Leviticus 22:17

Leviticus 22:17 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Verse eighteen adds, Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;  God told Moses once more what He expected when anyone offered a sacrifice to Him for a burnt offering.  Verse nineteen continues, Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.  Verse twenty states, But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.  Anyone offering male cattle, sheep or goats as an offering was to offer one without blemish, and if it had a blemish, it was not going to be accepted by God.  This is the reason that only Jesus alone is an acceptable sacrifice for our sins, since He was the only One to live without a spiritual blemish.  Verse twenty-one adds, And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.  Verse twenty-two continues, Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.  Animals offered for peace or freewill offerings were also to be without blemishes.  Verse twenty-three says, Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.  Animals with deformities could be offered for a freewill offering, but not for the fulfillment of a vow.  Verse twenty-four adds, Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.  I believe this refers to the bread offerings that could be offered.  We are to only bring the best that we have to God and not the leftovers.  Verse twenty-five continues, Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.  The people of Israel were not to bring offerings from a strangers hand, because there was corruption in them.  Today, when we bring our offerings to God they must be given freely and they must be ours to give, and we must have first accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-six declares, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse twenty-seven adds, When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.  An animal had to be at least eight days old before it could be offered to God as a sacrifice.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.  Cows and ewes could not be sacrificed the same day that their young were sacrificed.  Verse twenty-nine says, And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.  Sacrifices of thanksgiving were to be offered of a person's own free will, just as any sacrifice we offer to God should be today.  Verse thirty adds, On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I am the LORD.  Thanksgiving offerings could only be eaten they day that they were offered, because God said this, and He is God.  When we offer anything to God today, we can never forget that He is God.  Verse thirty-one continues, Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD.  Keeping God's commandments was not an option, and it is not today.  Once a person accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Savior and Lord, then he or she must obey the commandments of God.  This is not optional. Verse thirty-two states, Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,  I believe anytime we use God's name without really believing in what we are using it for or profess to believe in Him but don't put our faith in Him that we profane His name.  Verse thirty-three adds, That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD.  God had brought them out of Egypt, and therefore He alone was to be acknowledged as God and worshipped.  God alone has brought us out of our sinful state by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, then God alone should we worship.