It is imperative to note that, there is an objective or rationale for every offering that we present to the Lord for example;
1. The daily regular offering
This offering is to express our gratitude and thankfulness to God and to declare His loving-kindness in the morning and His faithfulness every night. This was endorsed by King David in his last words to the Levites when he instructed them “to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening; and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the LORD” (1Chronicles 23:30-31; Psalms 92:2).
To have an idea how important this daily offering is to the Lord, it should not be substituted for any other offering which we offer to the Lord; for example, it should be substituted for the offering on the weekly Sabbath, for the New Moons or for the annual festivals, this offering is besides or in addition to any other offering (see Numbers 28: 10, 15, 2, 31; 29: 6, 11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 3, 38).
2. The Weekly and annual Sabbath
The rationale for this offering is to have peace and fellowship with one another and with the Father and the Son, as we have been admonished by the apostle Paul saying; “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1Corinthians 10:1-17).
We can also learn from the apostle John who instructed us saying; “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness: If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1John 1:5-10).
Since no one can say “I have no sin” or, “I have not sinned” and must be walking in the light just as God is in the light in order to have fellowship with one another and with the Father and the Son, and it is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin, it is evident that it is through the cup of blessing that we bless that we are cleanse from all unrighteousness, because, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Therefore, the rationale or objective for the offerings on the Sabbaths is to present us holy, perfect and blameless before God so as to have fellowship with the Father and the Son and with one another, as alluded to by the apostle Paul who wrote; “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way open for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).
In concluding religious directions the apostle Paul gave the following instructions; “The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so, Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore” (Hebrews 13:11-13).
This offering, which is the body and blood of Jesus in the form of the bread and wine is of paramount importance, it is the offering which the High Priest is appointed to offer on behalf of man’s sins, and it is the only offering which can cleanse the worshiper from a guilty conscience, and present him/her holy, blameless, and irreproachable in the sight of God.
Like every high priest Jesus Christ is appointed to offer sacrifices on our behalf, because it is through His blood we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins and it is through the body of His flesh through death, that we are presented holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight (Hebrews 5:1; 8:3; Colossians 1:14, 22, 1John 1:7).
It should be noted also that believers are regarded as, living stones that are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ: They are also considered as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that they may proclaim the praises of Him who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Therefore, as a royal priesthood the main duty of a priest is to offer to the Lord the food for His offerings, but the sad reality is, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, " The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," and " A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense:" They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed” (1Peter 2:5, 7-9).
Not only can it be confirmed that Jesus Christ is indeed that fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, but Jesus Christ also confirmed the fact that He is the bread of God which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:33).
A common mistake make by most believers is that, they do not realize that forgiveness, and cleansing of sin, are entirely two different processes that are intertwined to each other. It is written; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Understanding spiritual things are not beyond man’s comprehension since, “What may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Is a person who spills milk on the floor brake the glass, begs for forgiveness, and grants forgiveness, is automatically negated from cleaning the messy floor? Absolutely not! Without picking up the broken pieces of glass, clean the floor with water and detergent, the floor remains unclean and hazardous. In like manner, confession without the application of the blood of Christ through the cup of the New Covenant which Christ instituted on the night before He was led to be crucified, there is no forgiveness.
Also, an offense or a transgression is not resolved simply by acknowledging one’s guilt and confessing to a Lawyer. The matter is resolved only when it is brought before the Magistrate or Judge, where the lawyer intercedes or pleads on behalf of the offender.
In like manner, sins are not forgiven unless Christ intercedes on our behalf. He does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. But like every high priest He is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices on behalf of our sins, and this offering is the bread of God and the cup of the new covenant of His blood which only can satisfies the will of God.
3. On the New Moon
There is also the monthly offering or on the New Moon offering, whose objective is to acknowledge the beginning of a new month as we have been duly instructed saying; “At the beginnings of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the LORD:… this is the burnt offering for each month throughout the months of the year” (Numbers 28:11, 14).
This monthly offering will undoubtedly be offered in the future for it is written; "For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me," says the LORD, "So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the LORD” (Isaiah 66: 22-23).
I therefore beg to ask the question, if this offering was ordained to be offered throughout the months of the year in the past and will be observed in the future, why is it not being observed today? The logical answer is irreverence, the lack of respect and awe to the authority of God.
To be continued
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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