BURNT OFFERINGS/TITHES/VARIOUS OFFERINGS
Definition:
Worship, thanksgiving (also see “Altar,” which may refer to the hearts of God’s people).
Scripture:
- God tells Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering and Abraham tells his servants that they were merely going to “worship.”
Genesis 22:2 (KJV) And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. VERSE 5) And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
- Sacrifices to the Lord are said to be done with our voice.
Psalms 107:21-22 (KJV) Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Hosea 14:2 (KJV) Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
Hebrews 13:15 (KJV) By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Psalms 118:26-29 (KJV) Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD [tabernacle]. 27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Peace Offerings
- In Leviticus 7:11-16, peace offerings (literally translated, “a requital,” being friendly, reciprocating friendship) are commanded to be offered for thanksgiving, out of freewill (voluntary), or when making a vow. All three of those motives for offering a peace offering are said to be done with our voice.
Leviticus 7:11-16 (KJV) And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. 12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving… if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary [freewill] offering…
Jonah 2:9 (KJV) But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
Psalms 116:17-18 (KJV) I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. 18 I will pay my vows. unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people…
Psalms 119:108 (KJV) Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings [or “voluntary”] of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.
Prayer
- Prayer is used synonymously with sacrifice
Proverbs 15:8 (KJV) The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Burnt Offerings
- God says He will give us “everlasting joy,” and the reason He assigns is because He “hates robbery of the burnt offering,” showing that He hates the robbery of rejoicing in Him.
Isaiah 61:7-8 (NKJV)…Everlasting joy shall be theirs. “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering…
- The knowledge of Jesus being preached is referred to as a sweet smelling aroma. That’s the same terminology used for burnt offerings.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (YLT) …and to God [are] thanks, who at all times is leading us in triumph in the Christ, and the fragrance of His knowledge He is manifesting through us in every place, 15 because of Christ a sweet fragrance we are to God…
Exodus 29:18 (YLT) …and thou hast made perfume with the whole ram on the altar. It [is] a burnt-offering to Jehovah, a sweet fragrance; a fire-offering {burnt offering} it [is] to Jehovah.
- The blowing of trumpets may have some reference to “calling out” (1 Thes. 4:16, 1 Cor. 14:8), in particular, calling to God, in this context. In war and being oppressed, God commands that trumpets be blown (the people called out?) as a reminder TO GOD to save them. This seems like Old Testament prayers that were calling out, as reminder TO GOD, for salvation. But then it says that in the day of their gladness (when they are safe) they are supposed to blow trumpets (call out?) OVER the burnt offerings and peace offerings (which represent Thanksgiving). And these trumpets are to be a reminder, not to God, but to THE PEOPLE before the Lord. As thanksgiving is a reminder to us of what Jesus has already done (Psalms 103:2). When we were oppressed, we called out as remembrance TO GOD to send salvation, but now that we’ve been saved, and the day of our gladness has come, we call out to the Lord in thanksgiving (over burnt offerings) to remind OURSELVES that we are already saved.
Numbers 10:9-10 (KJV) And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before THE LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be TO YOU for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.
Tithes
- First God explains that the wrong Israel had committed was that they did not give Him “tithes and offerings.” Then just a few verses later, in this same conversation with Israel, God says that the problem was that “their WORDS had been harsh against Him.” Israel had robbed God of the credit He deserved. Israel spoke ill of God instead. Hence, they robbed God of “tithes and offerings” (praise, thanks).
Malachi 3:8, 13 (NKJV) 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. VERSE 13) “Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the LORD, Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You [notice the similarity in wording from when they asked, “In what way have we robbed you?”?’
Reform Church 