“And you shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering to the Lord daily; morning by morning you shall provide it,” (46:13).

I wanted to throw down my shovel and stop the digging. And so I confess, with exasperation, I did just that for. I looked up what a few commentaries had to say, and many seem convinced this is all a symbolic representation uniting the future with the past through the commemorative offerings.

But I can’t help but go back to the fact that God brought Ezekiel to the land of Israel, a literal place to show him a literal temple with literal rooms and literal measurements.

So today, while I simply do not have answers as to why the Offerings are reinstated, I believe they will be. And out of my muddled thinking, I did clearly see one thing. Offerings are a significant part of Worship. And as we recognized yesterday, Scripture incontrovertibly states that Jesus came to make propitiation for our sins, once for all time, (Hebrews 2:17; 10:1). So I wondered, are there still Designated Offerings today?

It is clear that His Offerings were ordered and expected to be obeyed. So while I have no insight on how this will all come to pass in the future, I do see significance for today. His Designated Offerings have always been a heart matter, a matter of faith; and this is not only a New Testament precept, for God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The principles of faith, trust, humility, and obedience that are so essential in our worship have always been integral aspects in His Designated Offerings.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the Lord, (Psalm 4:5).

And even before the incarnation of Christ, the man after God’s own heart penned the Truth of God’s desire in His Designated Offerings. God does not desire that we merely bring a material Offering so we can check it off our to do list. His desire is that we Offer our whole self, that our ears would be opened to hear His call to come to Him in faith for eternal life and to receive His Indwelling Holy Spirit Who will write His law within our hearts.

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
⁸ I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart,”  (Psalm 40:6).

So while this chapter outlines many types of Offerings, we can be sure of this, every Offering was to be offered in faith, trust, humility, and obedience; for truly these are His Designated Offerings He finds acceptable.

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous… (Hebrews 11:4).

Consider His Designated Offerings

• His Designated Offerings are to be given as we are able, in response to the blessings He has given us.
  • Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you, (Deuteronomy 16:17).

• His Designated Offerings must begin and end with our obedience.
  • “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
    Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
    And to heed than the fat of rams, (1 Samuel 15:22).

• His Designated Offerings require our brokenness over sin.
  • For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
    You are not pleased with burnt offering.
    ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise, (Psalm 51:16-17).

• His Designated Offerings are to be brought through our endeavors of righteousness and justice.
  • To do righteousness and justice
    Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice, (Proverbs 21:3).

• His Designated Offerings necessitate that we are loyal to the truths that we know of Him.
  • “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,
    And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings,” (Hosea 6:6).

• His Designated Offerings direct us to seek the blessings of giving rather than receiving.
  • “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35).

• His Designated Offerings Offer Him all praise as we do good and share with others.
  • Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. ¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased, (Hebrews 13:15-16).

How do we respond to His Designated Offerings?

His Designated Offerings will always cost us something, whether it be through our giving or our denying of self.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me,” (Matthew 16:24).

And we are to Offer God everything, this is His Designated Offering. This means both the giving and denying of self in Offering our whole bodies as a living sacrifice. Alive in Christ and dead to the flesh. And oh how desperately we need His Word to transform our minds and hearts to enable us to present our bodies as His Designated Offerings acceptable to Him, in response to His many blessings; in wholehearted obedience, in brokenness over our sin, in righteous and just living, in being loyal to the truths that we know of Him, and in seeking the blessing of giving so as to bring a sacrifice of praise to Him.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect, (Romans 12:1-2).

And while His Designated Offerings will cost us, while they will be sacrificial, they must not be given reluctantly, begrudgingly or under compulsion, as if to please onlookers.

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed, (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).

Let us trust His abounding grace to overflow as we make it our life’s ambition to cheerfully bring Him His Designated Offerings.

Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38).

Oh that He would so grow us to have a heart like David. Let us ask Him to grow our desire to give Him, wholly and sacrificially, everything. And let us never ride on the coattails of another’s offering so as to bring His Designated Offerings that cost us nothing.

Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” ²⁴However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver, (2 Samuel 24:24).

Oh that we would do everything as an Offering, as His Designated Offering, and bring Him glory and give Him thanks all the days of our life.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father, (Colossians 3:17).

Let’s Grow Together!