17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel—presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. 20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. 22 Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. 23 You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox[a] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, 25 and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.’”
26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the Lord. 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the Lord.
31 “Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy 33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 22:17-33
This passage dictates what is not worthy as a sacrifice as well as rules for raising such animals. The defective, the blind, and the injured all were not to be sacrificed. They could offer an animal that was stunted or deformed for a “free will” offering with the exception of a vow. A gift of the burnt offering was an offering that was of free will or to fulfill a vow, the gift of which was a sacrifice.
Without defect obviously represents perfection. God is perfect and the offering should represent this. We ourselves are made perfect through Christ. This means we are to offer our best of ourselves and our time. For the Israelites, getting the perfect animal took time, thought, and preparation. The same should be true for us. How much time do I take in preparation for that which I give to God? How much time do I prepare my mind before I go to church? How much time do I seek God before I make mid to large decisions in my life? Often when I look back at decisions I regret, it is decisions that I did not seek God about before I made them. The best in the flock are the few that stand out. What stands out in our lives that we sacrifice to God? Perhaps the better question is, are we willing to sacrifice the best for God?
As the Word says, we are living sacrifices. Our time and our prayers are holy and pleasing to God. We should spend more time in thought and preparation for that which we offer. This may look different for each one of us but I believe this is something each of us need to seek. We are the few within the world that stand out without blemish. In God’s eye’s, we are perfect. Being a Christian should give us an obligation to live righteously, to force ourselves to be the best at what we do. God is the one who sanctified us and set us apart as holy so that we can do exactly that.
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