Daily Offerings

Daily Offerings
Words of Faith 2-21-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 29
[35] "Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. [36] Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. [37] For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.
[38] "This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. [39] Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. [40] With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. [41] Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning--a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire. [42] "For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; [43] there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.

The process of ordination took seven days. The consecration of the altar was part of this. This consecration required the sacrifice of a bull every day for seven days running. After seven days of sacrifices, the altar would be "most holy." Anything that touched it would also be made holy.
Aaron and his sons would finally be ready to serve in the daily worship and sacrifices of the Tabernacle. Two yearling lambs a day to be sacrificed. One was sacrificed in the morning and the other in the evening. The morning and evening offerings were accompanied by a mixture of flour and olive oil as well as a drink offering of a quart of wine. This was an offering that made a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
This was God's chosen meeting place within the Tent of Meeting. God promised to meet with the priests and Israel as sacrifices were made. Sacrifice is daily. Meeting with the Lord is daily.
Rituals have a powerful place in reminding us to meet with God regularly. Rituals are also dangerous when they become "regular" and are no longer a matter of the heart. There can be little doubt that Aaron and his sons began this process with a sense of absolute sincerity, commitment, and devotion. But we know that religious practice can become routine and even empty over time.
David became powerfully convicted of this after he fell into terrible sin. As he confessed his great sin before God in Psalm 51, he offered these words: "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17).
The powerful and visceral nature of the sacrifices was always to remind the worshipers of the great cost of sin. This would become most evident in the coming of Christ as his great and final sacrifice was witnessed. We must always avoid falling into a pattern of going through the motions religiously. The prophet Hosea spoke the Word of the Lord: "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
What are we bringing in sacrifice before the Lord? We often talk about bringing our prayers, presence, gifts, and service. But if these become empty routines, they surely are no longer a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. We bring the sacrifice of praise, but we must be careful not to fall into singing only the familiar and comforting songs. The Lord will stir up a new song among us (Isaiah 42:10, Psalm 96:1). We bring a tithe of 10% of our income, but this may not even begin to be a sacrifice.
Lent is a season of sacrifice. This year, Lent begins February 22 and runs through April 8. Even rituals such as 40 days of Lent in prayer and fasting can become empty. A good approach is to ask the Lord: What do You want me to sacrifice? Do You want me to sacrifice just for the season of Lent, or is there something more? What so You want me to bring as a daily sacrifice-- morning and evening? Do you desire a deeper time of communion, prayer, praise?

Father God, teach me a pattern of daily sacrifice that will deepen my walk with you. Show me the things that are unnecessary in my life that I should cast aside because they are an encumbrance. Reveal the sins that easily entangle me so I may resist the enemy, knowing he will flee. Show me the place and time of sacrifice. I will be there. In Jesus' Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.