“I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living." Amos 5:21-24 (NLT)
Oblation ...
It's an interesting and uncommon word that's found a number of times in the King James translation of the Old Testament. Its meaning is essentially bound in the act of solemnly offering something to God. As added context here, The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word "solemn" as "serious and without any humour".
"And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it." Isaiah 19:21 (KJ)
A number of definitions for the word oblation that you'll find online currently make reference to the Eucharist - what Protestants more commonly refer to as "Communion". I don't think that the act of taking Communion can be eclipsed by any other offering that we might make if made in honest and solemn sincerity. But if you've studied the bible long enough and well enough, you may come away with an understanding that the list could be a little more broad in terms of the available offerings - oblations, that one could and should put before the Lord as a matter of sincere habit to confirm our confession to "follow" Christ. As Christ did, those who sincerely desire to "follow" Him are truly desiring to emulate Him. Christ offered Himself for us and at the same time offered up His own will in favor of the Father's. God has given us numerous gifts, but in the midst of a busy, self absorbed and self serving world ... what have we offered to Him lately?
Throughout all of scripture the Lord's heart is on display. What He desires and what brings Him pleasure are not hard to find if you're studying scripture with an earnest bent toward truly getting to know our Father. So imagining what we might offer Him as a present in an "oblation" that would be meaningful to Him and bring Him joy isn't a mystery and what we withhold can have consequences as well...
"“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.
“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies."" Zechariah 7:9-13 (NLT)
The submission of a child to it's father's authority and instruction is an act of obedience, but also in essence the surrender or "offering" up of the child's own will in favor of accepting and deferring to the will of its father's. Disobedience brings proper and loving correction from a good father intent on profiting his child in life. In truth there is no functional distinction to be made in the relationship between a father and his child and we as children of God and our ultimate true Father in heaven. So our submission to His authority and instruction is ultimately the "offering" up of our own will to concede to and accept His. If done with serious intention, I believe this is an offering - an "oblation" that Father God honors and accepts with great pleasure and joy in His own heart ... and one that lone lip service can never successfully imitate. Nothing is hidden from Him.
"But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way." John 4:23 (NLT)
The scripture I quoted at the top from the book of Amos chapter 5, were Father God's words to His chosen people - Israel. To put them into context, Israel at the time was making great show of their "religion" as a hollow habit of obligation, but lived continually committing numerous sins before the Lord - violating His instruction without concern or regard to what He had instructed them. Currently we live in a world where many who profess to be following Christ are disregarding God's instructions and violating the spirit of the relationship they claim to have. It's apparently eroded understanding of what it means to "follow". When the day comes that all of the pretense, smoke and mirrors that we might employ in our lives are done away with, we'll be standing face to face with nothing but the bare truth - what God saw right through them all along. I pray that when that happens the lives that we've lived will have aligned with what we were instructed - not only in words, but in actual obedience ... We'll be face to face with Him ... with nowhere to hide. The spirit of what He's told us was intended to profit and protect us in that moment, the spirit of our offering in this life will tell the truth of our response. For some, that day may be more solemn - "serious and without any humour" than any they ever wished to have the opportunity for.
We live in an era of available grace through Christ. But since our God does not change, what pleases Him and what He hates don't change either. We can profess with our mouths just about anything, but what the Lord sees in our hearts tells Him the truth and what we we live out according to His instruction with intention and sincerity becomes a living oblation that will either bring Him joy or offense. We won't always get it right, but for a determined time He is patient. I believe that the true sincerity of our hearts is known to Him and that it counts.
As His children, we serve a forgiving Lord.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
Oblation ...
It's an interesting and uncommon word that's found a number of times in the King James translation of the Old Testament. Its meaning is essentially bound in the act of solemnly offering something to God. As added context here, The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word "solemn" as "serious and without any humour".
"And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it." Isaiah 19:21 (KJ)
A number of definitions for the word oblation that you'll find online currently make reference to the Eucharist - what Protestants more commonly refer to as "Communion". I don't think that the act of taking Communion can be eclipsed by any other offering that we might make if made in honest and solemn sincerity. But if you've studied the bible long enough and well enough, you may come away with an understanding that the list could be a little more broad in terms of the available offerings - oblations, that one could and should put before the Lord as a matter of sincere habit to confirm our confession to "follow" Christ. As Christ did, those who sincerely desire to "follow" Him are truly desiring to emulate Him. Christ offered Himself for us and at the same time offered up His own will in favor of the Father's. God has given us numerous gifts, but in the midst of a busy, self absorbed and self serving world ... what have we offered to Him lately?
Throughout all of scripture the Lord's heart is on display. What He desires and what brings Him pleasure are not hard to find if you're studying scripture with an earnest bent toward truly getting to know our Father. So imagining what we might offer Him as a present in an "oblation" that would be meaningful to Him and bring Him joy isn't a mystery and what we withhold can have consequences as well...
"“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.
“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies."" Zechariah 7:9-13 (NLT)
The submission of a child to it's father's authority and instruction is an act of obedience, but also in essence the surrender or "offering" up of the child's own will in favor of accepting and deferring to the will of its father's. Disobedience brings proper and loving correction from a good father intent on profiting his child in life. In truth there is no functional distinction to be made in the relationship between a father and his child and we as children of God and our ultimate true Father in heaven. So our submission to His authority and instruction is ultimately the "offering" up of our own will to concede to and accept His. If done with serious intention, I believe this is an offering - an "oblation" that Father God honors and accepts with great pleasure and joy in His own heart ... and one that lone lip service can never successfully imitate. Nothing is hidden from Him.
"But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way." John 4:23 (NLT)
The scripture I quoted at the top from the book of Amos chapter 5, were Father God's words to His chosen people - Israel. To put them into context, Israel at the time was making great show of their "religion" as a hollow habit of obligation, but lived continually committing numerous sins before the Lord - violating His instruction without concern or regard to what He had instructed them. Currently we live in a world where many who profess to be following Christ are disregarding God's instructions and violating the spirit of the relationship they claim to have. It's apparently eroded understanding of what it means to "follow". When the day comes that all of the pretense, smoke and mirrors that we might employ in our lives are done away with, we'll be standing face to face with nothing but the bare truth - what God saw right through them all along. I pray that when that happens the lives that we've lived will have aligned with what we were instructed - not only in words, but in actual obedience ... We'll be face to face with Him ... with nowhere to hide. The spirit of what He's told us was intended to profit and protect us in that moment, the spirit of our offering in this life will tell the truth of our response. For some, that day may be more solemn - "serious and without any humour" than any they ever wished to have the opportunity for.
We live in an era of available grace through Christ. But since our God does not change, what pleases Him and what He hates don't change either. We can profess with our mouths just about anything, but what the Lord sees in our hearts tells Him the truth and what we we live out according to His instruction with intention and sincerity becomes a living oblation that will either bring Him joy or offense. We won't always get it right, but for a determined time He is patient. I believe that the true sincerity of our hearts is known to Him and that it counts.
As His children, we serve a forgiving Lord.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
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