A Valuable Sacrifice

I have begun reading through the book of Leviticus. Why? Because it's one of the last places from which I expect to derive some devotional value. But since "all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable..." (2 Timothy 3:16), I thought I'd try to find to find devotional value in Leviticus.

Here is what struck me today as I read Leviticus 3.

According to verses 1 and 6, peace offerings are to be male or female animals "without defect." Consider just how valuable such an animal would be. First of all, it would be the best the worshiper had to offer. If he was going to sell an animal to get top price, this would be his best bet. But it goes well beyond that. Such an animal, if it were to be kept alive, could be used to breed more high-quality animals. So the worshiper doesn't just lose one unblemished animal, he gives up the generations of future animals that could have carried the same superior genes. This is no small sacrifice.

Worship of God is not cheap. It is costly. If it is not costly, then our worship says very little about the value of God. In fact, it instead declares the value of our money, of what our money can buy, of our leisure time, or of our lesiure activities. Worship is costly. But God is worth it.