TODAY'S BIBLE TWEET

BIBLE TEXT: “And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.” (Leviticus 1:14-17)

BIBLE TWEET: Here we have the procedure for offering birds, specifically turtledoves or young pigeons, as burnt offerings. Obviously, the poor, who had neither flocks nor herds, could at least offer a fowl to atone for their sin.

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: That God would accept a turtledove, not just a bull or a sheep, shows that He was most concerned with a penitent heart, not the particular kind of animal being sacrificed. If the poor were unable to do any better or to give any more than a pigeon, their burnt offering was still a sweet smelling aroma to God, as long as their heart was sincerely penitent. On the other hand, if one could do better or give more, but still chose to just offer a pigeon, his sacrifice would be a stench in the nostrils of God.