04/10/13

Offerings

Numbers 28:9 - And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first [son] year [measure of time] without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:


There are many Pastors who give a lot of importance to tithes and the 'other' money that is given during service. When I inquired with one Pastor on this since he spoke a lot on it, he called it 'offering'.

Every Sunday during worship one would find a person announcing before collections to bring out the 'tithes and offerings' unto the Lord so as to be blessed in multiple by the Lord. When I checked up with the Bible the word offering was never related to money but always to some sacrifice which was symbolic like in today's message.

Christians are programmed to give money to the Church on the basses that they will receive in abundance, like they are buying a lottery. They think one day the Lord will sure call out their number and they will hit a jackpot. Their giving is only done with greed even though they say do it joyfully. The joy they give with is not the joy for building the Kingdom of God (His people) but with a joy with an eye for the jackpot they will receive because they bought a 'lottery'.

Jesus fulfilled all blood (righteous) sacrifices written in the book of Moses. Today's sacrifice which was called a burnt sacrifice too was fulfilled by Jesus. It speaks of two (first born) lambs without blemish to be made as a sacrifice unto the Lord. Even this was fulfilled. One may say Jesus was the Lamb of God without blemish so who was the other lamb so as to fulfil the scripture?

If we read the scriptures above one will note one lamb was made as an offering in the morning and the other in the evening. Jesus Christ on the cross was the lamb that was offered in the evening since Jesus died in the evening. One would then ask how Jesus could also be the other lamb offered in the morning.

If one reads the Bible, it says God the Son became a sacrifice from the beginning of creation for He humbled Himself in the beginning of creation and then at the said time came as man Jesus. As God the Son (being the Frist and Only of the Father) the Lord became a sacrifice in the beginning and then coming as man He again became a sacrifice. Before we could offer a sacrifice, God had Himself made a sacrifice, even though the sacrifice we made was itself made available by the Lord Himself.

A burnt offering was an offering symbolizing an offering of praise since the Hebrew word means something that goes up. So when we start out Sabbath (meaning our rest in the Lord) we start with the Lord and conclude with the Lord. It is only by God the Son (Lord Jesus Christ) and the Son of Man (Lord Jesus Christ) that we enter into our Sabbath and our Sabbath is made complete.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You are our provider and everything comes from You alone. Even the sacrifices You desired of man to be offered unto You was also made available by You alone. Lord, we have nothing to offer other than ourselves for everything else is provided by You. The only thing we can offer is what we make of ourselves for You. Lord, we pray You find our offering as a pleasing aroma giving glory unto You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Numbers 28:3-4
3 And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
4 The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;

1 Peter 1:20 - Who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Revelation 13:8 - And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:3 - For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)