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64 Bible Verses about Bad Offering
When you choose to live without God, it's easy to lose that awareness of Him and start making choices that aren't aligned with His ways. Maybe you haven't truly encountered Him yet. Our hearts can be so deceitful, always looking for ways to satisfy our own twisted desires, driven by that inner restlessness.
The only way to live a righteous life is to keep God's word close to your heart and follow His will. That's how genuine goodness grows from deep within.
God isn't pleased when offerings are misused. They should be used to grow His work and spread the Gospel to everyone, fulfilling the command He gave us. Prayer is key to making sure your offerings are used the right way and that you're following God's leading.
And you say, ‘If any person uses the altar {\cf2\super [340]} to make a promise, that means nothing. But if any person uses the gift on the altar to make a promise, then he must keep his promise.’You are blind. \{You understand nothing!\} Which is greater: the gift, or the altar? The altar makes the gift holy. \{So the altar is greater.\}
I am forcing other people to leave that country. Why? Because those people did all of those sins! I hate those {sins}! So don’t live the way those people lived!“I have told you that you will get their land. I will give their land to you. It will be your land! It is a land filled with many good things. [365] I am the Lord your God!So you must treat clean [366] animals differently from unclean [367] animals. You must treat clean birds differently from unclean birds. Don’t eat any of those unclean birds, and animals, and things that crawl on the ground. I have made those things unclean.
“You must not sacrifice to the Lord your God a cow or sheep if there is anything wrong with it. Why? Because the Lord your God hates it!
There were some people that thought that they were very good. These people acted like they were better than other people. Jesus used this story to teach them:“One time there was a Pharisee {\cf2\super [283]} and a tax collector. {\cf2\super [284]} One day they both went to the temple {\cf2\super [285]} to pray.The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men that steal, cheat, or do the sin of adultery. {\cf2\super [286]} I thank you that I am better than this tax collector.\{I am good;\} I fast {\cf2\super [287]} twice a week, and I give one-tenth of everything I earn!’“The tax collector {\cf2\super [288]} stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. The tax collector felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, {\cf2\super [289]} who felt that he was better than other people, was not right with God. Every person that makes himself important will be made humble. But the person that makes himself humble will be made important.”
Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give. A person should not give if it makes him sad. And a person should not give if he thinks he is forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily.
“\{Stop stealing things from God!\} People should not steal things from God, but you stole things from me!
“So when you offer your gift to God, think about other people. If you are offering your gift before the altar, {\cf2\super [64]} and you remember that your brother has something against you,then leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person. Then come and offer your gift.
The rich people have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor. But she gave all she had. And she needed that money to help her live.”
But the Lord did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry.
The Lord All-Powerful said, “Children honor their father. Servants honor their masters. I am your Father, so why don’t you honor me? I am your Master, so why don’t you respect me? You priests don’t respect my name.”\{The Lord said,\} “You bring unclean {\cf2\super [5]} bread to my altar!”You bring blind animals as sacrifices. {\cf2\super [6]} And that is wrong! You bring sick and crippled animals for sacrifices. And that is wrong! Try giving those sick animals as a gift to your governor. Would he accept those sick animals? No! He would not accept those gifts!” The Lord All-Powerful said these things!
At harvest time, [25] Cain brought a gift to the Lord. Cain brought some of the food that he grew from the ground. But Abel brought some animals from his flock. Abel brought the best parts of his best sheep. [26]But the Lord did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry.
“But if an animal has something wrong with it—if it is crippled or blind or has something else wrong with it—then you must not sacrifice that animal to the Lord your God.
“A person might bring a fellowship offering to the Lord. That fellowship offering might be payment for a special promise that person made. Or maybe it is a special gift that person wanted to give to the Lord. It might be a bull or a sheep. But it must be healthy. There must be nothing wrong with that animal!You must not offer to the Lord any animal that is blind, or has broken bones, or is crippled, or has a discharge, [394] or a bad skin disease. You must not offer sick animals on the fire of the Lord’s altar. [395]
You bring blind animals as sacrifices. {\cf2\super [6]} And that is wrong! You bring sick and crippled animals for sacrifices. And that is wrong! Try giving those sick animals as a gift to your governor. Would he accept those sick animals? No! He would not accept those gifts!” The Lord All-Powerful said these things!
“When you offer a sacrifice [336] of fellowship offerings to the Lord, you must offer it in the right way so you will be accepted.
And you don’t like the food from that table. You smell the food and refuse to eat it. You say it is bad. \{But that is not true.\} Then you bring sick, crippled, and hurt animals to me. You try to give sick animals to me as sacrifices. But I will not accept those sick animals from you.Some people have good, male animals that they could give as sacrifices. \{But they don’t give those good animals to me.\} Some people bring good animals to me. They promise to give those healthy animals to me. But then they secretly exchange those good animals and they give me sick animals. Bad things will happen to those people! I am the Great King. \{You should respect me!\} People all around the world respect me!” The Lord All-Powerful said those things!
