyes, the One who has become for us wisdom from God (1 Cor. 1:30-31)?  Let Jesus Christ be the One we seek, heed, and follow along with others who fear God.

Our Strong Confidence

"In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. ²⁷ The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death."

Proverbs 14:26-27

Self-confidence is often viewed as beneficial but the Bible teaches preoccupation with self is a snare.  To put confidence in self is to put confidence in man, and Psalm 118:8 says plainly "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."  Better than self-consciousness is for God's people to be cognisant of God's presence and promises.

Many of the things which provide self-confidence for people are transient and dare I say--vain.  I grew up watching sport with ads on television aimed at balding men and how re-growing your own hair bolstered confidence in the workplace or with women.  Other ads targeted men who still had hair and in the space of time it takes to shower an ageing fellow could be "back in the game" with hair, eyebrows, and beard devoid of unsightly grey.  Samson was a young man with flowing hair who had self-confidence and women in ample supply yet this misplaced confidence led him to ruin.

It is a good thing when our self-confidence is shaken because it shows we have been relying on ourselves, abilities, or listening to the praises of people rather than seeking and relying on the LORD.  In Christian ministry self-confidence is a snare because we can only serve the LORD and walk uprightly through faith in Him.  Woe to the man or woman who brims with self-confidence to do the LORD's work!  When the criticism is relentless, people leave the church because of you (and tell you this to your face), and you feel an absolute failure, what good with self-confidence do you then?  In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and in Him we have a place of refuge.

How liberating and wonderful it is to be free of the snare of self-confidence which leads to the fear of man and vain effort to please men.  Degrees of success, however, allow self-confidence to secretly wrap its coils around our hearts again.  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life which gives us confidence our feet shall not be moved regardless of what happens to us because we stand by the grace of God on the foundation of Jesus Christ.  Having been called, chosen, and loved by God we submit humbly to His sovereign rule, bowing our grey and bald heads in praise and worship of One who alone is worthy.  He is our strong confidence Who endures forever.