Suffering as Worship

In the Old Testament God required many different sacrifices and offerings from both the people and the priests. Some were required daily, some weekly, some monthly, and some yearly (see for example Lev 1-7; Num 28-29). These offerings and sacrifices would have taken both a financial toll on the people as well as a physical toll, as the Temple in Jerusalem was the only authorized place to present offerings to God. From north to south Israel is about 150 miles, and from east to west spans approximately 75 miles. Jerusalem sits in the southern part of Israel. Thus traveling to Jerusalem to offering a sacrifice would have been no small task. Nonetheless, sacrifices and offerings were the means of worship which God had prescribed in the Old Testament, and a way in which one could demonstrate their devotion to God--a way of suffering for the Lord. In fact, the word sacrifice by definition implies the suffering of loss.

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