²³ Jehovah clearly identified who the recipient of the Israelites’ worship should be. “You must not have any other gods besides me,” declared Jehovah. (Ex. 20:3-5) The sacrifices they offered to him had to be of the highest quality. For example, animal sacrifices were to be sound, without any defect. (Lev. 1:3; Deut. 15:21; compare Malachi 1:6-8.) The Levites benefited from the gifts given to Jehovah, but they too made personal offerings. What they gave had to come from among “the very best of all the gifts given” to them. (Num. 18:29) Regarding the manner in which they worshipped, the Israelites were given specific direction about what, where, and how sacrifices should be made to Jehovah. In total, they were given more than 600 laws to govern their behavior, and they were told: “Be careful to do just as Jehovah your God has commanded you. You must not turn to the right or to the left.”​—Deut. 5:32.

²⁴ Did it really matter where the Israelites offered their sacrifices? Yes. Jehovah instructed his people to build a tabernacle, and it became the center for pure worship. (Ex. 40:1-3, 29, 34) At that time, if the Israelites wanted their offerings to be approved by God, they had to bring them to the tabernacle.d​—Deut. 12:17, 18.

25. Regarding sacrifices, what mattered most? Explain.

²⁵ What mattered more, however, was an Israelite’s motive for offering his gift! He had to be motivated by heartfelt love for Jehovah and for his standards. (Read Deuteronomy 6:4-6.) When the Israelites merely went through the motions associated with pure worship, Jehovah rejected their sacrifices. (Isa. 1:10-13) Through the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah revealed that he is not deceived by an empty show of devotion, saying: “This people . . . honor me with their lips, but their heart is far removed from me.”​—Isa. 29:13.

Worship at the Temple

26. At first, what role did the temple built by Solomon play in pure worship?

²⁶ Centuries after Israel settled in the Promised Land, King Solomon built a center for pure worship that was far grander than the tabernacle. (1 Ki. 7:51; 2 Chron. 3:1, 6, 7) At first, Jehovah was the only recipient of the sacrifices offered at this temple. Solomon and his subjects offered vast quantities of sacrifices of high quality in the manner outlined in God’s Law. (1 Ki. 8:63) However, the cost of the building and the number of sacrifices were not what made worship at the temple acceptable to Jehovah. What mattered was the motive of those offering the gifts. Solomon emphasized that point at the dedication of the temple. He said: “Let your heart be complete with Jehovah our God by walking in his regulations and by keeping his commandments as on this day.”​—1 Ki. 8:57-61.