SACRIFICE 3 - Jesus, the Final Offering for Sin

Sacrifice 3 - English files

Opferbereitschaft 3 - German files

By the way, the picture at the left shows "The Gospel in a Nutshell", the finished craft project belonging to this lesson. Complete instructions are included.

 Devotional Thoughts about Sacrifice in the Bible

The words sacrifice and offering come up a total of 942 times in the Bible. As might be expected, well over half of those occurrences are in Exodus through Deuteronomy, where God introduced and instituted the Jewish sacrificial system for dealing with sin.

Other occurrences show the role that sacrifice played in everyday life. Looking through the passages, I noticed several in which sacrifice is contrasted negatively with other things.

In 1 Samuel 15:22, for instance, King Saul stated his intention of sacrificing to God the animals plundered from a battle. But that didn’t justify his disobedience when he failed to follow God’s instructions.

In the Psalm in which David repents for the incident with Bathsheba, he writes that God prefers a broken spirit and a contrite heart to a burnt offering (51:16,17). Outward symbols and deeds such as sacrifices can easily come to replace the attitudes and values they’re supposed to represent.

The Prophet Hosea wrote that God values mercy and knowing Him more than sacrifice (6:6). Jesus referenced this passage twice in Matthew (9:13 and 12:7), urging His hearers to ponder and apply it.

The Book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to show how Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice atoned for sin and fulfilled the Law, doing away with the need to repeatedly sacrifice animals (10:11-14).

Lord, thank You for Your incomprehensible sacrifice for me! Help me to give You everything I am and have as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

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If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next topic will be Decisiveness. 

SACRIFICE 2 - Parents make many sacrifices for their children.

Sacrifice 2 - English file

Opferbereitschaft 2 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Exodus 1:7-2:10

Imagine the concern of Jochebed and Amram at the birth of their son after Pharaoh had decreed infanticide for Israelite boys! Rather than give him up, they took the risk of hiding him for three long months. Their trust in God gave them the courage to defy the king’s commandment (Hebrews 11:23).

We’re not told how many babies were thrown into the Nile; only that Pharaoh’s policy was very ineffective (1:20). He probably had no idea whom he was up against nor that his campaign agaist God's plan to multiply the Israelites was doomed for failure.

It must have been excruciating for Jochebed to prepare the basket and set her son out to be found by someone else, but she sacrificed her own feelings and carried through with her plan in order to save his life.

Then Miriam came running home with the news that the princess had found the baby and wanted a nurse to care for him. Jochebed showed up and got the job of caring for her own son under the protection of Pharaoh’s daughter!

God had used the selfless love of a mother in the unique set of circumstances He'd created to prepare a leader for His people at a crucial time. We don’t know how long her custody of Moses lasted, but the fact that he later identified with God’s people despite his Egyptian education shows the power of his parents' early influence (Acts 7:22, Hebrews 11:24,25).

Because of our sin nature, we’re all quite slow to appreciate the sacrifices that others make for us. And kids take almost everything for granted unless they’re shown sacrifice and are taught to value it. Lord, help me to set them a thoughtful and grateful example.

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SACRIFICE 1 - Sacrifice always costs something.

Sacrifice 1 - English files

Opferbereitschaft 1 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about 2 Samuel Chapter 24

This chapter at the end of 2 Samuel and near the end of David’s life leaves us wondering about several things. For instance, we’re not told what sin had aroused God’s anger at Israel (verse 1) nor is it said what David’s census had to do with it, but by the time the numbers were all in, the sin was compounded, and punishment was coming.

David was given the unique opportunity of choosing from three frightening punishments: famine, losing at war and an epidemic. His response was characteristic for him. He knew he couldn’t trust people, but he could trust God to be merciful. God chose for him the epidemic, and true to His character, He was merciful, stopping it before it reached Jerusalem.

David insisted on paying full price for Arauna’s land and oxen, making his obedience a true sacrifice. Turn just one page back in your Bible to 2 Samuel 23:14-17 to find another example of how important sacrifice was for David.

Lord, help me be ready to make sacrifices for Your sake.

By the way, Arauna’s threshing floor was chosen as the site of the temple Solomon was to build (1 Chronicles 22:1,2).

Downloading lesson files

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. There are two more lessons in the topic Sacrifice.