Overhead:
"My wife thinks I'm a god."
"Really? Why do you say that?"
"She serves me three burnt offerings every day!"
In ancient Israel, the burnt offering was truly an act of worship before the Lord. The Book of Leviticus contains detailed instructions over just what was proper in the providing and offering of animal sacrifices. The priests (the sons of Aaron) had to follow these directions in order to ensure that all gifts were properly handled and acceptable to the Lord.
As an agrarian society, bulls, lambs, and other livestock were considered both readily available and suitable for sacrifice. There are two reasons why we don't practice such offerings today. Most importantly, we understand Christ to be our atoning sacrifice "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). Still, giving to God remains an important aspect of worship. Today we do so primarily by giving financially - money has replaced livestock as something that is both readily available and suitable for sacrifice. Some day, our descendants may struggle to understand the giving away of money as much as we wonder about the practice of burnt offerings!
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