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sermonette: A Vivid Comparison (2000)

Dogs and Offerings
John W. Ritenbaugh
Given 14-Oct-00; Sermon #FT00-02s; 24 minutes

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Well, good morning to all of you. I hope you all slept better than I did. I it was good. It was not bad. I just get so wound up. I have a hard time getting a sustained sleep for a while, but probably by the end of the feast, I will be exhausted and I'll sleep. I thought it was interesting that in the song that Mike chose to lead the last one that it mentioned an offering in that, a free will offering I will bring to you. And that's what we are going to talk about in this first message. It may seem a little bit round about as we get into it, but eventually we are going to get around to an offering. But there are quite a few animals mentioned in the Bible. In fact, according to those people who take it upon themselves to count these things, there are 70 different animals mentioned in the Bible. Uh, but there is also a great deal of confusion in the minds of some because so many different words are used for the same animals. For example, the Bible uses 11 different words for sheep, 8 different words for goats, 8 for lions, 10 for locusts, and 15 for cow. It doesn't differentiate too much between male and female. Now some of the animals are spoken of with a fair degree of admiration, such as the horse for its swift strength in battle. But at the same time, it's kind of derision for the horse as well because it's looked upon as being kind of dumb. Even though it's elegant in appearance and strong in battle. But for the lion, there is admiration for its majesty, but there is also fear of its strength and aggressiveness. It's one of the Bible's strongest images of voracious predators. Then there is the pride of a strutting cock and the he goat and the busy diligence of ants. Then there is another animal. Today, for the most part, dogs are pretty highly thought of. Man's best friend is the way they are commonly known today, and the phrase that dog's life epitomizes, epitomizes the life of ease devoid of anxiety because they are always taken care of by their wonderful masters and all they have to contribute is the unquestioning acceptance of their master. But in the Bible things are quite a bit different. Perhaps it's a cultural thing that shines through the Bible, but the biblical dog's life is a depiction of squalor, dismal, nomadic poverty, the life of a pariah at the bottom of the society. They are repeatedly depicted in terms of the, of their disgusting and inadequate diet consisting of leftovers, crumbs, and vomit. Twice the scriptures mention a dog returning to his vomit. There is something even worse. Of all the domesticated animals in Scripture, it is the only one shown eating human flesh. This was so reprehensible. To the ancient Israelites that may dogs eat your flesh. Became a curse that one would wish upon his worst enemies. I'll turn to page 897 Psalm 59, just in case you wanna, wanna know, I thought maybe you'd like to guess. Psalm 59 verses 1 through 4 and then 13 through 15. Deliver me from my enemies, oh my God, defend me from them that rise against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloody men. For lo, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty are gathered against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves without my fault, awake to help me and behold. David wrote this psalm. At the beginning, Of the differences that were there with with Saul. When Saul's jealous rages began to erupt over the acclaim that David was receiving throughout the land, and his, he got jealous and started to try to get rid of this man. David is responding in prayer to God, his own feelings about what was occurring and as you can see here, I haven't done anything wrong. These people are after me for nothing. I done in verse 13, consume them. Notice the strength. Of the language here, consume them in wrath, consume them that they may not be, and let them know that God rules in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. And that evening, let them return and let them make a noise like a dog and go around about the city. What do you think he means, go round about the city? Back in Israel they were the garbage men. You see, Let them wander up and down for meat or food and grudge if they be not satisfied. In David's prayers against his enemies, he calls them like dogs. The new revised standard version translates verses 14 and 15, howling like dogs and prowling around the city, they roam about for food and growl if they not, do not get their fill. Many of us are familiar with the battle between David and Goliath. And when David went out to challenge Goliath Goliath said, Am I a dog that you should come after me with sticks? Well, Solomon got into the, into the fray here and we are going to turn to Ecclesiastes 9 and verses 3 and 4. And in verses 1 and 2, he is Showing that there is one thing that all men have in common. It doesn't matter whether they are good or bad, you know, righteous or evil, it doesn't matter whether they are wealthy or poor, middle class, whether they wear fine clothing or not, there is one thing that happens to them all, and that's death. And so Solomon considers this an evil. That's the way that it's translated into the King James. This is an evil, verse 3, among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all. Yes, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil