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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.
You also say, ‘If anyone makes a promise in the name of the altar, it means nothing. But anyone who makes a promise in the name of the gift on the altar must keep that promise.’You are blind! Which is more important? Is it the gift? Or is it the altar that makes the gift holy?
To make room for you, I am going to drive out the nations that are in the land. You must not follow the practices of those nations. I hated those nations because they did all those things.But I said to you, “You will take over their land as your own. I will give it to you. It will belong to you. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God. I have set you apart from the other nations.“ ‘So you must be able to tell the difference between animals that are “clean” and those that are not. You must know which birds are “clean” and which are not. Do not make yourselves “unclean” by eating any “unclean” animal or bird. Do not make yourselves “unclean” by eating anything that moves along the ground. I have set all of them apart as “unclean” for you.
Suppose an ox or sheep has anything at all wrong with it. Then don’t sacrifice it to the Lord your God. He hates it.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You shouldn’t give if you don’t want to. You shouldn’t give because you are forced to. God loves a cheerful giver.
“Will a mere human being dare to steal from God? But you rob me! “You ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “By holding back your offerings. You also steal from me when you do not bring me a tenth of everything you produce.
“Suppose you are offering your gift at the altar. And you remember that your brother or sister has something against you.Leave your gift in front of the altar. First go and make peace with them. Then come back and offer your gift.
All these other people gave a lot because they are rich. But even though she is poor, she put in everything. She had nothing left to live on.”
And Abel also brought an offering. He brought the fattest parts of some animals from his flock. They were the first animals born to their mothers. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering.But he wasn’t pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his face was sad.
“A son honors his father. A slave honors his master. If I am a father, where is the honor I should have? If I am a master, where is the respect you should give me?” says the Lord who rules over all. “You priests look down on me. “But you ask, ‘How have we looked down on you?’“You sacrifice ‘unclean’ food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we made you “unclean”?’ “You do it by looking down on my altar.You sacrifice blind animals to me. Isn’t that wrong? You sacrifice disabled or sick animals. Isn’t that wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord who rules over all.
You must bring a male animal without any flaws if you want the Lord to accept it from you. It does not matter whether it is from your cattle, sheep or goats.“Here is what I want you to tell Aaron and his sons. Tell them to treat the sacred offerings with respect. They are the offerings the Israelites set apart to honor me. So Aaron and his sons must never treat my name as if it were not holy. I am the Lord.Do not bring an animal that has any flaws. If you do, the Lord will not accept it from you.
After some time, Cain gathered some things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to the Lord.And Abel also brought an offering. He brought the fattest parts of some animals from his flock. They were the first animals born to their mothers. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering.But he wasn’t pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his face was sad.
Suppose an animal has something wrong with it. It might not be able to see or walk. Or it might have a bad flaw. Then you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
Do not bring an animal that has any flaws. If you do, the Lord will not accept it from you.Suppose any of you brings an animal for a friendship offering to the Lord. Then it must not have any flaws at all. If it does, the Lord will not accept it. It does not matter whether the animal is from your herd or flock. It does not matter whether you bring it to keep a promise or because you choose to give it.Do not offer a blind animal to the Lord. Do not bring a hurt or wounded animal. And do not offer one that has warts or boils or running sores. Do not place any of them on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord.
You sacrifice blind animals to me. Isn’t that wrong? You sacrifice disabled or sick animals. Isn’t that wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord who rules over all.
“You sacrifice ‘unclean’ food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we made you “unclean”?’ “You do it by looking down on my altar.
“ ‘Suppose you sacrifice a friendship offering to me. Then do it in the right way. And I will accept it from you.
You say, ‘What a heavy load our work is!’ And you turn up your nose. You act as if you hate working for me,” says the Lord who rules over all. “You bring animals that have been hurt. Or you bring disabled or sick animals. Then you dare to offer them to me as sacrifices! Should I accept them from you?” says the Lord.“Suppose you have a male sheep or goat that does not have any flaws. And you promise to offer it to me. But then you sacrifice an animal that has flaws. When you do that, you cheat me. And anyone who cheats me is under my curse. After all, I am a great king,” says the Lord who rules over all. “The other nations have respect for my name. So why don’t you respect it?
But Samuel replied, “What pleases the Lord more? Burnt offerings and sacrifices, or obeying the Lord? It is better to obey than to offer a sacrifice. It is better to do what he says than to offer the fat of rams.
God hates sacrifices that are brought by evil people. He hates it even more when they bring them for the wrong reason.
The animals you choose must be males that are a year old. They must not have any flaws. You may choose either sheep or goats.
Present everything along with the drink offerings. Do it in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. Be sure the animals do not have any flaws.
