God's Covenant Based on Offerings

Deut. 15:4-5 Listen to God and obey his commandments.
Deut. 7:12-14 God promises to bless and multiply them.
Deut. 7:15 God promises to take away all sickness.
Deut. 11:23, 24  God promised to drive out all nations from before them. He gave them every place where the souls of their feet tread.

The main conditions of these blessings were based on following the commandments of offerings. When it was time to do offerings, they were not a solemn time, but a time of great rejoicing before the Lord with their families and servants. This really got me to thinking, and now when I start to give an offering, I thank God and praise Him for what he has done for me, holding my offering in my hand before I give to him. Sometimes, after I praise Him, then I tell Him my needs, and then thank Him again for the answers. 

Back then, it cost them a lot of money to bring one of their animals to the temple. In the book of Lev. it gives strict instructions to the people and to the sons of Aaron, the priests. The ram or bullock was to be brought to the temple in the presence of God. They were to lay their hands on the animal's head, and then they killed the animal before God. The priests did the rest of the work.

The reason they laid their hands on the animal's head is because the animal was taking their place on the altar. Jesus's death on the cross fulfilled the offerings, and we don't have to do that anymore. We give our money now in an offering to God. It represents us.

Something else about offerings that I have learned, is that when God speaks to me to give a certain amount, then I know that he has a harvest in mind. There are some seeds that you can plant where you don't see a harvest right away. But when God speaks to you to give, He has something in store for you. There are also times when you can give an offering to Prove God, as it says in Mal. 3:8.

Targeted Offerings are offerings that you give like a vow to the Lord, to get your needs met. For example, if I need a miracle in my finances, I pledge a certain amount until I pay it off.  In my own personal experience, I have found that when I make a pledge to a ministry for a certain amount, as I pay it off, God moves for me. The payoff of the pledge is my point of contact to get my needs met. A word of warning however. Don't ever make a vow to God that you can't keep. He holds you accountable for it. The Bible tells us of a vow that Jacob made to God. He vowed to give God a tenth of whatever he blessed him with.

One time, years ago, I made a pledge of a $1000.00 to a ministry, and forgot about it. The Holy Spirit brought it back to my memory, and I had to pay it. I asked God to forgive me for not paying it.