Burnt offering
Burnt Offerings are understood by considering what happens from the viewpoint of the one who presents the offering. When his offering is burnt, it turns to ashes. This means that one who offered funds, garden produce, or land that previously belonged to him - that one no longer even a small part of that property or the rights to it. He totally gives it on the altar.
In reality, his offering is not set on fire. Nobody lights a hot fire to burn the man's contribution check or to literally turn his garden produce into a pile of ashes. We use the metaphor burnt to indicate what happens to property rights vested in the offering.
After the offering is burnt, it becomes the property of the one whom it was offered, and a burnt offering brought to the altar of Christ becomes property of Jesus Christ.
The altar has a minister standing beside it. The minister has duties connected with the altar, and he can only stand at the altar while he is trusted to serve according to his prescribed duties. the minister does not have complete property rights over the property which came as a burnt offering. In the view of the minister, the offering is an item of value, belonging to Jesus Christ, and in his good conscience, he dares not steal it from Christ. Now he has the duty to commune with the Father in heaven, to do His will, just the same way Jesus did the will of the Father. The Father did not lead Jesus to dole out benefits to those who refused to consider and do according to the Law of the Almighty in heaven.
Look what Jesus did in Luke 9[1]. He asked His disciples to go preach the kingdom of God, because that was part of the Father's business. Did they load up the stuff which came the altar? No, they traveled without lots of stuff, and when they were greeted by kingdom seekers, they were given what they needed on their journey. That which was given to them was charity, to support the work of the disciples during their journey. It was not a burnt offering, in that case, since it was given by the seeker directly to the disciple for his own use.
What, then, is the proper use of items that came to the altar? And how is the burnt offering delivered?
It is for purposes of pure religion. It is given in the context of a trust, with its trustee (deacon/minister) standing at his place to oversee all burnt offerings. If it is given with the manner of 'strange fire', it is to be rejected from the altar of Christ, so that the altar may remain pure and holy.
Looking at Numbers 28, we find words like offering and burnt offering. The word for offering in the Hebrew is qorban. The word for 'burnt offering is olah. Both words indicate sacrifice, but the latter includes the idea of holocaust (going up in smoke). Another Hebrew word, ishshah, also indicates burnt offering, since it is made by fire. Numbers 28:2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering [qorban], and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire [ishshah], for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer [qarab] unto me in their due season. Qorban and qarab both are the idea of coming near. [2]
The reason for gathering together in a congregation of record includes purposes of drawing nearer to God, and He wants His children to come with them some of the blessings He has graced upon them along the way in their journey of life. We are to cast them upon the waters[3], which is to say, we are to share them, to make them available whenever a minister discovers a worthy soul who needs healing or comfort or assistance to get him back onto the path of diligence and righteousness. The burnt offering is at hand when the minister discovers, in the moment, it is time to distribute from the altar of Christ in the manner of ministry which is pleasing to the Father.
The manner of casting this bread upon the waters includes these aspects:
It is a voluntary gift, given from a cheerful heart by one who gladly shares his wealth; it is a gift given for reasons of repentance, gratitude, love and mercy; it is a gift that is useful (i.e, it is not rubbish, in the eyes of the giver); it is a gift which, from God's way of seeing it, is not blemished; it is an item which the giver owned, until the time he gave it as a burnt offering.
These aspects, together with all aspects of justice and humility, are innately part of the holy fire which make the burnt offering acceptable.
Numbers 28 also mentions a drink offering and a meat offering. What are these? The drink offering in the Hebrew text is nesek. The meat offering in the Hebrew is minchah. They are different from the burnt offering. These will be a future topic. This page is a work-in-progress.
- ↑ Luk 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. Luk 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. Luk 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. Luk 9:4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. Luk 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. Luk 9:6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.
- ↑ Jer 30:21, 22 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his hert to approach unto me? saith the LORD. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Hebrews 10:22 - 25 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
- ↑ Ecc 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Ecc 11:2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.