“Do you think I need any more of your sacrifices?” asks the Lord. “I have more than enough of your burnt offerings. I have more than enough of rams and the fat of your fattest animals. I do not find any pleasure in the blood of your bulls, lambs and goats.Who asked you to bring all these animals when you come to worship me? Who asked you and your animals to walk all over my courtyards?Stop bringing offerings that do not mean anything to me! I hate your incense. I can’t stand your worthless gatherings. I can’t stand the way you celebrate your New Moon feasts, Sabbath days and special services.
As Jesus looked up, he saw rich people putting their gifts into the temple offering boxes.Then Jesus said to them, “Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom.In many places there will be powerful earthquakes. People will go hungry. There will be terrible sicknesses. Things will happen that will make people afraid. There will be great and miraculous signs from heaven.“But before all this, people will arrest you and treat you badly. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison. You will be brought to kings and governors. All this will happen to you because of my name.And so you will be witnesses about me.But make up your mind not to worry ahead of time about how to stand up for yourselves.I will give you words of wisdom. None of your enemies will be able to withstand them or prove them wrong.Even your parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends will hand you over to the authorities. The authorities will put some of you to death.Everyone will hate you because of me.But not a hair on your head will be harmed.Remain strong in the faith, and you will receive eternal life.He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.“A time is coming when you will see armies surround Jerusalem. Then you will know that it will soon be destroyed.Those who are in Judea should then escape to the mountains. Those in the city should get out. Those in the country should not enter the city.This is the time when God will punish Jerusalem. Everything will come true, just as it has been written.How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women! How awful for nursing mothers! There will be terrible suffering in the land. There will be great anger against those people.Some will be killed by the sword. Others will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be taken over by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles come to an end.“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. The nations of the earth will be in terrible pain. They will be puzzled by the roaring and tossing of the sea.Terror will make people faint. They will be worried about what is happening in the world. The sun, moon and stars will be shaken from their places.At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud. He will come with power and great glory.When these things begin to take place, stand up. Hold your head up with joy and hope. The time when you will be set free will be very close.”Jesus told them a story. “Look at the fig tree and all the trees,” he said.“What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus said. “That poor widow has put in more than all the others.“When you see leaves appear on the branches, you know that summer is near.In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that God’s kingdom is near.“What I’m about to tell you is true. The people living now will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away.“Be careful. If you aren’t, your hearts will be loaded down with wasteful living, drunkenness and the worries of life. Then the day the Son of Man returns will close on you like a trap. It will happen suddenly.That day will come on every person who lives on the whole earth.Always keep watching. Pray that you will be able to escape all that is about to happen. Also, pray that you will not be judged guilty when the Son of Man comes.”Each day Jesus taught at the temple. And each evening he went to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives.All the people came to the temple early in the morning. They wanted to hear Jesus speak.All these other people gave a lot because they are rich. But even though she is poor, she put in everything. She had nothing left to live on.”
The Lord says, “These people worship me only with their words. They honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me. Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules that they have been taught.
What do I care about incense from the land of Sheba? Why should I bother with sweet-smelling cane from a land far away? I do not accept your burnt offerings. Your sacrifices do not please me.”
“ ‘These people honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me.Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules.’ ” (Isaiah 29:13)
Don’t forget to do good. Don’t forget to share with others. God is pleased with those kinds of offerings.
The Lord says, “I hate your holy feasts. I can’t stand them. Your gatherings stink.You bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings. But I will not accept them. You bring your best friendship offerings. But I will not even look at them.Take the noise of your songs away! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
The Lord hates the sacrifice of sinful people. But the prayers of honest people please him.
The people of Israel say, “What should we bring with us when we go to worship the Lord? What should we offer the God of heaven when we bow down to him? Should we take burnt offerings to him? Should we sacrifice calves that are a year old?Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams? Will he take delight in 10,000 rivers of olive oil? Should we offer our oldest sons for the wrong things we’ve done? Should we sacrifice our own children to pay for our sins?”The Lord has shown you what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You must act with justice. You must love to show mercy. And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God.
“Be careful not to do good deeds in front of other people. Don’t do those deeds to be seen by others. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you.May your kingdom come. May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.And forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.Keep us from sinning when we are tempted. Save us from the evil one.’Forgive other people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive the sins of other people, your Father will not forgive your sins.“When you go without eating, do not look gloomy like those who only pretend to be holy. They make their faces look very sad. They want to show people they are fasting. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.But when you go without eating, put olive oil on your head. Wash your face.Then others will not know that you are fasting. Only your Father, who can’t be seen, will know it. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly.“Do not gather for yourselves riches on earth. Moths and rats can destroy them. Thieves can break in and steal them.“When you give to needy people, do not announce it by having trumpets blown. Do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They announce what they do in the synagogues and on the streets. They want to be honored by other people. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.Instead, gather for yourselves riches in heaven. There, moths and rats do not destroy them. There, thieves do not break in and steal them.Your heart will be where your riches are.“The eye is like a lamp for the body. Suppose your eyes are healthy. Then your whole body will be full of light.But suppose your eyes can’t see well. Then your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is darkness, then it is very dark!“No one can serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one of them and love the other. Or you will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can’t serve God and money at the same time.“I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes?Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying?“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work or make clothing.But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in all his royal robes was dressed like one of these flowers.When you give to needy people, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.If that is how God dresses the wild grass, won’t he dress you even better? Your faith is so small! After all, the grass is here only today. Tomorrow it is thrown into the fire.So don’t worry. Don’t say, ‘What will we eat?’ Or, ‘What will we drink?’ Or, ‘What will we wear?’People who are ungodly run after all those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them.But put God’s kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all those things will also be given to you.So don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.Then your giving will be done secretly. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly.
