During the Feast of Trumpets at the Temple in Jerusalem approximately two thousand years ago, the offerings brought for sacrifice were of the highest quality. The animals, grain, and alcoholic beverages offered were the very best of their kind, with great care taken in their selection, preparation, and sacrifice. As we approach the fall holy days, we must consider how to ensure that our offerings to God mirror the excellence of those Temple sacrifices. The attitude, thought, effort, and preparation that go into our offerings are of utmost importance, far beyond the mere amount given. Even in financial hardship, God appreciates the sincere effort and quality behind an offering, as seen in the resourceful act of a family collecting recyclable items to contribute. God and His true ministers understand the financial constraints many face and value the efforts made to give with the proper attitude and for the right reasons. We are encouraged to take time to consider, plan, and present quality holy day offerings to Him.

Through His sinless life and vicarious death, Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled all the instructions regarding sacrifices and offerings. These God-given rituals taught crucial lessons about access to God, worship, devotion, and holiness. Even though animal sacrifices are no longer required, the principles behind offerings remain vital for those in a relationship with God. Offerings, such as holy day offerings and freewill offerings, as well as gifts of praise and thanksgiving in prayer, continue to express worship. Making an offering always involves a cost, though its physical value is merely a token representing the price paid. While an offering must cost the offerer something to be acceptable, God is not truly interested in its monetary value. He sets strict requirements for the unblemished quality of the gift and its source. An offering, no matter how grand, is meaningless if God's other requirements are not met, becoming nothing more than useless rivers of blood. Sacrifices and offerings miss their purpose entirely when not accompanied by faithfulness and obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice, and righteousness and justice are more acceptable to the Lord than offerings. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, especially when brought with wicked intent. Jesus Christ expounds on the spiritual intent of His law, providing specific instructions to ensure that gifts brought to Him are acceptable. If a grievance exists with a brother, reconciliation must be sought before making an offering. This act of humility and effort to reconcile is worth far more to God than any monetary token of devotion. Reconciliation, though not always immediate, reflects the heart God values in an offering. God does not desire mere sacrifice or delight in burnt offerings. The sacrifices He values are a broken spirit and a contrite heart, which He will not despise. The Lord requires justice, mercy, and humility from those who come before Him. What God is most interested in is the heart behind the offering, revealed in the willingness to act for the sake of a brother.

The concept of an acceptable offering, as seen in the burnt offering of Leviticus, reveals what truly pleases God. The burnt offering represents Christ giving Himself entirely to God as God's portion, a gift that satisfies God's desires. It is characterized by four distinct features: it is a sweet savor to God, pleasing and fragrant; it is offered for acceptance on behalf of the offerer; a life is given in the process; and it is completely burned up, with no portion retained by the offerer. This offering is a sweet savor to God, unlike the sin and trespass offerings, as it is not made due to sin but as a pure gift. It is offered on the brazen altar outside the Tabernacle, symbolizing a gesture of devotion without penalty. What satisfies God is a life lived in complete devotion, mirroring the way Christ walked in love without ever sinning. This total dedication, encompassing every aspect of life from thoughts and actions to emotions and energy, is the essence of true worship. The burnt offering is presented for acceptance in the offerer's stead, meaning the animal represents the offerer, and its devotion satisfies God. Here, atonement does not imply sin but rather a fulfillment of God's holy requirement through a life wholly devoted to Him. A life is offered, showing that such devotion extends even to death, as Christ demonstrated by never yielding to human nature or selfishness, remaining fully committed to God. This offering underscores the depth of devotion God desires, a complete surrender where nothing is held back. It involves the head, representing thoughts; the legs, symbolizing conduct; the entrails, indicating emotions; and the fat, signifying vigor and well-being. All these elements are consumed in the fire, illustrating that God seeks total love—a love that dominates emotions, directs thoughts, and drives all actions. This is the standard Christ set, and it is the example we are to strive toward in offering ourselves acceptably to God.

The peace offering, as described in Leviticus 3:1-5, holds profound significance in illustrating the essence of an acceptable offering. The process begins with the offerer bringing the offering to the altar, laying a hand on it, and slaying it. The priest then sprinkles the blood upon and around the altar, after which the animal is cut up. God's portion, consisting almost entirely of fat along with the two kidneys, is placed on top of the already burning burnt and meal offerings. The priest receives the breast and right shoulder for himself and his children, while the offerer takes the remainder to eat, adhering to specific time constraints for consumption. If any remains on the third day, it must be burned. This ritual reveals the major teaching of the peace offering. The burning on the altar of sweet-savor offerings pictures God consuming a meal and being satisfied. Similarly, the priest and the offerer, receiving their portions, are also satisfied. This shared meal among God, priest, and man signifies peaceful communion and fellowship, embodying feelings of being filled, gratified, contented, accepted, and assured. Positioned sequentially on top of the burnt and meal offerings, the peace offering connects directly to them, depicting the effect of perfect devotion to God and man: peaceful satisfaction and fellowship, the fruit of devotedly keeping the two great commandments of the law. In this sacrifice, Christ symbolically embodies all three roles: He is the offering, sacrificing His life in service; He is the priest, serving mankind at the altar as Mediator; and He is the offerer, bringing His sacrifice to the altar. The altar represents the place of meeting for all three, symbolizing sacrificial services and devotion to God that give Him satisfaction and result in our acceptance. The peace offering thus shows man, as Christ, accepted, fed, strengthened, and satisfied by sacrifice, teaching that sacrifice is the essence, the heart, and the core of love, whether to God or man. Specifically, it highlights that sacrifice plays a major role in acceptance before God, spiritual feeding, strength, and satisfaction. Devoted people sacrifice for those they love, indicating devotion to God through the burnt offering and devotion in service to man through the meal offering. The peace offering represents the effect and consequence of such devotion given directly to God and in service to man, commonly called peace. This peace implies not mere tranquility but abundance in every area of life, prosperity, good health, thankfulness for blessings received, and deliverance from difficulty. It underscores the harmony and unity achieved through shared communion with God, His priest Christ, and His children, the church, emphasizing the inseparable link between loving God and loving one's brother.