Worship and Sacrifice 

Prayer: 

Father, help us to worship you in spirit and it truth.

Last week we looked at the law and how God based them on two main principles; loving God and loving your neighbour. This week we look at the guidelines given to the priests on how God was to be worshipped. The first question is - why did he go into so much detail?  

I think he did this for the following reasons; 

• he wanted everyone to realise that he was the most powerful, the most intelligent, the most loving, eternal God. This was to apply to the Children of Israel as well as the nations around the world. To demonstrate this wanted the most just laws, far above those of the nations around.
• he wanted everyone to understand his plan and purpose, but as this is very difficult for us to comprehend he give signs and symbols through the temple, the priesthood and the rituals.
• he wanted to see if people would make the effort to try to do his will,  to understand that he was Holy and that only people would tried to please him would please him.
• to point to a future when the 'priesthood' would live in peace without needing to work under the curse of Adam (remember the bit about working and the sweat of his brow?)

Through Moses, he told the priest how they could please him. He didn't need the blood of goats, bulls, etc. but what he wanted was an outward show of dedication. This was to be for those around, so they could come to God. If everyone prayed in his own heart, how would the nations around know just how good God was? It was an early form of publicity, a demonstration to show their allegiance to God. 

So how does all this apply to us? We don't have the same sort of priesthood or the same ways to make sacrifices on an alter. What we do have is a high priest, Jesus. He didn't need to offer sacrifices every year, as he offered himself. (Read Hebrews 9:11-14) 

And we don't offer sacrifices in the same way. We've already mentioned this when we looked at Cain and Abel's sacrifices earlier in the year. 

What we need to do is try our best for God. Jesus offered himself to God and we need to as well. Not necessarily in dying, but by copying how Jesus lived his life day by day. Jesus, when talking to the Samaritan woman at the well said "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him."

We have to make sure we are praising God just how he wants. 

Questions 

Can you think of any other reasons why God may have been so specific about his requirements of the priesthood? 

Why did Jesus show a better way to come to God? 

How is this of importance to us (non-Jews)? 

Any ideas what purpose the temple (and its functions) will have when Jesus returns? 

Something Harder 

What did Jesus mean when he said we should worship God in spirit and in truth?