But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
God required that whatever was offered to Him be perfect and without blemish, the best and most valuable of its kind, with no lameness, defect, disease or impurity, and the priests carefully examined every sacrifice and rejected it for even the least fault as unacceptable to Him. Only such a perfect offering could fittingly represent Christ. That same searching standard rests on Christians in presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. The body is to be offered as fully and perfectly as possible by bringing every physical, mental and moral habit into harmony with God's law and the laws of health, preserving strength and using every power to do His will, for a diseased, enfeebled and defiled body and disordered mind produced by indulgence of appetite, passion and impurity is an unfit and offensive offering that cannot glorify Him or be sanctified. His followers are therefore to give Him their most precious gifts and wholehearted service, holding nothing back, offering their best in worship and work rather than what is lame or least, and such free giving brings His blessing on the family and its possessions while covetous withholding brings loss and affliction.
The Unblemished Sacrifice
Whatever was offered to God had to be without blemish, with only perfect animals accepted from the best of the flock and of the field. The offering was required to be sound and valuable in every respect, not lame, injured, defective, diseased, impure or polluted. An animal with any blemish was not acceptable to God, and must not be offered to Him.
Every animal brought for sanctuary service was critically examined, and the priests refused any sacrifice in which a defect was found. Even the least defect, blemish, impurity, taint or disease was sufficient reason to reject it as not acceptable to God. No lame, injured, or diseased sacrifice would be received, but what was given to God had to be sound, perfect before Him, preserved unto holiness, free from the taints of sin or pollution, and valuable.
The requirement that the offering be without blemish and the best of its kind enabled it to symbolize Christ.
The Body as Offering
The same careful examination once given to the Jewish sacrifice applies to Christians presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. Just as no lame, injured, diseased, or blemished animal was received, but the offering had to be sound, perfect, valuable, preserved unto holiness and free from taint, impurity and pollution, so the body offered to God must not be degraded by disease or by harmful habits. To present the body in this way means living so as to preserve physical, mental and moral health rather than corrupting life by indulgence.
The offering of the self is to be made as fully, perfectly and valuably as possible by bringing every physical, mental and moral habit into conformity with the divine standard and with every instruction given for well-being. Appetite and habits are to be brought into conformity with natural law, health and faculties are to be preserved, and every power is to be used to serve Him and do His will. Loving the Lord with all the heart is shown in this constant seeking to bring every power of being into harmony with the laws that give ability to do His will.
Impaired health and weakened, enfeebled faculties resulting from indulgence of appetite, passion and lust and from habits that violate natural law are unfit offerings for God's service. To come to worship feeble, with a diseased, decaying, degraded and defiled body and a disordered intellect ruined by wrong habits, is offensive to a pure and holy God. Few professed offerings laid upon the altar would stand that searching test.
No one can glorify God in the body while living in transgression of God's law, especially in impurity of mind and body and in serving lust. Purity cannot exist where the body is yielded to impure acts, and continual indulgence in hurtful lust, producing a diseased body and disordered intellect, makes sanctification of body and spirit impossible.
Such love refuses to be satisfied with an offering enfeebled by indulgence and refuses to follow the customs of the world, desiring instead to give God the best service of life. It regulates appetite, pleads for divine help and healing, and receives grace from Christ to overcome perverted appetites and begin reformation.
Giving God Our Best
A blemished animal was not acceptable as an offering to God, and Israel's sacrifices had to be without blemish and taken from the best of the flock, with everyone sharing in the work. That same standard governs preparing a house or place of worship, where God's people are to offer their best rather than offer what is lame or do as little as possible. What is spent for that purpose is not to be given as sparingly as possible nor regarded as lost.
The offering must be without blemish and the best of the flock or field and of its kind, and Christ's followers are thereby taught to offer God their most precious gifts and wholehearted service to honor Him, holding nothing back from what God has given them and giving freely. Such free giving is the condition on which the Lord's blessing rests upon a family and its possessions. Withholding a suitable share out of covetousness, offering a reduced gift, brings a curse upon harvests and flocks and may bring affliction upon the family.
