Discover His heart: He receives the sacrifice of praise offered from pure hearts
As a rule, I don’t wake up in the morning thinking that I just can’t wait to read Leviticus today. Of course, God included this information in His Word for a purpose, and the joy of reading it is often in discovering His intention. The lengthy process of constructing the Tabernacle had just been completed, and next came the instruction on its purpose and its use for God’s people.
The overall message of Leviticus is that God is Holy, and sinful man must follow rites of purification in order to fellowship with Him. Israel had already proven during their golden calf incident that this message could be easily forgotten, and God was restoring their relationship with Him through His instructions to Moses in Leviticus. Over the next 27 chapters, God directed their focus to purification through sacrifice, worship, physical principles, holiness and leadership. By following these instructions, the Israelites who had dabbled in all forms of idolatry would once again commune with their Holy God.
After reading just a few verses in Leviticus, I have cause to stop and thank Jesus for His death and resurrection. Can you imagine stopping by the farm on Sunday morning to purchase a perfect little lamb to be sacrificed at church? With somewhat of an affinity for sheep, I think I’d have to go with a dove.
@ Leviticus 2
“Do not use yeast in preparing any of the grain offerings you present to the Lord, because no yeast or honey may be burned as a special gift presented to the Lord.” (11) After moving to Florida, it didn’t take long for me to see the destructive nature of mold and mildew. Items attacked by this spreading bacterial fungus are soon discolored or destroyed. Bleach became my friend.
One tiny spore of mold can multiply rapidly consuming everything in its path, just like sin will do. Because of this similarity to sin, yeast was forbidden in the grain offering that was sacrificed as a gift of thanksgiving. The lesson for us today is clear. When we offer our thanksgiving and praise to Him, let us come with clean hands and pure hearts, free from even the hint of sin so that our sacrifice of praise will be received by our Holy God.
“Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings.”(13) I agree! Salt makes everything taste better. However, God wasn’t so much concerned about the taste, but rather that the offering would be a reminder of God’s eternal covenant with them. I learned early in the kitchen that while salt makes food taste better, too much salt in a dish is impossible to remove – it’s eternal.
God’s covenant through Jesus is eternal – impossible to remove. Jesus will always be the Savior. Salt seasons the entire dish, penetrating every part. In this same way, His influence in our lives encompasses every area. Salt preserves and protects foods with a coating that serves as a barrier to bacteria just as God preserves and protects our lives from the attacks of the enemy. Salt also has a healing property for our bodies that soothes and mends. How well we know of the healing power of God in our lives – body, soul and spirit. The symbolism speaks loudly to our spirits – salt is good! Please pass the salt!
The grain offering of thanksgiving was “a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”(2) May our sacrifice of praise be a sin-free, well-seasoned offering to our Holy God, one that will be received as a sweet aroma to Him.
Moving Forward: With clean hands and a heart of thanksgiving, I offer a sacrifice of praise, ever mindful of His eternal covenant with me through Christ Jesus. May its sweet aroma fill His space.
Tomorrow @ 1 Kings 10-13
Phyllis Benigas 