and madness is in their heart while they live. And after that, they go to the dead. Verse 4, for him that is joined to all the living, that is if you're still alive, there is hope for a living dog is better than a dead lion. I mean, even a living dog is better than a dead lion. I mean, that's quite a comparison. Knowing that the, the dog in Solomon's eyes was just a little bit above a dead lion, and that's about it. So thus he equates a dog with those who are on the lowest social scale. Now even the apostle Paul got into the act. In Philippians 3 and verse 2, he told the Christians to beware of dogs. And what he meant was Judahizer. certain Jews who were hypocritically saying that they were converted and trying to turn people back to the law. So he said beware of these people, and he called these Judaizers dogs. I do not know what we'd say today. We wouldn't say dogs, but it, we would have the same kind of sense that the apostle Paul had in this. Jesus said, Do not give what is holy to the dogs. Meaning, do not attempt to give the word of God to people who prove themselves to be unbelieving scoffers, and thus the scoffers are dogs. So to the Hebrews, Dogs were groveling scavengers feeding on refuse. Now when this perception is applied to people, you can be sure that the Hebrews thought those people were for some reason objects of contempt and therefore insignificant on the social scale for what was acceptable behavior. We're going to go back to the Old Testament again this time to the book of Deuteronomy in chapter 23. Deuteronomy 23 and verses 17 and 18. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. You shall not bring the higher of a whore or the price of a dog into the house of the Lord, your God for any vow or even for even both of these are an abomination unto the Lord, your God. Oh, it shouldn't come as any surprise then. That there is something about dogs. That is offensive to God. And you will see that whatever it is has something to do in this context with offerings or a vow. Now you should be able to understand at least a portion of the meeting here because a dog in this context was a sodomite. The bottom scale, bottom of the scale. In Hebrew society So here we see the concept Hebrews had toward dogs applied to human beings that they thought were the lowest groveling, scummiest, foulest things living off the refuse of humanity. So just like the female prostitutes, the dogs, the sodomites charge for their services. But, and here is the important thing, we are getting around to this now, nothing that they earned. was to find its way into God's temple. It was dirty, filthy, unholy. And God wanted to have nothing at all to do with it. Their gifts were unclean then and they are unclean today as well. But God has the same attitude toward other things that may be offered to him through other types of offerings. The central principle actually begins with the offering of Cain and Abel. Cain's offering was rejected. Because it did not meet the criteria that God had established before both of those men. Abels did, Keynes did not. Keynes was dirty. It was the offering that was the equivalent of the dog here. Let's go back to Exodus. And we will see a clear principle established in the Passover offering. Exodus the 12th chapter and in verse 5. We just read the first phrase. Your lamb, meaning the Passover lamb, shall be without blemish. So here is the foundational principle showing what is required of an offering. It must be without blemish. The offering of a dog was blemished. It was unacceptable. Let's go to the book of Leviticus chapter 1 and verse 3. Leviticus 1 and verse 3, and this will suffice for all of the offerings that are in the book of Leviticus. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a nail without blemish. This principle extends into all the other offerings that are given within the Bible. Now we are going to go to Leviticus 22 because I want you to see how this extends out in this ramo uh. Expanded upon. In other areas, not all of the criteria for offerings are given in one area. They may be a specific that is mentioned here and there, and that's what we are going to look at here, a specific. The foundational one is the offering has to be without blemish. But in Leviticus 22 verses 24 and 25, you shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised or crushed or broken or cut. Now what that means You probably understand crushed, broken, cut, you know what that meant? No castrated animal was allowed to be offered to God. It was deficient. The offering had to be whole, complete, the way that God created it. And so a castrated animal was not allowed to be used, neither shall you make any offering thereof in your land. Neither from a stranger's hand shall you offer the bread of your God. Are you beginning to see something here? The offering that you make. Cannot have come from a stranger and merely passed through your hands and onto God. And so we are not allowed to make an offering. We will see this a little bit clearer as we go along. They were not allowed to make an offering. Of something that a Canaanite had grown, let's say, and the Israelite then went out into the field and cut it, cut it and then gave it to God. Not good. Not good at all. Now the bread of your God. is that which is put on the altar and burned. And of course that teaches us that what goes on the altar is seen in the imagery as though God is eating it. Now let me make a little bit of a comparison here. Would you eat