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Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Offerings in the Book of Numbers are described with three different terms: (1)My offerings (Korbanot), My food for My fire offerings, (3) My soothing aroma (Numbers 28:2). By these appellations, the Levitical worship system offers something to each of the senses. We touch and handle them; we smell them as they burn on the fire; we taste of the peace offering; and as the ceremonies are conducted we hear the priestly choir while our eyes witness the whole event. The wording used referencing to the offerings seems to indicate that God obtains sensory gratification from them. As we therefore read these and any other similar texts, we must understand that any wording crediting God with a body enjoying sensory activities is only a metaphorical and poetic tool employed solely for the sake of the human reader's understanding. When speaking of His Father, Yeshua said, "God is spirit (John 4:24)", and He defined "spirit" as incorporeal "a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." Luke 24:29). Here is a question: if an offerer was actually sanctified by the offering he could, at that moment, fearlessly enter the presence of God, but he still can't. Even in our redeemed state, we only enter the glorious Presence vicariously through the high-priesthood of Yeshua, the Messiah/Lamb (Hebrews 4:14-16). This reflects the idea of the Hebrew word 'korbanot' usually translated as 'sacrifice' or 'offering' and which means: 'a vicarious token by which I approach God.' So if God does not get any sensory gratification from these offerings that really do not perfect our conscience (Hebrews 9:9) enough that we may approach God, what are they for? At one points God even seems to refuse offerings (Micah 6:7). The delights our Father experiences through the offerings is that they represent a token of our submission and obedience (1 Samuel 15:22; Hoseah 6:6). One who offers is as one who offers himself. As Isaac with his father Abraham, as Yeshua with the Father, and as the innocent animals required to be calm and submissive before being killed may we, the firstfruit of the harvest of humanity (Revelations 7:4; 14:1, 4) when subjected to that same irrationality, by the mercies of God, present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship (Romans 12:1). P. Gabriel Lumbroso www.thelumbrosos.com
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Offerings, korbanot, sacrifices, levitical worship, conscience,
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