But Samuel answered, “Which pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices [138] or obeying the Lord’s command? It is better to obey God than to offer sacrifices to him. It is better to listen to God than to offer the fat from rams.
The Lord is not happy when evil people offer him sacrifices, especially when those evil people are trying to get something from him.
The lamb must be a one-year-old male, and it must be completely healthy. This animal can be either a young sheep or a young goat.
You must give those offerings in addition to the daily burnt offerings and the grain offering you give with them. Be sure there is nothing wrong with the animals or the drink offerings that you give with them.
\{God says,\} “Why do you continue giving me all these sacrifices? {\cf2\super [7]} I have had enough of your sacrifices of goats and fat from bulls, sheep, and goats.“When you people come to meet with me, you trample (walk on) everything in my yard. Who told you to do this?“Don’t continue bringing worthless sacrifices to me. I hate the incense {\cf2\super [8]} you give me. I can’t bear your feasts for the New Moon, {\cf2\super [9]} the Sabbath, {\cf2\super [10]} and your holidays. I hate the evil you do during your holy meetings.
The Lord my Master said these things, “Enough, you rulers of Israel! Stop being cruel and stealing things from people! Be fair and do good things! Stop forcing my people out from their homes!” The Lord my Master said these things.“Stop cheating people. Use accurate scales and measures!
Jesus saw some rich people putting their gifts for God into the temple money box. {\cf2\super [329]}Then Jesus saw a poor widow. {\cf2\super [330]} She put two small copper coins into the box.Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. This poor widow gave only two small coins. But she really gave more than all those rich people.The rich people have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor. But she gave all she had. And she needed that money to help her live.”
My Master says, “These people say they love me. They show honor to me with words from their mouths. But their hearts are far from me. The honor they show me is nothing but human rules they have memorized.
\{The Lord says,\}\par “Why do you bring me incense {\cf2\super [43]} \par from the country of Sheba? {\cf2\super [44]} \par Why do you bring me sweet-smelling cane from a far away country?\par Your burnt offerings don’t make\par me happy.\par Your sacrifices don’t please me.”\par
‘These people say they honor me,\par but they don’t really make me\par an important part of their lives.\parTheir worship of me is for nothing.\par The things they teach are only rules\par that people have made.’”\par \i (Isaiah 29:13)\i0 \par
And don’t forget to do good for other people. And share with other people. These are the sacrifices that please God.
“I hate your holidays!\par I will not accept them!\par I don’t enjoy your religious meetings!\parEven if you offer me burnt offerings\par and grain offerings,\par I will not accept them!\par I will not even look at the fat animals\par you give as fellowship offerings.\parTake your noisy songs away from here.\par I will not listen to the music\par from your harps.\par
The Lord hates the offerings that evil people give. But the Lord is happy to hear a good person’s prayers.
What must I bring when I come\par to meet with the Lord?\par What must I do when I bow down\par to God above?\par Should I come to the Lord\par with burnt offerings and a year-old calf?\parWill the Lord be pleased\par with 1,000 rams or 10,000 rivers of oil?\par Should I give my first child\par as payment for my crimes?\par Should I give the child\par that came from my body\par as payment for my sins?\parMan, the Lord told you what goodness is.\par This is what the Lord wants from you:\par Be fair to other people.\par Love kindness and loyalty.\par Live humbly with your God.\par \{Don’t try to impress him with gifts.\}\par
“Be careful! When you do good things, don’t do those things in front of people. Don’t do those things for people to see you. If you do that, then you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.“When you give to poor people, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t do like the hypocrites {\cf2\super [73]} do. They blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They do that in the synagogues {\cf2\super [74]} and on the streets. They want other people to give honor to them. I tell you the truth. Those hypocrites already have their full reward.So when you give to poor people, give very secretly. Don’t let any person know what you are doing.Your giving should be done in secret. Your Father can see the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you.
You don’t really want sacrifices. {\cf2\super [305]} \par So why should I give sacrifices\par that you don’t even want!\parThe sacrifice that God wants\par is an humble spirit. {\cf2\super [306]} \par God, you will not turn away a person\par who comes with an humble, submissive heart. {\cf2\super [307]} \par
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [341]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [342]} You give God one tenth of everything you own—even your mint, dill, and cummin. {\cf2\super [343]} But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—being fair, showing mercy, and being faithful. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.
Gather special gifts for the Lord. Each of you should decide in your heart what you will give. And then you should bring that gift to the Lord. Bring gold, silver, and bronze [356] ;
Jesus sat near the temple money box {\cf2\super [178]} where people put their gifts. He watched the people put money in the box. Many rich people gave much money.Then a poor widow {\cf2\super [179]} came and gave two very small copper coins. These coins were not even worth a penny.Jesus called his followers to him. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. This poor widow gave only two small coins. But she really gave more than all the rich people.Those people have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor. But she gave all she had. And she needed that money to help her live.”
You also are like living stones. God is using you to build a spiritual temple. {\cf2\super [14]} You are to serve God in that temple as holy {\cf2\super [15]} priests. You are to give spiritual sacrifices {\cf2\super [16]} to God that he will accept because of Jesus Christ.
