There are two types of sacrifices that the Lord calls us to give. These are "sacrifices unto man" and "sacrifices unto the Lord". So I am not misunderstood, the term "sacrifices unto man" are not sacrificed to man as in man being the object of worship but rather are sacrificed to God but in some way are for our benefit. These sacrifices as they are obeyed and given hold some type of promise to them which directly or indirectly benefits us.

In contrast to this type of sacrifice are "sacrifices unto the Lord". These hold no promise of any benefit to anyone other than for the Lord's delight. These are also given in obedience to the Lord's commandment to us but in contrast to the aforementioned sacrifices these seem like a complete waste of resources in the natural realm. This is necessary by definition because for a sacrifice to be given wholly unto the Lord it must only benefit the Lord else it would not wholly be given or poured out unto Him.

The major component of any sacrifice is that it must have value or else it would not be a sacrifice. Sacrifices unto man usually can be seen as having a purpose. Tithes and offerings are a sacrifice given to feed the poor, maintain and upkeep the church, fund missions trips and missionaries, etc. Our time is also a type of sacrifice were we give up a portion or tithe of our time in order to do the Lord's work. This includes ministering to others either spiritual or physical needs, intercession, bible study, corporate meetings, etc.

Now, in the examples shown above, these sacrifices can be seen as having some intrinsic value or benefit. In other words, someone is being blessed by the offerings being made and in the natural realm there is a direct manifestation of the offering and sacrifices. You can see the poor person being fed or clothed, or the spiritual ministry taking effect in another's life and bearing fruit, or intercessory prayers being answered, or the church being maintained, or missionaries giving a good report from your support.

These taken as a whole represents God's ministry unto man for the express purpose of healing and restoration of mankind unto the Lord. The Lord makes us active participants in His plan of reconciliation and restoration by commanding us to sacrifice. Those sacrifices are used to help either ourselves or others be raised up into the full stature of Christ.

With a sacrifice to be poured out wholly unto the Lord none of the aforementioned benefits can be seen. This type of sacrifice from all appearances has no purpose and quite frankly seems like a huge waste of valuable resources. It is strictly given unto the Lord.

Before I go any further, burnt offerings are NOT this type of sacrifice even though they are burnt or seemingly wasted. Those offerings were given to receive blessings from God. They sacrificed the animals to receive forgiveness for sins, blessings on their crops, prosperity in their land, etc. These sacrifices still made sense to the natural mind and the effects of the sacrifice were manifest in the physical world around them. The Lord brought rain, sunshine, a bountiful harvest, peace from their enemies, etc.

As previously mentioned, sacrifices of this type could be coined "sacrifices unto man". They were given in obedience to God's command but they were for man's benefit. They were to assure that God's children would be blessed and prosper.

The sacrifice or pouring out unto the Lord is quite different in many respects to the aforementioned sacrifices in that:

1. There is no promise of anything in return for the sacrifice. 2. It may not ever manifest itself in the natural realm. 3. It makes no sense to the natural mind. 4. It seems like a complete waste of valuable resources. 5. It is something that is very precious or costly to us. 6. It is wholly given unto the Lord

In contrast to a promise of a return on investment as in sacrifices unto man, the sacrifice of pouring out unto the Lord has no such promise. There is no promise of personal blessing attached to it, there is no promise any other believer corporately will be blessed by it, there is no promise the poor will be fed, demons will be cast out, principalities will be cast down, or any other manifestation of the like. It is WHOLLY given unto the Lord for His good pleasure.

This type of sacrifice is one that we grow or mature into. The former type of sacrifices unto man lead us into the latter. The former type of sacrifices or "ministry unto man" are to raise up a people who are now capable of offering the true sacrifices. The temporal leads to the eternal. In addition, a trust in relationship between us and God is built through these "sacrifices unto man" that lead us into the "sacrifices unto the Lord". Trust is a direct byproduct of receiving.

Psalms 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.

As we receive His goodness or blessings that happen as we yield to His order we then begin to believe and tremble (heed to) God's word and forsake the natural or man's way of thinking. This is vital for the sacrifices unto the Lord to defy the natural mind. It must be completely seen through the eyes of faith as we loose all confidence in our natural understanding.

Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

The "sacrifices unto man" are necessary and are of the Lord (He has commanded us to do them) and vital for the "ministry unto man" but they are not what He really desires. In other words, they serve a purpose to minister to man but serve no purpose to minister to the heart of God.

Psalms 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

This is were the outer court ministry or ministry unto man ends and the holy place ministry or ministry unto the Lord begins. The reason God does not "delight" in these type of sacrifices is because they are not WHOLLY given unto Him. There is still a component of human benefit still involved in them. It is evident from this that the "sacrifices unto man" are temporal. They are to raise up the body to full stature or maturity that we may be able to offer the true sacrifices unto the Lord. We see this spoken of in:

Isaiah 66: 1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the house that ye build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest? 2 For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those [things] have been, saith the LORD: but to this [man] will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. 3 He that killeth an ox [is as if] he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, [as if] he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, [as if he offered] swine's blood; he that burneth incense, [as if] he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. 4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose [that] in which I delighted not.

