Yehoah, our Lord and Creator, is inviting us several times a year to come and rejoice with Him on the occasion of His feasts.
But on these occasions, our Lord is asking us not to appear before Him empty-handed.
Let us read in Deuteronomy, chapter 16, verses 16 and 17, how Yehoah speaks to each family and is attributing importance to each of the words:
" 16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before Yehoah your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before Yehoah empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Yehoah your Elohim which He has given you. "
All family leaders therefore have the duty to prepare and bring an offering for Yehoah.
Good or bad offerings!
Making an offering to our Lord means also its preparation with a good attitude, if we love our Father in the skies, we must aim to make us pleasant just as our offering must be too.
If we succeed in presenting a pleasant offering, it will certainly be accepted by our Lord.
To help us succeed in this project of making a pleasant offering, the Bible gives us a lot of advice on how to proceed. For instance, it is worth reading the differences between the way Abel or Cain, the former making a pleasant offering and the latter displeasing to their Lord. Let's read this in Genesis 4: 3-7:
" 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to Yehoah. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And Yehoah respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So Yehoah said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Let us notice that the one who offers and his offering form a whole: both are pleasant or both unpleasant!
Abel takes care to choose the firstborn while Cain brings what comes to hand without taking care to choose the first-fruits. Abel takes care to make his offering with their fat. Abel is love with his offering while Cain is botching it up to get rid of it without making the slightest effort to be himself and make it pleasant!
According to the blessing that Yehoah has given to you!
Before deciding about the kind offering and its value, Yehoah is asking us to meditate and among others to remember all the blessings we have enjoyed thanks to Him.
People are usually doing the contrary when they plan to give someone a gift with the idea to get a favor in the future.
This is the kind of deplorable attitude that Balak, the king of Moab, had when he is inviting with a great expense the false prophet Balaam, the great religious leader of his time and that we could compare with the Pope today. Reading the details of this event in Numbers 22, one sees that Balak is trying to buy from Balaam a curse against Israel which seems to threaten him.
Another example of a repugnant offering is the one briefly described in the book of Acts, chapter 8, verses 18-24:
“18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of Elohim could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of Elohim. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray Elohim if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to Yehoah for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”
No, this is not at all the kind of offering that our Father is looking for! Yehoah on the contrary wishes to receive simply a sincere and loving thank you for all His blessings we might have received if this is the case.
Flawless offering!
As beautiful and valuable as we hold it to be, our offering of communion with our Lord must nevertheless meet a very important criterion stated in Leviticus, chapter 3, verse 1:
" ‘When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before Yehoah."
This instruction still has its value today: do not make an offering that is incomplete or truncated! The following account of the New Covenant should make us seriously think about the risk we take if we offer our Lord a lame offering. Let us read and meditate carefully while reading this account in Acts, from chapter 4 in verse 32 to chapter 5 in verse 11:
" 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Yeshuah. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Chapter 5
1But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.
2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to Elohim.”
5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?”
She said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of Yehoah? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to Yehoah, multitudes of both men and women”
This story should make us think, we who are unfortunately too used to trying to deceive the Tax or the laws of the road or any other rule: each time, it is as if we were lying to our Lord who allowed the setting in place of all these rules and authorities.
This brings us quite naturally to another very important aspect of the offerings.
Almost all offerings must be leaven-free!
This requirement of Yehoah is stated from the beginning of the book of Leviticus, in chapter 2, verses 1 and 11:
" ‘When anyone offers a grain offering to Yehoah, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. ...
‘No grain offering which you bring to Yehoah shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to Yehoah made by fire."
We can understand from the texts of the New Covenant that the leaven is a symbol of sin which can spread so quickly among people as the leaven makes all the dough rise! (I Corinthians 5: 6-7)
So today, before making an offering to our Father, we must do everything to present ourselves before Him as clean as possible and hopefully without sin, taking care in particular to purge our thoughts of all bad thoughts.
Last but not least: As in each good cooking recipe,
Do not forget to add a little bit of salt
to give flavor to your offering!
Yehoah insists about this in Leviticus 2:13:
“And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your Elohim to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt."
Today, in the eyes of our Father, the salt of the New Covenant, are the country of still unborn believers. Here is what our Lord Yeshuah said about it in Matthew 5:13:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."
Give even your necessities without any second thought!
“41 Now Yeshuah sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12: 41-44).