Watch To Whom You Make Sacrifice

Leviticus 17:3ff: "Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD-that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. This is so the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields . . . . They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come."


As the Israelites were trekking through the wilderness to the Promised Land, the LORD gave to Moses, Aaron, and the priests the above cited instructions. There was no dearth of sacrificial acts taking place around the Israelite camp; the problem was the object to which the sacrifices were being made. Apparently, some of the Israelites had decided that they no longer wanted to take their choicest animals to the Tabernacle and offer them as a celebration of worship to the Lord. Instead, they decided to make sacrifices in the fields to certain "goat idols." This act of rebellion against the Sovereignty of God was comparable to bloodshed and was considered so treasonous that those perpetrating such acts had to be cut off from the rest of the covenant community. God made the judgment severe in order that the people would understand that the Lord would not tolerate any sacrifices offered to any person or thing other than to Himself. Then the Lord made the ordinance everlasting for generations to come, so that the Israelites and their children would know that only focused worship to the One True God would be acceptable.


This is a great word for us in our generation. We must ask ourselves, "To whom are we presenting our choicest 'sacrifices' of worship? Are we presenting the best of our time, our money, and our energies to ourselves? to others? to projects? to careers? or to the Lord Almighty?" To offer a sacrifice to anyone or anything other than to God is to commit treasonous idolatry that is comparable to bloodshed. God will not tolerate such acts of recalcitrance. Let us confess our sin of idolatry to the Lord and come before His presence, making appropriate and acceptable sacrifices to Him alone. And may our hearts be so enthralled by His glorious presence in our lives that we delight in the offering of our sacrifices to Him.