“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

God – not man – instituted the offering
Lesson No. 17 from Leviticus

Foundation Scriptures: Leviticus 1 verse 1 – 17
The Lord called to Moses out of the Tent of Meeting, and said to him, 2 Say to the Israelites, When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of [domestic] animals from the herd or from the flock. 3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the door of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 And he shall lay [both] his hands upon the head of the burnt offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the victim], and it shall be an acceptable atonement for him. 5 The man shall kill the young bull before the Lord, and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall present the blood and dash [it] round about upon the altar that is at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 6 And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. 7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay wood in order on the fire; 8 And Aaron’s sons the priests shall lay the pieces, the head and the fat, in order on the wood on the fire on the altar. 9 But its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet and satisfying odor to the Lord. 10 And if the man’s offering is of the flock, from the sheep or the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without blemish. 11 And he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall dash its blood round about against the altar. 12 And [the man] shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. 13 But he shall wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet and satisfying fragrance to the Lord. 14 And if the offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then [the man] shall bring turtledoves or young pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 And he shall take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 And he shall split it open [holding it] by its wings, but shall not cut it in two. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet and satisfying odor to the Lord.  Leviticus 1:1-17 AMP

1. The offering is God’s idea:

a. In verse 2, Moses gave instructions to the people of how they were to bring their offering to the Lord.

b. It’s not just about bringing an offering – it’s about bringing an offering that is acceptable to the Lord.

c. Verses 9, 13, and 17 speak of the burning of the offering, by fire, as a sweet, and satisfying odor to the Lord.

d. Barnes’ Notes says: “The substance of the victim was regarded not as something to be consumed, but as an offering of a sweet-smelling savor sent up in the flame to Yahweh.”

e. When you present an offering to the Lord, it is not lost or “consumed”, but it rises as a sweet savor to Him.

N.B. We need to realize that offerings are not man’s idea, but God’s idea. The Lord asks for our offering and He receives it as a sweet and satisfying fragrance or an odor when we bring it in faith as an act of worship and obedience.

Pastor Adonica’s Thoughts:
The burnt offering was offered as atonement for sin and it was pleasing to God. A burnt offering can never be retracted by man – you can’t ask for it back. Once it is given and burned it is well and truly God’s. Before you give this offering, you must totally commit it to God and leave it with Him. Ephesians 5:2 says that Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. He was a slain offering for you and I and a sacrifice to God. He personally became that sweet fragrance. God looks upon the heart. When you give out of love and obedience, your offering smells fragrantly sweet to the Lord.

Pastor Rodney’s Thoughts:
When we come to worship the Lord, we build an altar to the Lord and offer our gifts upon this altar. Throughout this passage, as Moses speaks of how God desires the offering to be presented and burned, he mentions the sweet and satisfying odor of the burnt offering to the Lord. God receives our gifts and they come up before Him as a sweet smell and a fragrance. The scripture speaks of our praise and worship as a sacrifice of praise, God is waiting to receive from us, even as we are waiting to receive from Him.

Prayer and Confession:
Father, I thank you that I have the privilege to honor you and worship you with my giving. Please accept these gifts. May they be a sweet and satisfying odor to you!

 

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting-place? 2 For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.  Isaiah 66:1-2 AMP

Almighty God created everything that exists—the universe and everything in it—including man. As He has declared: heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool! Yet men have not reverentially feared the Lord, as they should have and as He is worthy of, and have exalted themselves, thinking that they are more than what they really are. This was the devil’s mistake. He dared to exalt his throne above the throne of God!

The God Who produced and formed the world and all things in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade shrines. 25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He lacked anything, for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people].
Acts 17:24-25 AMP

Men have exalted themselves by casting God aside—the very God to whom they owe their very existence; the God who gave them their life and breath—treating Him as if He is irrelevant, ignoring and disregarding Him as if He is only an invention of man. On the other hand, men have exalted themselves, believing that they could actually build Him buildings that could contain Him. There is no building that could be built—no matter how magnificent by man’s standards—that is a worthy dwelling for our God! So great is He!

Just because you think you are really something—doesn’t mean that you are. You can choose your own way and your own path, but it is the road to nowhere. God is not interested in what you can do for Him or impressed by what you can build for Him. He is only interested in what is in your heart.  The man or woman whom God will regard, whom He is looking for and whom He cares about, are the ones who are altogether humble before God. There are many who claim humility, and yet are not, because they are proud of their humility. It is only a surface humility and makes God sick. He especially hates hypocrisy. God has respect and regard for the one who trembles at his word and reveres His commands!