You don’t take delight in sacrifice. If you did, I would bring it. You don’t take pleasure in burnt offerings.The greatest sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. God, you will gladly accept a heart that is broken because of sadness over sin.
“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You give God a tenth of your spices, like mint, dill and cumin. But you have not practiced the more important things of the law, which are fairness, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the last things without failing to do the first.
Take an offering for the Lord from what you have. Those who want to can bring an offering to the Lord. Here is what they can bring. “gold, silver and bronze
Jesus sat down across from the place where people put their temple offerings. He watched the crowd putting their money into the offering boxes. Many rich people threw large amounts into them.But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins. They were worth only a few pennies.Jesus asked his disciples to come to him. He said, “What I’m about to tell you is true. That poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others.They all gave a lot because they are rich. But she gave even though she is poor. She put in everything she had. That was all she had to live on.”
You also are like living stones. As you come to Christ, you are being built into a house for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done.
Lord, when you hand down your sentence, let it be in my favor. I have lived without blame. I have trusted in the Lord. I have never doubted him.Their hands are always planning to do evil. Their right hands are full of money that has bought their help.But I live without blame. Save me from harm and treat me with kindness.My feet stand on level ground. In the whole community I will praise the Lord.Lord, test me. Try me out. Look deep down into my heart and mind.
Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give myself over to a difficult life so I can brag. If I don’t have love, I get nothing at all.
Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his mercy. So I am asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him in the right way.
“Suppose you have a male sheep or goat that does not have any flaws. And you promise to offer it to me. But then you sacrifice an animal that has flaws. When you do that, you cheat me. And anyone who cheats me is under my curse. After all, I am a great king,” says the Lord who rules over all. “The other nations have respect for my name. So why don’t you respect it?
Don’t be fooled. You can’t outsmart God. A man gathers a crop from what he plants.Some people plant to please their desires controlled by sin. From these desires they will harvest death. Others plant to please the Holy Spirit. From the Spirit they will harvest eternal life.
When you do ask for something, you don’t receive it. That’s because you ask for the wrong reason. You want to spend your money on your sinful pleasures.
Love for money causes all kinds of evil. Some people want to get rich. They have wandered away from the faith. They have wounded themselves with many sorrows.
The desires controlled by sin do not want what the Spirit delights in. And the Spirit does not want what the desires controlled by sin delight in. The two are at war with each other. That’s why you are not supposed to do whatever you want.
Be careful what you say when you go to God’s house. Go there to listen. Don’t be like foolish people when you offer your sacrifice. They do what is wrong and don’t even know it.Anyone who loves money never has enough. Anyone who loves wealth is never satisfied with what they get. That doesn’t have any meaning either.As more and more goods are made, more and more people use them up. So how can those goods benefit their owners? All they can do is look at them with desire.The sleep of a worker is sweet. It doesn’t matter whether they eat a little or a lot. But the wealth of rich people keeps them awake at night.I’ve seen something very evil on earth. It’s when wealth is stored up and then brings harm to its owners.It’s also when wealth is lost because of an unwise business deal. Then there won’t be anything left for the owners’ children.Everyone is born naked. They come into the world with nothing. And they go out of it with nothing. They don’t get anything from their work that they can take with them.Here’s something else that is very evil. Everyone is born, and everyone dies. And what do they get for their work? Nothing. It’s like working for the wind.All their lives they eat in darkness. Their lives are full of trouble, suffering and anger.I have seen what is good. It is good for a person to eat and drink. It’s good for them to be satisfied with their hard work on this earth. That’s what they should do during the short life God has given them. That’s what God made them for.Sometimes God gives a person wealth and possessions. God makes it possible for that person to enjoy them. God helps them accept the life he has given them. God helps them to be happy in their work. All these things are gifts from God.Don’t be too quick to speak. Don’t be in a hurry to say anything to God. God is in heaven. You are on earth. So use only a few words when you speak.
Who can go up to the temple on the mountain of the Lord? Who can stand in his holy place?Anyone who has clean hands and a pure heart. Anyone who does not trust in the statue of a god. Anyone who doesn’t use the name of that god when he makes a promise.
