The Lord loves to receive sacrifices from men. Yet, it is important to recognize that the Lord looks beyond the actual sacrifices and into the heart of those making the offerings. What He sees in the heart is far more important to Him than the actual sacrifice itself. This is because a man may offer the right sacrifices but does so from a heart of ungodliness. God does not approve of such sacrifices. There were individuals who lived in the days of animal sacrifices who brought sacrifices as prescribed by the law but did so with improper motives. The Lord said of these sacrifices that to Him, these sacrifices were an abomination. Though the nature of sacrifices has changed, the fact remains that men can, and do, offer sacrifices of praise or thanksgiving outwardly all the while their hearts are far from God (Matthew 15:8).
Since God is the rightful recipient of man’s sacrifices, then, by necessity, He is the only One who can rightfully provide the rules for the administration of the sacrifices. In the Old Testament, God established rules about the place (Joshua 22:29) and purity (Malachi 1:8, 14) of man’s sacrifices. Men who violated these rules, choosing rather to adopt their own rules of sacrifice and worship, often suffered harsh consequences, including death. The sacrifice of Christ for sin has changed many details of God’s demands for sacrifice; it has not, however, changed the fact that man must do things God’s way. God’s rules for sacrifice whether performed in the past, present, or future are to be dictated by scripture.
The Devil would have man believe that hiding from problems provides an adequate solution. This is a lie! Adam and Eve created problems for themselves by partaking of the fruit. Their initial efforts to resolve the problem further confirmed that they had created an unresolved situation of their own doing. As they heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden, they hid themselves amongst the trees in hopes that these efforts would protect them in some way. They hoped the problem would pass unnoticed without them having to face the fact that they had sinned against the Lord. The Lord would not allow them to hide; instead, He called for Adam to show himself resulting in both Adam and Eve directly facing the problem.
