Sacrifice. The initial feeling upon hearing the word is one of hesitancy or trepidation. It invokes a very unique feeling in us. We realize there is a price attached to its meaning.
Sacrifice began with Cain and Abel. They began to count the cost. The Bible tells us
“By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice.” Cain was wroth and in anger slew his brother over an unacceptable sacrifice. The struggle of the two sides of sacrifice began here. Since that initial offering of sacrifice man has struggled in the battle of offering an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.
In the history of Israel we find 7 occasions of sacrificial offerings: Sin, guilt, burnt, peace, grain, wave and a red heifer offering. We also find 10 different living types of animals for the sacrifice: A young bull, a male goat, a female goat, a turtledove, a young pigeon, ram, lamb, oxen, cattle and a red heifer. All of these would be bound to the altar by thongs or ropes to the 4 horns of the altar.
It was bloody; tiring work; at great expense of effort. The animal was then slain and its blood would flow from its body. We must never forget the innocence of the animal. What we may fail to realize is that any sacrifice ever laid upon that altar was first of all offered as a sacrifice by God. When man took the life of the animal, it was because God had released the animal already. **Anything we offer to God was given to us by God in the first place. Abel did not create the Lamb. Israel did not create the oxen, ram, goat, God provided it for them. Anything that God asks us to give to Him was not created by us. It was given to us by Him in the first place!
When we study the lineage of the kings we find an interesting grouping of words repeated time and again. This king id right, this king did evil, this king did right, etc. All offered sacrifice of some type. Some were acceptable and some were not. In the process of time we come to King Ahaz.
He is the King of Judah at a time when that nation is being besieged by Israel and Syria. In his condition he appeals to Tiglath-Pilesar, king of Assyria for help. He purchased his help at great cost. He actually took money from the Temple and offered to Tiglath-Pilesar as payment to help him fight his enemies. He willingly became a servant to him.
We read that he made a journey to Damascus to seal the deal. While in Damascus he sees an altar that appeals to him. He has the plans drawn and sent to the priest with the order to build this altar in the temple. His intent is to worship at this new altar when he returns home.
Upon his arrival he enters the temple and offers sacrifice on this new altar. He then instructs the servants to move the brazen altar to the side of the room. This new altar is given the place of prominence where the braze altar once stood. History tells us that he got into such an emotional state that he jumped onto the borders of this altar and flailed and danced before the people.
He then orders the removal the brazen oxen (symbolic of sacrifice) from beneath the brazen laver (the place of cleansing). His intent is to bring the holy things to common ground. It is not long after this that he closed the Temple, sold the utensils and began to continually worship at this new altar.
So how does sacrifice become a sin?
When you are willing, like Ahaz, to sacrifice sacrifice itself. When you are willing to spend from the treasury of God on the resources of the world in order to build a more accommodating altar then for you sacrifice has become a sin. You have sacrificed the very thing you cannot afford to sacrifice. You have walked away from the altar of true sacrifice.
There is a spirit of Ahaz that has ascended to the throne of many churches today. They have risen to where we are with good intentions. They have been blessed beyond measure. But their day of struggle and battle has come. In the midst of their battles some of them have made alliances with worldly influences.
I have watched as they have taken God’s blessings to make alliances with worldly kings. They sell themselves out and become servants to ungodly men who eventually sit back and laugh and ridicule them for their lack of conviction.
They see the altars of the world and say
“That fits right into my walk with God” and before long the brazen altar, a place of true sacrifice, is moved out of the way. They then will move the oxen from under the laver or the place of cleansing. Without real sacrifice there is no need of real cleansing. It is here that sacrifice becomes a sin…When you sacrifice sacrifice.
Samuel told Saul
“You were great when you were little in your own eyes.” We get so puffed up on our blessings talent and ability that if we are not careful we will offer it to the world on a compromised altar. We will take talent from God’s treasury on us and spend it on unholy alliances.
There are some sacrifices we must never lose.
The altar of true sacrifice of our time is almost extinct. Way too many folks are giving less and less time to the things of God. They have enough time for overtime but not for worship time. Enough time for hobbies but not enough time for holiness. Enough time for vacations but not enough time for church work days. The writer admonished us to walk wisely, “redeeming the time.”
The altar of sacrificing our talent has also been compromised. Some of the greatest resources the church has will never be utilized. Why? Because some folks have already sacrificed sacrifice when it comes to their talent and ability. Singers that will not sing. Teachers that will not teach. Ushers and hostesses that are more content to just soak up the blessing than to be a blessing. God has equipped the body to take care of the body. The problem is that we have too much of the body that is holding onto its part and never edifying the rest of the body. This church ought to be overrun with folks desiring to be used.
And dare I even mention the altar of sacrificing our treasure?
The 10th belongs to the Lord; and that is all that some folks ever want to give. Some of the very ones who have sacrificed in days gone by to build the church have now built altars of sacrifice where they have sacrificed sacrifice. They no longer feel the burden to sacrifice and give like they used to.
Giving to God does not have an ending point. Sacrificial giving is not sacrificial giving if it does not cost you something. Usually, true sacrificial giving is more than dollars and cents. It is giving something to the kingdom that you love that can be better turned into dollars and cents for the kingdom of God.
Luke 12:33-34 proclaims
“Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Let us never forget that the blessing that you have that you refuse sacrifice was given to you by God originally. May we never be guilty of allowing sacrifice to become a sin in our lives, our ministry and our churches.
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