OFFENDED BY THE OFFERING

1. CAIN – Genesis 4:3-8.
Offended because God accepted someone else’s offering.
Cain and Abel both brought offerings to the Lord. God accepted Abel and his offering but did not regard Cain and his offering.
Cain became very angry, and eventually his anger led him to murder Abel.
Cain allowed his response to God’s rejection of his offering to turn into jealousy and hostility toward his brother

2. JUDAS ISCARIOT – John 12:3-8
Offended over a lavish offering to Jesus.
Mary anointed Jesus with expensive perfume (a years wages worth of perfume). Judas criticized her, arguing that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor.
John reveals that Judas was stealing from the money bag.
Judas criticized another person’s costly offering and act of worship while concealing his own financial dishonesty.

3. SOME OF JESUS’ DISCIPLES – Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9
Indignant over an extravagant gift.
Mark records that some people became indignant when a woman poured expensive perfume on Jesus.
They considered her gift wasteful and rebuked her. But Jesus defended her and honored what she had done.
What some people regarded as waste, Jesus recognized as worship.

4. PRIESTS IN MALACHI – Malachi 1:6-14
Complained that offerings were burdensome.
The priests treated the sacrificial offerings with contempt. They complained about the burden of their duties and permitted defective sacrifices.
God confronted their attitude toward worship.
These priests had lost their reverence for the offerings they were responsible for presenting.

5. RICH YOUNG RULER – Matthew 19:16–22; Luke 18:18–23
Jesus instructed the rich ruler to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. He became sorrowful when Jesus told him to give away his possessions.
The man went away sorrowful because he was very wealthy.
Scripture describes sorrow rather than anger. Nevertheless, it shows that the call to generosity can expose a person’s attachment to possessions.

6. HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS – 1 Samuel 2:12-17
Eli’s sons abused their priestly positions by greedily taking from the sacrifices and disrespecting God’s instructions. Their actions caused the people to despise the offering of the Lord.
But God did not overlook their corruption. He held them accountable and ultimately brought judgment upon them, and both died on the same day (1 Samuel 2:34; 4:11).
Never allow someone else’s misuse of offerings to cause you to despise giving to God. God knows how to deal with those who abuse what belongs to Him. Don’t let someone else’s wrongdoing rob you of your obedience and worship.