Since Cain and Abel, people have tried to find favor with God by offering sacrifices. But God desires obedience. He accepts sacrifices when they come through acts of obedience.
Sacrifices were in line with God’s established practices in the Old Testament, and they’re still around. In today’s society, sacrifices might include monetary gifts, abstaining from something, good deeds, or an act of self-surrender. One of the things they accomplish is helping us recognize our vulnerable, weak nature.
A psalmist used a vivid image to portray the ultimate sacrifice: Sacrifices and offerings you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced. . . . (Ps. 40:6a NIV)
The image is based on the Old Testament practice of temporarily selling yourself into slavery to cover debts or some other need. When the time of service was done, a man could volunteer to remain a slave permanently. If he did, the owner would pierce his ear as a mark of his permanent status. (Ex. 21:4-6)
The point is the total commitment of an unending sacrifice. God's great desire is not merely temporary gifts or sacrificial offerings; He wants us to give the sacrifice of ourselves.
Originally published September 17, 1982.
Picture: Lindenwood Park, Fargo, 2008. Photo by Solveig.
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