Only the truly broken and contrite can give the true sacrifices based upon HIS WORD rather than human reasoning with the natural mind. Thus the wisdom of God is meant to confound the wisdom of men. It may make no sense at all to the natural mind but it makes complete sense to the spiritual man. This is ONLY because the spiritual man bases his or her actions on the word of God and not human understanding.

Many never seek to go beyond the "sacrifices unto man" (outer court ministry) but rather choose to continue to offer that which the Lord has no real true delight in as far as being personally ministered to. These sacrifices are acceptable to benefit man but are completely unacceptable to God as a sacrifice poured out unto Him. Thus we read that they are considered as that which is an abomination. They were never meant to be a focal point but rather a springboard into the true worship.

Let's look at two specific examples of sacrifices unto the Lord.

2 Samuel 23: 15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which [is] by the gate! 16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that [was] by the gate, and took [it], and brought [it] to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.

What a complete waste from all outward appearances. Three of your most valiant soldiers put their lives on the line to bring you water that you need because your in a hold and can't get out. In addition, you don't have any water that you desperately need and you pour it on to the ground and completely waste it? What a waste of resources, so it seems. But David being the worshipper he was knew that this was the perfect time for this type of sacrifice. He could not replace the water the men brought, it was valuable and costly, and when poured out it had no value to anyone else but the Lord. So he poured it out unto the Lord as a pure sacrifice unto Him.

The valiant men probably didn't understand it nor did any of the men around him but God took note of it. If David would have given the water to one of the other men then it would have not been WHOLLY GIVEN UNTO THE LORD. This is the essential component of this type of sacrifice, namely to be wholly given unto the Lord it cannot benefit anyone other than God, else it is a sacrifice unto man.

This is the essential difference between David and Saul. David knew what the Lord delighted in and Saul did not. David's relationship was cultivated with the Lord such that he knew it was not out of the question for the Lord to require something that was unreasonable and totally confounding to the natural mind. Saul never entered into that type of relationship. When the Lord commanded Saul to destroy ALL of the Amalekites spoil it was to be a sacrifice unto the Lord. None was to be held back. God did not delight in destroying the spoil, He was testing Saul's heart.

What a complete waste this must have seemed and in fact did seem to Saul. But in this the Lord was testing and sifting His "leader" to see if Saul would look beyond his own understanding and press into wholly obeying Him. For his inability to delight in the Lord Saul was rejected. Not only as king of Israel but also as one who would be a type of Christ.

1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.

The Lord did not need the sacrifices, Saul needed (lusted after) them. The sacrifices Saul held back were not reserved for God but for man to benefit man. Saul was rejected because He did not trust the Lord nor delighted in what pleased God. Because he did not trust God he then did not obey God. This was the root of Saul's sin, namely a lack of trust in the Lord and a heart that would not seek to find God's deepest desires and passion. Nobody can give themselves over to God unless they first trust God with their life.

The second example is the alabaster box:

Matthew 26: 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat [at meat]. 8 But when his disciples saw [it], they had indignation, saying, To what purpose [is] this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood [it], he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did [it] for my burial.

>From what I hear this box of ointment in today's wages would cost about $10,000. What a waste. Even His very disciples thought it was a complete waste but this woman heard God's voice to anoint Jesus for His burial and pour out the sacrifice unto the Lord. She did not consult man nor did she "lean upon her own understanding" but rather being a true worshipper of the Lord she was one who was broken and contrite and who trembled at God's word. The Lord spoke a word to her and asked her to do something completely unreasonable and seemingly wasteful. But in that one act of obedience she became a sweet savor unto the Lord for the sweet fragrance was not found in the ointment but rather in the obedience that stemmed from trembling at His word.

The Lord's delight was not in the ointment for I am sure in heaven there is a much greater ointment that that. His delight is that she was willing to minister unto the Lord and become the living sacrifice. In that holy place of her heart she made Jesus her King and from that love relationship she willingly poured out the valuable ointment unto the Lord.

The Lord is indeed calling us and raising us up into such a ministry that we may be worthy of being called "sons of Zadok" so we may offer the true sacrifices and worship that He delights in.

Ezekiel 44:15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD: 16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

Being poured out unto the Lord goes completely against all human reasoning and understanding but this is an essential component of the true sacrifice. It is a mystery! Let us gain understanding of what truly delights the Lord and ask Him for the grace to become that living sacrifice poured out wholly unto Him. What greater ministry could we attain to than being worthy of ministry unto the Lord?
 

Jim, Terri, and Joshua Rinker 1115 Fern Ave. Kenhorst, Pa. 19607 610-796-4862 (H) 610-458-8959 (W) http://landru.myhome.net/cmjhburl/Resource1.html rinker@3dp.com
 

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