The Old Testament is full of rituals and ceremonies that Christians do not observe today. The most significant of these involved an elaborate system of sacrifices. In the first five chapters of Leviticus, at least seven distinct types of sacrificial offerings were commanded by God to be done by the Israelites.
We are no longer required to slaughter animals and burn them on an altar during worship. The death of Christ on the cross was the only sacrifice we will ever need for the forgiveness of our sins. However, there are some elements of Old Testament sacrificial giving that we can observe in our lives today.
- Offerings were always made from the “first fruits” of the harvest or from the “first born” of the herds and flocks (Leviticus 23:9-14). The first check written before we pay our bills each week should be the one that goes into our offering envelope. Better yet, most churches today allow automatic deposits from member accounts.
- God required the Israelites to tithe. That is, they were to give one-tenth of their possessions back to Him (Leviticus 27:30-33). In a similar way, we need to give proportionally. When we commit a fixed percentage of our income to God, as our blessings increase our offerings will increase as well. On the other hand, if God decides to give us less, our offerings will be lower to the same degree.
- Offerings were given regularly. When the Jerusalem Temple was functioning, sacrifices were offered every morning and evening without fail. Offerings were brought to the temple by the Israelites to be sacrificed during major religious festivals as well as for general worship purposes.
- Offerings were used in order to operate and maintain the Temple. A portion of the sacrifices went to the priests and Levites in order to sustain them. God wanted them to devote themselves fully to the work of the Lord (Numbers 18:20-24). Later in the Old Testament, the Jews neglected regular giving and the priests had to work outside the Temple to support themselves. As a result, the entire system of worship broke down (Malachi 3:6-12). Similarly, our churches must meet a regular payroll, pay down the mortgage, and write checks for ongoing maintenance. All members need to support the church financially in order to match revenues with expenses.
If you haven’t done so already, make an effort to give your first fruits to the Lord in proportion to what He has given you. Try it and see how much of a difference it can make in your life. It certainly has in mine.