God required that whatever was offered to Him be perfect and without blemish, the best and most valuable of its kind, with no lameness, defect, disease or impurity, and the priests carefully examined every sacrifice and rejected it for even the least fault as unacceptable to Him. Only such a perfect offering could fittingly represent Christ. That same searching standard rests on Christians in presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. The body is to be offered as fully and perfectly as possible by bringing every physical, mental and moral habit into harmony with God's law and the laws of health, preserving strength and using every power to do His will, for a diseased, enfeebled and defiled body and disordered mind produced by indulgence of appetite, passion and impurity is an unfit and offensive offering that cannot glorify Him or be sanctified. His followers are therefore to give Him their most precious gifts and wholehearted service, holding nothing back, offering their best in worship and work rather than what is lame or least, and such free giving brings His blessing on the family and its possessions while covetous withholding brings loss and affliction.
The Unblemished Sacrifice
Whatever was offered to God had to be without blemish, with only perfect animals accepted from the best of the flock and of the field. The offering was required to be sound and valuable in every respect, not lame, injured, defective, diseased, impure or polluted. An animal with any blemish was not acceptable to God, and must not be offered to Him.
Every animal brought for sanctuary service was critically examined, and the priests refused any sacrifice in which a defect was found. Even the least defect, blemish, impurity, taint or disease was sufficient reason to reject it as not acceptable to God. No lame, injured, or diseased sacrifice would be received, but what was given to God had to be sound, perfect before Him, preserved unto holiness, free from the taints of sin or pollution, and valuable.
The requirement that the offering be without blemish and the best of its kind enabled it to symbolize Christ.
The Body as Offering
The same careful examination once given to the Jewish sacrifice applies to Christians presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. Just as no lame, injured, diseased, or blemished animal was received, but the offering had to be sound, perfect, valuable, preserved unto holiness and free from taint, impurity and pollution, so the body offered to God must not be degraded by disease or by harmful habits. To present the body in this way means living so as to preserve physical, mental and moral health rather than corrupting life by indulgence.
The offering of the self is to be made as fully, perfectly and valuably as possible by bringing every physical, mental and moral habit into conformity with the divine standard and with every instruction given for well-being. Appetite and habits are to be brought into conformity with natural law, health and faculties are to be preserved, and every power is to be used to serve Him and do His will. Loving the Lord with all the heart is shown in this constant seeking to bring every power of being into harmony with the laws that give ability to do His will.
Impaired health and weakened, enfeebled faculties resulting from indulgence of appetite, passion and lust and from habits that violate natural law are unfit offerings for God's service. To come to worship feeble, with a diseased, decaying, degraded and defiled body and a disordered intellect ruined by wrong habits, is offensive to a pure and holy God. Few professed offerings laid upon the altar would stand that searching test.
No one can glorify God in the body while living in transgression of God's law, especially in impurity of mind and body and in serving lust. Purity cannot exist where the body is yielded to impure acts, and continual indulgence in hurtful lust, producing a diseased body and disordered intellect, makes sanctification of body and spirit impossible.
Such love refuses to be satisfied with an offering enfeebled by indulgence and refuses to follow the customs of the world, desiring instead to give God the best service of life. It regulates appetite, pleads for divine help and healing, and receives grace from Christ to overcome perverted appetites and begin reformation.
Giving God Our Best
A blemished animal was not acceptable as an offering to God, and Israel's sacrifices had to be without blemish and taken from the best of the flock, with everyone sharing in the work. That same standard governs preparing a house or place of worship, where God's people are to offer their best rather than offer what is lame or do as little as possible. What is spent for that purpose is not to be given as sparingly as possible nor regarded as lost.
The offering must be without blemish and the best of the flock or field and of its kind, and Christ's followers are thereby taught to offer God their most precious gifts and wholehearted service to honor Him, holding nothing back from what God has given them and giving freely. Such free giving is the condition on which the Lord's blessing rests upon a family and its possessions. Withholding a suitable share out of covetousness, offering a reduced gift, brings a curse upon harvests and flocks and may bring affliction upon the family.