Lord, judge me.\par Prove that I have lived a pure life.\par I never stopped trusting the Lord.\parLord, try me and test me.\par Look closely into my heart and mind.\par
I may give everything I have to feed people. And I may even give my body \{as an offering\} to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing these things if I don’t have love.
So brothers and sisters, I beg you to do something. God has shown us great mercy. So offer your lives as a living sacrifice {\cf2\super [130]} to God. Your offering must be only for God and will be pleasing to him. This offering of yourselves is the spiritual way for you to worship (serve) God.
Some people have good, male animals that they could give as sacrifices. \{But they don’t give those good animals to me.\} Some people bring good animals to me. They promise to give those healthy animals to me. But then they secretly exchange those good animals and they give me sick animals. Bad things will happen to those people! I am the Great King. \{You should respect me!\} People all around the world respect me!” The Lord All-Powerful said those things!
Don’t be fooled: You cannot cheat God. A person harvests only the things he plants. {\cf2\super [75]}If a person plants (lives) to satisfy his sinful self, then his sinful self will bring him eternal death. But if a person plants to please the Spirit, {\cf2\super [76]} he will get eternal life from the Spirit.
Or when you ask, you don’t receive. Why? Because the reason you ask is wrong. You only want things so that you can use those things for your own pleasures.
The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have left the \{true\} faith (teaching) because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves to be very, very sad.
Our sinful selves want things that are against the Spirit. The Spirit wants things that are against our sinful selves. These two different things are against each other. So you don’t do the things you really want to do.
Be very careful when you go to worship God. It is better to listen \{to God\} than to give sacrifices {\cf2\super [23]} like foolish people. Foolish people often do bad things, and they don’t even know it.Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about the things you say to God. Don’t let your feelings cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to God. This saying is true:
Who can go up the Lord’s mountain? {\cf2\super [145]} \par Who can stand \{and worship\} in the Lord’s holy \{temple\}?\parPeople who have not done evil things,\par people who have pure hearts,\par people who have not used my name {\cf2\super [146]} to make lies sound like the truth,\par and people who have not lied and made false promises.\par \{Only those people can worship there.\}\par
“\{Stop stealing things from God!\} People should not steal things from God, but you stole things from me!In this way, your whole nation has stolen things from me. So bad things are happening to you.” The Lord All-Powerful said these things.The Lord All-Powerful says, “Try this test. Bring one-tenth of your things to me. Put those things in the treasury. Bring food to my house. Test me! If you do those things, then I will truly bless you. Good things will come to you like rain falling from the sky. You will have more than enough of everything.
If a person has the gift of comforting other people, then that person should comfort. If a person has the gift of giving to help other people, then that person should give freely. If a person has the gift of being a leader, then that person should work hard when he leads. If a person has the gift of showing kindness to other people, then that person should be glad to do that.
If you want to give, then your gift will be accepted. Your gift will be judged by what you have, not by what you don’t have.We don’t want you to have troubles while other people are comforted. We want everything to be equal.At this time you have plenty. These things you have can help other people to have the things they need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you to have the things you need. Then all will be equal.Like the Scriptures {\cf2\super [24]} say,
There was a man named Ananias. His wife’s name was Sapphira. Ananias sold some land that he had.But he gave only part of the money to the apostles. {\cf2\super [84]} He secretly kept some of the money for himself. His wife knew this, and she agreed with it.Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan (the devil) rule your heart? You lied and tried to deceive (fool) the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [85]} You sold your field, but why did you keep part of the money for yourself?Before you sold the field, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this bad thing? You lied to God, not to us men!”
“Not every person that says that I am his Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people that will enter the kingdom of heaven are those people that do the things that my Father in heaven wants.
The most important thing is for you to be careful in the things you think. Your thoughts control your life.
Then Jesus said to them. “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. A person does not get life from the many things he owns.”
Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices {\cf2\super [143]} to God. But Abel offered a better sacrifice to God because Abel had faith. God said he was pleased with the things Abel offered. And so God called Abel a good man because Abel had faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking.
On the first day of every week each one of you should save as much money as you can from what you are blessed with. You should put this money in a special place and keep it there. Then you will not have to gather your money after I come.
But people who depend on following the law \{to make them right\} are under a curse. Why? Because the Scriptures say, “A person must do all the things that are written in the law. {\cf2\super [28]} If he does not always obey, then that person is under a curse!” {\cf2\super [29]}
Help me think about your Agreement {\cf2\super [590]} \par instead of how to get rich.\parLord, don’t let me look at worthless things.\par Help me live your way.\par
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell all the things you own. Give the money to the poor people. If you do this, you will have a rich treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me!”
Give this command to the people who are rich with the things this world has. Tell them not to be proud. Tell those rich people to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted. But God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy.Tell the rich people to do good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. And tell them to be happy to give and ready to share.By doing that they will be saving a treasure for themselves \{in heaven\}. That treasure will be a strong foundation {\cf2\super [34]} —their future life can be built on that treasure. Then they will be able to have the life that is true life.