maggots, worms, slugs, cockroaches, or beetles? You wouldn't eat that. That's repulsive view. Now, apply that same principle to God. He was pictured as eating what went on the altar. Is he going to eat something that came from the stranger's hand? Is he going to eat something that was not whole when it was offering? Is he offered, was he, was he going to eat something? That was defiled in some way so that when it came to him on the plate, it was already dirty. He was repulsed by that. And the imagery is that which is of a dog. Now the Israelites We're in the eyes of God, a holy people. And an offering that was not produced by them was not considered by God as being holy and therefore it was unacceptable. An offering must be holy, and a holy offering can only be made by holy people. I want to show you how far this extends. Just turned back to Leviticus 18. And in verse 24, Defi not you yourselves in any of these things, for in all these, the nations are defiled, which I cast out before you. And the land is defiled, therefore defiled. Therefore, I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it and the land itself vomits out her inhabitants. Would you eat vomit? Now this principle goes so far. That God even considered. The whole area of Canaan, as long as it was as it was held in the hands of the Canaanites. The whole land was filthy, dirty, maggot infested. And God did not want anything to come from that land, even the very dirt. That would grow the crops as far as God was concerned was defiled. I think you can begin to see that God wants offerings to be pretty pure. And then the rest of these verses go on to show that. Israel was not to get Allow the lands. To get into that kind of a condition again by doing the things that the people who were being cast out from before them were doing. One more scripture this time in Exodus the 23rd chapter. In verses 14. Through 18 Three times shall you keep a feast unto me in the year, you shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You shall not eat unleavened, you shall eat unleavened bread 7 days, as I commanded you in the time appointed of the month Abu, for in it, you came out from Egypt. And none of you shall appear before me empty, OK, an offering is indicated. And then he mentions one specifically. Not the feast of Tabernacles, but the principle applies to whatever offering at whatever feast. And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors. The offering made has to come from your labors. Now this doesn't mean that you can't work and give some money to your child to give because it came from your labor, and that's fine. A child is not expected to be working to give an offering. And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors which you have sown in the fields. Not only did they, it has to be something that they reap, but also something that they have sown in their own fields. And in the feast of end gathering, which is where we are now, which is in the end of the year when you have gathered in your labors out of the field. So the offering has to come from your own labors that you have sown from your own field, and field in this context means your place of labor or work. So the offering that we make to God must be free of the taint of sin of any kind, otherwise they are blemished and unholy. The labor has to be clean labor not tainted by anything that is defiled in the eyes of God. Now we will just say that the Sodomite really worked at what he did. But was that labor clean? It was a forbidden thing. God will not accept money from some form of labor, no matter how hard the person works at it, if the labor itself is not from a clean occupation. So the question arises as to whether the church has the right. Indeed, the responsibility. To even refuse money from tainted sources. The answer to that is absolutely yes it does. So the end, that is the offering. does not justify the means. That is how the offering was acquired. So it is clear that the divine blessing cannot be on offerings gained from evil enterprises. And you know that there are churches out there in the world that accept money gained from taking advantage of people's lust for gambling. So when a church accepts money that is known to be unclean. It then cannot escape the appearance of evil in the eyes of observers of having condoned the sin and coddled the sinner for the sake of the money. And therefore, if a church does that, it makes that which is sinful appear to be righteous. A gross hypocrisy for economic gain. So the important thing for us to understand is to is that to God how we earn the money. We give as an offering is important, and we must ensure that our wages are not that are gained by employment. Which is righteous in God's eye. It is not degrading to ourselves, damaging to others, or dishonoring to God. We do not make dirty money holy by spending it wisely, even though it is given to God. So the lesson We all need to make sure that when we give offerings that it is honestly earned. They will be taking up the offering now. And while it is being taken up, we are going to have operatoring music, a piano solo. The composer is Scott Joplin. The composition is titled Athena, and Athena was a woman's name. It has an alternate name of concert waltz, and it will be performed by David Moss. And just a little aside, David said that this was composed in the state of Missouri.

JWR/aws/

 

 

Sermon Topics

False Gospels

Jesus Christ's Return

Life after Death

Repentance

Resurrection

The Gospel

The Kingdom of God