If you are indeed a humble person, you will highly respect God’s word. God, and the rest of us, will all see and know this when we see how personally you take His word to you. We will see it by whether or not you act on God’s word, instead of just talking about it, and we will see it by how promptly you obey His commands. This is the only true measure of humility. John 4:24 AMP says that, “God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).”  Worship that is acceptable to God is worship that is absolutely sincere, coming straight from the heart.

But in every nation he who venerates and has a reverential fear for God, treating Him with worshipful obedience and living uprightly, is acceptable to Him and sure of being received and welcomed [by Him].  Acts 10:35 AMP

God is NO respecter of persons. Anyone—no matter who you are; no matter what you have done; no matter what your nationality—can be acceptable to God on the basis of worshipful obedience!

And a sense of awe (reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles (the special messengers).  Acts 2:43 AMP

So the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was edified [growing in wisdom, virtue, and piety] and walking in the respect and reverential fear of the Lord and in the consolation and exhortation of the Holy Spirit, continued to increase and was multiplied.  Acts 9:31 AMP

The respect and reverential fear of God was a hallmark of the early church. When Jesus is your First Love, you will give Him the place of honor in your heart and life!

Therefore, since these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God.  2 Corinthians 7:1 AMP

Let’s not miss out on any of the wonderful things God has in store for us. Let’s consecrate ourselves afresh to reverence Him—to humble ourselves before Him, to get rid of all sin and pride, and to remind ourselves how precious, how wonderful, how powerful and how magnificent our God is and how worthy He is to receive all our praise, honor, adoration and obedience!

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 KJV

God is good and He is good all the time. You could not call Him good if He was sometimes good and sometimes not. Goodness is not just about being good and doing good; it’s about being constant and consistent; being predictably good. Because God is good, He is consistently merciful and benevolent, kind, generous and forgiving.

“O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.” Psalms 34:8 AMP

“Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation, Since you have [already] tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord.” 1 Peter 2:2-3 AMP

The word “taste” represents an experience. We can personally experience God’s goodness. It is our choice. The goodness and the kindness of the Lord were manifested in the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on our behalf. God has done everything He can do to show us His goodness; now it is up to each one of us to choose to personally experience – taste – that
goodness for ourselves! We taste God’s goodness when we trust and take refuge in Him.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!” 1 Chronicles 16:34 AMP

“God passed in front of him and called out, ‘God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient — so much love, so deeply true — 7 loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn’t ignore sin. He holds sons and grandsons responsible for a father’s sins to the third and even fourth generation.’” Exodus 34:6-7 TMB

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” Psalms 86:5 NKJV

God’s goodness, mercy and kindness never run out. He displays His goodness by showing His mercy. If you sin without repentance, God will have to hold you accountable – you will not get away with it. However, if you sincerely repent and ask God to forgive you, He will do so immediately. The Lord always forgives and shows mercy to those who call on Him, but those who rebel against Him, never have the privilege of experiencing His goodness.

“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NKJV

It’s God’s good pleasure to fulfill His goodness in you, through you, and for you! We must desire and strive to be worthy of what He has called us to do. When we have faith in God, He will work in and through and for us in power! God’s plan is that Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in Him.

“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You choose and cause to come near, that he may dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.” Psalms 65:4 AMP

“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the Lord — For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all.Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:12-14 NKJV

People are drawn to and attracted to God’s goodness. God’s goodness is in His house, in His presence, and is freely available to those who are full of Him and who stay close to Him. God’s goodness is all we need. God will cause His loyal people to always be satiated and satisfied with His goodness.

“Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” Hosea 3:5 NKJV

“Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.” Jeremiah 33:6-9 NKJV

God’s will for us is that we should experience His goodness and His prosperity. God’s people must never take His goodness for granted, but it is very important that we respect and appreciate the goodness of God and how good He is to us. God says that when the nations of the earth see and hear about His abundant goodness toward His children it will be a mighty testimony – they will fear and tremble – they will be in awe of God. Give thanks to God for His goodness!

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalms 107:8-9 NKJV

I should be praying for them, asking God how I can be a blessing to them each and every day! I need to say, God how can I meet someone’s need today? And I will challenge myself to do this! God didn’t pour his love on me so I could keep it to myself, he gave it freely, so I will give it freely as well!

God is dealing with me about being a good steward of my time, managing my schedule and making sure that I don’t leave Him out of my daily activities and decisions. But there is always something to do, someone to talk to, a project to complete, family that needs help or an unexpected emergency. By trying to complete things in the flesh and not spending time with God, actually frustrates me. I learned that I need dedicated time with God. He is my source, He is my strength, and He is my wonderful counselor.