Reformed Sacrifice

Psalms 50:14 (KJV) Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

(Proverbs 10 also read)

If you read the verses before this, you’ll find God basically saying that He does not want their empty sacrifices of bulls and goats and such.  He throws in a little bit of humor when He points out that He doesn’t need their sacrifices in order to have steak for dinner.  He owns all the cattle on 1000 hills as well as all the animals in the forest.  He is not going to go hungry.

And your sacrifices of bulls and goats and such are pointless.

What seems strange about this is that God is the one who set up the sacrificial system.  What we seem to miss is that the sacrificial system was set up as a way of expressing something.  Sometimes it was seeking forgiveness and confession.  Sometimes it was an attempt by God to get us to focus on our attitudes and our purposes.  He wants us to be offering thanksgiving sacrifices.  The attitude is so important.

So?  We don’t have a temple anymore, at least a physical temple.  That doesn’t matter.  We no longer have to offer up the blood of animals.  What we now offer up is the heart of thanksgiving towards God.  That’s the kind of thing He really always wanted and now He forces the issue by destroying the temple.  Rejoice.  Give thanks.