Hyperbole and exaggeration are no strangers in our contemporary conversational landscape. In any casual conversation overstatement and embellishment occur with great frequency. It is hard to talk with anyone for any amount of time without gross amplification. And, yes, I realize the irony of this paragraph!
So, when a friend says that missing their favorite TV show in order to attend a Bible study it “traumatic,” we can understand what they are trying to communicate – they really like the show and wish they didn’t have to miss it. But, when we misuse a term long enough, perhaps we begin to lose sight of the meaning of the term itself. So it is with “sacrifice.” The phrase, “it’s a sacrifice,” is applied to anything from missing dessert to talking on the phone; we use the word simply to imply that we have been slightly inconvenienced. But, sure, the term “sacrifice” has a deeper meaning than that!
In the Bible, a “sacrifice” is a costly offering, a gift that weighs heavily upon the giver. When the Israelites were charged with offering sacrifices to the Lord, the act always entailed an expense to the worshipper. To sacrifice something meant to give something you would rather not, to give something that you highly value. And often, this was dramatically pictured by a violent death – the killing of an animal, so that it might be butchered, shared and burnt. Sacrifice was not always connected to death…but it frequently was. The expense of an animal for sacrifice on the family finances must have been significant, to say nothing of the emotional element of “giving away” something so valuable.
My mother used to say, “it’s not a sacrifice if it doesn’t hurt.” If you can give and not feel it, that’s a blessing indeed! And by all means, bless others! Let’s say you have an abundance of money; giving someone in need $20 probably isn’t a sacrifice. Or if you have lots of free time, giving some to a ministry in need is a good thing, a wonderful blessing, but it probably isn’t a sacrifice. To sacrifice financially means to give at a level where it hurts; to sacrifice time means to give of your time when you would rather spend it on yourself. To sacrifice is painful – not just inconvenient.
So, how to we understand this week’s text – a call to give to the Lord, “a sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15)? We know (sort of!) what “praise” means. We know that to praise the Lord is to proclaim His goodness, to announce to all His majesty, to glory in all that He is. But, how is this a sacrifice? What might it mean to praise God in such a way that it costs us something? How do we sacrifice in a costly way our praise to God?
All this we will be exploring this Sunday in worship as we examine Hebrews 13:15-16.
- In verse 15, the “then” connects this verse as a consequence of what comes before it. Can you trace the author’s thinking here? How does verse 15 naturally flow from the preceding verses?
- Who is the “him” in verse 15? Through whom are we to praise?
- The end of the verse gives some hints as to what a “sacrifice of praise” is meant to be. Can you connect the beginning of the verse (“offer up a sacrifice of praise”) with the end (“lips that acknowledge His name”)?
- Sacrifices come up again in verse 16. What is “sacrificed” here? How might that be connected to the previous verse? If you were to link the two “sacrifices” how would that be?
- When have you experienced the sacrifice of praise? What situation might you find yourself in to bring this about?