Is it encouraging others? Then encourage them. Is it giving to others? Then give freely. Is it being a leader? Then work hard at it. Is it showing mercy? Then do it cheerfully.
Do you really want to give? Then the gift is measured by what someone has. It is not measured by what they don’t have.We don’t want others to have it easy at your expense. We want things to be equal.Right now you have plenty in order to take care of what they need. Then they will have plenty to take care of what you need. The goal is to even things out.It is written, “The one who gathered a lot didn’t have too much. And the one who gathered a little had enough.” (Exodus 16:18)
A man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, also sold some land.At that moment she fell down at Peter’s feet and died. Then the young men came in. They saw that Sapphira was dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.The whole church and all who heard about these things were filled with fear.The apostles did many signs and wonders among the people. All the believers used to meet together at Solomon’s Porch.No outsider dared to join them. But the people thought highly of them.More and more men and women believed in the Lord. They joined the other believers.So people brought those who were sick into the streets. They placed them on beds and mats. They hoped that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he walked by.Crowds even gathered from the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick people. They also brought those who were suffering because of evil spirits. All of them were healed.The high priest and all his companions were Sadducees. They were very jealous of the apostles.So they arrested them and put them in the public jail.But during the night an angel of the Lord came. He opened the doors of the jail and brought the apostles out.He kept part of the money for himself. Sapphira knew he had kept it. He brought the rest of it and put it down at the apostles’ feet.“Go! Stand in the temple courtyard,” the angel said. “Tell the people all about this new life.”Early the next day they did as they had been told. They entered the temple courtyard. There they began to teach the people. The high priest and his companions arrived. They called the Sanhedrin together. The Sanhedrin was a gathering of all the elders of Israel. They sent for the apostles who were in jail.The officers arrived at the jail. But they didn’t find the apostles there. So they went back and reported it.“We found the jail locked up tight,” they said. “The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, we didn’t find anyone inside.”When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were bewildered. They wondered what would happen next.Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courtyard. They are teaching the people.”So the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles back. But they didn’t use force. They were afraid the people would kill them by throwing stones at them.They brought the apostles to the Sanhedrin. The high priest questioned them.“We gave you clear orders not to teach in Jesus’ name,” he said. “But you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. You want to make us guilty of this man’s death.”Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God instead of people!Then Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your heart? He made you lie to the Holy Spirit. You have kept some of the money you received for the land.You had Jesus killed by nailing him to a cross. But the God of our people raised Jesus from the dead.Now Jesus is Prince and Savior. God has proved this by giving Jesus a place of honor with him. He did it to turn Israel away from their sins and forgive them.We are telling people about these things. And so is the Holy Spirit. God has given the Spirit to those who obey him.”When the leaders heard this, they became very angry. They wanted to put the apostles to death.But a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the Sanhedrin. He was a teacher of the law. He was honored by all the people. He ordered the apostles to be taken outside for a little while.Then Gamaliel spoke to the Sanhedrin. “Men of Israel,” he said, “think carefully about what you plan to do to these men.Some time ago Theudas appeared. He claimed he was really somebody. About 400 people followed him. But he was killed. All his followers were scattered. So they accomplished nothing.After this, Judas from Galilee came along. This was in the days when the Romans made a list of all the people. Judas led a gang of men against the Romans. He too was killed. All his followers were scattered.So let me give you some advice. Leave these men alone! Let them go! If their plans and actions only come from people, they will fail.But if their plans come from God, you won’t be able to stop these men. You will only find yourselves fighting against God.”Didn’t the land belong to you before it was sold? After it was sold, you could have used the money as you wished. What made you think of doing such a thing? You haven’t lied just to people. You’ve also lied to God.”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants will enter.
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against wanting to have more and more things. Life is not made up of how much a person has.”
Abel had faith. So he brought to God a better offering than Cain did. Because of his faith Abel was praised as a godly man. God said good things about his offerings. Because of his faith Abel still speaks. He speaks even though he is dead.
On the first day of every week, each of you should put some money away. The amount should be in keeping with how much money you make. Save the money so that you won’t have to take up an offering when I come.
All who depend on obeying the law are under a curse. It is written, “May everyone who doesn’t continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law be under God’s curse.” (Deuteronomy 27:26)
Make me want to follow your covenant laws instead of wanting to gain things only for myself.Turn my eyes away from things that are worthless. Keep me alive as you have promised.
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
Command people who are rich in this world not to be proud. Tell them not to put their hope in riches. Wealth is so uncertain. Command those who are rich to put their hope in God. He richly provides us with everything to enjoy.Command the rich to do what is good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. They must give freely. They must be willing to share.In this way, they will store up true riches for themselves. It will provide a firm basis for the next life. Then they will take hold of the life that really is life.