The Law of Sacrifice: God and Noah

Genesis 6 v17, 18; 8 v21, 22

Some of the saddest words in Scripture occur in Genesis 6 v6: ”And the LORD was sorry that He had
mademan on the earth, and He was grieved in his heart.” It saddned God that every human being escepr
for Noah’s immediate family would have to be destroyed.He loved the men and women whom He
created to be like Him, those who were to rule the earth and reflect His glory.

God determined to start again, event without the guarantee that the survivors and their descendants
would do a better job of following Him. God made a covenant with Noah, giving up His right to ever agin
flood the earth to clewanse it of sinfull humanity. Noah gave up everything hr had accumulated in his
long life in order to start over. Sacrifice always precedes success. They had to give up to go up.

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The Law of Sacrifice: Abraham Pays a Price

Genesis 22 v1-18

Did you know that God provides tests as measure of progress and as providing gorunds for every
persons He calls to lead? Genesis 22 begins with a divine test. God calls Abraham to climb Mount
Moriah and sacrifice his beloved son. If Abraham would resolve to give up Isaac, God knew he would be
willing to do anything asked of him—and therefore would be a perfect candidate to become the father
of the Hebrew people.

Leadership tests differ from one another, but all have a few things in common:

1. Leaders get tested at each stage of growth.

2. The leader's goal is to pass the test.
3. Testing always precedes promotion.
4. Self-promotion or promotion by others can never replace divine promotion.
5. Promotion requires sacrifice.

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The Law of Sacrifice: We Must Give Up to Get It Right

Leviticus 1 v1- 6 v30

Have you ever stopped to think that the „Laws of Sacrifice” in the Book of Leviticus illustrate the
leadership principle we call the Law of Sacrifice? God lays out specific instructions regarding how His
people are to offer sacrifices acceptable to Him. He makes it abundantly clear that they must give up
certain things on order to get right with Him—and getting right with Him is crucial in light of the big
picture.
Cain and Abel made the first offerings recorded in the Bible. The early leaders of the Old Testament
made sacrifices to God wherever they settled. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob built sacrifical altars. Noah
offered sacrifices of thanksgivimg after the Flood. What did all these sacrifices mean, and how can a
leader today apply the purposes of these sacrifices?

Offerings Meaning Leader’s Application

Burnt Offering Purging of sinful acts by the A leader must pursue moral
worshipper purity.
Grain Offering Giving the best from a person’s A leader must offer excellent
property effort and services.
Peace Offering Expressed praise to God and A leader must commit to
fellowship to others prioritize relationships.
Sin (Guilt) Offering To atone for sin when restitution A leader must request
was impossible forgiveness when wrong.
Trespass Offering Made for unintentional or lesser A leader must desire to maintain
offenses communication/momentum.

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The Law of Sacrifice: Nazirites Give Up to Go Up

Numbers 6 v1-21

Through the vow of the Nazirite, God provided a way for both men and women to specially consecrate
themselves to the LORD for a special time and purpose. Leaders such as Samson (and perhaps Samuel)
made this vow, committing to abstain from wine and strong drink, to leave their hair uncut, and to avoid
contact with a corpse. They gave up certains rights or options in order to live at a higher standart—in
other words, they practiced the Law of Sacrifice. They did so not to stand in judgment of othesr, but to
discipline themselves agains the temptations of the day.

How can today’s leaders apply the principle behind the Nazirite vow?

Discipline

Abstinence from wine/ strong drink

Uncut hair

Avoid defilement from corpse

Application

Indulgence: discipline to prevent addiction

Image: refuse to allow fashion to lead you

Integrity: stay pure, pursue a holy standart

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The Law of Sacrifice: Leaders Who Stop Sacrificing Stop Succeeding

2 Samuel 11 v1- 12 v31

David is a different man in 2 Samuel 11 v12 than in 1 Samuel 11 v12. Somewhere along the way, he
decided he didn’t need to sacrifice in order to lead well. He no longer prepared for new challenges.
When we stop growing, we stop leading. When we stop sacrificing, we stop succeeding.

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The Law of Sacrifice: Esther is Willing to Give Her Life for the People

Esther 4 v11-16

After Mordecai confronts Esther about risking her life for her people, she makes a commitment to
approach the king uninvited—even though such an appearance invited death (Esth. 4 v11). Esther says
simply, “I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish!” (4 v16). She took the
step; she informed the king; she changed his mind; she saved the day.

Such is the life of a leader who practices the Law of Sacrifice. A leader must be willing to give up to go
up.

Of course, leaders do this only when their cause becomes more important than their life. Jesus called His
staff to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him (Matt. 16 v24). He told them that those
who saved their lives would lose them. Esther put the cause of her people above her instinct for self-
preservation—and not only lived, but enabled many others to live as well.