Offer Sacrifices Clean and Undefiled

First, Paul urges Christians:  "Let us approach with true hearts in the full assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience and our bodies  bathed with clean water."  (Hebrews 10:22) The language employed here unmistakably reflects what was done in a typical sacrifice under the Law.  This is fitting because for a sacrifice  to be acceptable, it had to be offered with the right motive and be of something clean and undefiled. The sacrificial animal was from the herd or flock, that is to say of the clean animals, and was "sound," without defect. If the sacrifice was from the fowls, it had to be from the turtledoves or young pigeons. If those conditions were met, "it  [was to] be graciously accepted for him to make atonement for him." (Leviticus 1:2-4, 10, 14; 22:19-25) The grain offering contained no leaves,m which is a symbol of corruption; neither would it contain honey, likely meaning the syrup of fruit, which has a tendency to cause fermentation. When their sacrifices-animal , or grain-were offered on the altar, salt, a preservative, was added. -Leviticus 2:11-13.

What of the person making the offering? The Law stated that anyone coming before Jehovah had to be clean and undefiled. Someone who had become defiled for an y reason first had to offer a sin or guild offering to restore his clean standing before Jehovah so that his burnt offering or communion sacrifice could be acceptable to Him.  (Leviticus 5:1-6m 15, 17)  Do we, therefore,  appreciate the importance of always maintaining a clean standing before Jehovah?  IF we want our worship  to be acceptable to God, we must be swift about correcting any infractions of God's Laws. We should be quick to avail ourselves of the God-given means for help-"the older men of the congregation" and the "propitiatory sacrifice for our sins," Jesus Christ. -James 5:14; 1 John 2:1, 2. 

The emphasis on freedom from defilement of any kind was, in fact, the key difference between the sacrifices offered to Jehovah and those offered to false gods by the people in the nations around Israel. Commenting on this distinctive feature of the sacrifices in the Mosaic Law, one reference work observes:  "We may note that there is no connection with divination or augury; no religious frenzy, self-mutilations, or sacred  prostitution, sensual and orgiastic fertility rites being utterly forbidden; no human sacrifices; no sacrifices for the dead." All of this draws attention to one fact: Jehovah is holy, and he does not condone or approve of sin or corruption of any kind.  (Habakkuk 1:13)  Worship and sacrifices rendered to him must be clean and undefiled-physically, morally, and spiritually. -Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:14-16.

In view of this, we ought to scrutinize ourselves in all areas of life to be sure that our service to Jehovah is acceptable to him. We should never think that as long as we are having some share in Christian meetings and in the ministry, it does not matter what we do in our private life. We also should not feel that participation in Christian activities somehow excuses us from the need to abide by God's Laws in other areas of our life.  (Romans 2:21, 22) We cannot expect God's blessing and favor if we allow anything unclean or defiled in his eyes to contaminate our thinking or actions.  Bear in mind Paul's words:  "I entreat you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service within your power of reason. And quit being fashioned  after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove  to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:1, 2.

 Next time: Offer Sacrifices of Praise Wholeheartedly 

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000