Worship God– Reflecting on The Burnt Offering
It’s our favourite time! Fellowship with the Living Word of God. God has transmitted His very substance into every Scripture, for it is God-breathed. We yield to the processes that empower us as we are instructed, and corrected. We receive the strength to take the right direction and to be led deeper into the path of godliness. We step into becoming Your servants, sons, fully mature and perfectly prepared to fulfil any assignment You give us. Let us turn to the lovely book of Leviticus, we will be extracting some principles of worship from the BURNT OFFERING!
Leviticus 1:1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.3 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. 4 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. 5 You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6 You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. 9 You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
Someone has said that in this offering the worshiper identifies with the animal- as Jesus identified with us and gave Himself up for us – He was the perfect offering ! 1 Peter 1:18-20 For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold, 19 but [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ. For He was foreordained (foreknown) before the foundation of the world but has appeared [publicly] in these last times for your sake.
Let us extract some principles of worship from the passage we read from Leviticus : 1) Worship is voluntary – Nobody is forcing anyone to worship. Verse 2 says (When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord….)
2) Anyone can come to God in worship/ Dependence on Jesus Christ. We are being built to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God THROUGH Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that in only one mediator between man and God and it is the Man Christ Jesus, He has made atonement for us, and He offered Himself once and for all.
3) Sacrifice is central to worship. Hebrew 13:15-16 Through Him [then] let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind. Sacrifice is submission to God. It is not “sacrifice” if it is not according to God’s desire and design.
This week I have been reflecting on an element of sacrifice which Is a broken, humble heart, David in Psalm 51:17 says The fountain of your pleasure is found in the sacrifice of my shattered heart before You. You will not despise my tenderness as I bow down humbly at your feet.
Hebrews 10:5-7 NKJV Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, You had no pleasure. [7] Then I said, 'Behold, I have come- In the volume of the book it is written of Me- To do Your will, O God.'" Seeking after God, doing His will is brokenness!
4) Worship is structured/has requirements - God told them where to slaughter the animal; where to put its blood; how to divide it or not to divide it. We see Paul in Acts 16 verse 6 being forbidden by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in Asia. Worship is following the instructions that God gives us no wonder in Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Worship in the Spirit and Truth = Following the instructions of our heavenly Father. Worship is engaging with God on the terms that He proposes, and by the means which only He can provide.” (David Peterson)
1 Peter 2:55 You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
5) Surrender and death to self. In verses 4-6 we see the worshiper transferring their right to and interest in the animal to God! To follow Jesus, we must deny self-take up our cross and follow Him. We do not belong to ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we were bought at a high price and so we must honor God with our bodies.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Holy Ghost, You wrote the words we have read, expounding its content in living power to our hearts. As we gaze into Your lovely face in our LORD, MASTER, SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, let all the deficiencies in our worship be perfected in Christ.
Leviticus 1:1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.3 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. 4 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. 5 You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6 You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. 9 You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
Someone has said that in this offering the worshiper identifies with the animal- as Jesus identified with us and gave Himself up for us – He was the perfect offering ! 1 Peter 1:18-20 For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold, 19 but [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ. For He was foreordained (foreknown) before the foundation of the world but has appeared [publicly] in these last times for your sake.
Let us extract some principles of worship from the passage we read from Leviticus : 1) Worship is voluntary – Nobody is forcing anyone to worship. Verse 2 says (When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord….)
2) Anyone can come to God in worship/ Dependence on Jesus Christ. We are being built to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God THROUGH Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that in only one mediator between man and God and it is the Man Christ Jesus, He has made atonement for us, and He offered Himself once and for all.
3) Sacrifice is central to worship. Hebrew 13:15-16 Through Him [then] let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind. Sacrifice is submission to God. It is not “sacrifice” if it is not according to God’s desire and design.
This week I have been reflecting on an element of sacrifice which Is a broken, humble heart, David in Psalm 51:17 says The fountain of your pleasure is found in the sacrifice of my shattered heart before You. You will not despise my tenderness as I bow down humbly at your feet.
Hebrews 10:5-7 NKJV Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, You had no pleasure. [7] Then I said, 'Behold, I have come- In the volume of the book it is written of Me- To do Your will, O God.'" Seeking after God, doing His will is brokenness!
4) Worship is structured/has requirements - God told them where to slaughter the animal; where to put its blood; how to divide it or not to divide it. We see Paul in Acts 16 verse 6 being forbidden by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in Asia. Worship is following the instructions that God gives us no wonder in Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Worship in the Spirit and Truth = Following the instructions of our heavenly Father. Worship is engaging with God on the terms that He proposes, and by the means which only He can provide.” (David Peterson)
1 Peter 2:55 You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
5) Surrender and death to self. In verses 4-6 we see the worshiper transferring their right to and interest in the animal to God! To follow Jesus, we must deny self-take up our cross and follow Him. We do not belong to ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we were bought at a high price and so we must honor God with our bodies.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Holy Ghost, You wrote the words we have read, expounding its content in living power to our hearts. As we gaze into Your lovely face in our LORD, MASTER, SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, let all the deficiencies in our worship be perfected in Christ.
Ciiru Wambui
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