Offerings

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2

In Leviticus God gave the Israelites laws including the ten commandments and instructions about various feast days and offerings which were to be made.  The whole Jewish sacrificial system pointed to Jesus and the sacrifice He made for the sins of everyone in the world when He died on the cross.  “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. “  Hebrews 7:27

Many of the instructions God gave the Israelites in Leviticus applied to them at that time.  The ten commandments are still valid guidelines for us today, but the sacrifice Christ made on the cross has an eternal application for all people.  He gave himself so that those who choose to do so may take Him as Savior and become God’s children.  Because of what Jesus has done for us, we have forgiveness of sins, peace and power in this life, and a future home in heaven.  

Jesus has given Himself for us and to us.  Our appropriate response is for us to, in turn, give ourselves wholly to Him, placing everything we have and everything we are completely in His hands.  Christina Georgina Rossetti wrote:

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Have you given Him your heart?

Father, you gave your only Son for me.  Lord Jesus, Savior, you died a torturous, humiliating death for me.  Precious Holy Spirit, constant companion, you live in my heart and guide and empower and comfort me.  For all you, my God, have given me, I give you my heart.  Amen.

Jesus Loves You and Me

"I praise you because I am wonderfully and fearfully made."  Psalm 139:14a

I went to a dog show in Ft. Payne, Alabama.  It wasn't a show for professional handlers, although one trainer and his dogs put on an impressive performance.  But I was more fascinated by the variety of dogs and the looks of pride and affection on the faces of the dogs' owners.  There were dachshunds, poodles, beagles, border collies, labs, and dogs of many other breeds as well as some dogs with a probable mixture of ancestors.  There were long haired dogs and short haired dogs of all sizes and ages, from puppies to old timers with gray hairs in their muzzles.  They came in different colors--black, brown, reddish, golden, white, and all sorts of mixed colors.  And I thought how we have a God of infinite variety.

One dog was carried in a sling, and another was rolled in a baby stroller.  Most were on leashes.  Regardless of their mode of transportation, the look on the owner's face told you that each dog was super special and very greatly loved.

Our God has also made people in different sizes, shapes, and colors.  He has made each one of us super special, and He looks at us with tremendous love and overwhelming affection.  I hope you will bask in how much He loves you and how special He thinks you are.

Father, it is so true, as the song says, that "Jesus loves me.  This I know.  For the Bible tells me so."  Thank You.  Thank You.  Thank You!  Amen.

The Aroma of Christ

"When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.'  Acts 4:13

Moses went back to Mt. Sinai, and God wrote the Ten Commandments on two more stone tablets.  He gave the Israelites a second chance to obey Him.  Have you ever needed a second, or third, or fourth, or fiftieth chance?  Do you know anyone right now to whom you might give another chance?  The Christian life is a matter of beginning again over and over.  When we sin, if we repent, God forgives us and wipes our slate clean, giving us a brand new beginning.  What a gracious, merciful Heavenly Father we have!  May we be as gracious and merciful to the people in our lives!

Moses asked God if he could see His glory.  God didn't allow Moses to see His face, but He hid Moses in a cleft of a rock and passed by, partially revealing His glory.  Moses wanted to be as close to God as he could possibly be, to see God more clearly than he had ever seen Him before.  Is this one of your goals--to become as close to God as you possibly can and to know Him better and better?

When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the two new copies of the Ten Commandments, "his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord."  Acts 4:13 tells us this concerning a time when Peter and John were brought before the Jewish authorities to be questioned, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."  II Corinthians 2:15,  "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

At a conference the attendees had free time in the afternoon, and one of the men elected to visit a rose garden in the vicinity.  When the attendees came back together for the session that night, one of them said, "I know where you have been.  You visited the rose garden this afternoon.  I can still smell the roses."

Does God's glory shine through us as it did through Moses after he had spent time with God?  Do people see a difference in our lives because we have been with Jesus?  Is there the sweet aroma of Christ in our lives wherever we go and whatever we do?

Father, may people sense a difference in our lives because we belong to You.  Amen.

Our Mediator

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men...."  I Timothy 2:5-6a.

The Israelites had vowed that they would obey God on several occasions.  But, before Moses had come back down the mountain, they asked Aaron to build them an idol.  Aaron didn't hesitate.  He told the people to bring him their gold earrings, which they did.  Scripture says,  "He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool.  Exodus 32:4a.  Yet when Moses confronted him, Aaron blamed the people as though he had no choice in the matter, saying, "You know how prone these people are to evil.  They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us.....So I told them, "Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off."  Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire and out came this calf.'"  Exodus 32:22b-23a, 24.  That's not exactly the way it happened.  Aaron yielded to the temptation to change the truth in an attempt to make himself look better. From time to time we face that same temptation.  Do we always tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth regardless of the consequences?
     Moses was so angry about the idol that he broke the stone tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments.  Yet when God threatened to destroy the people, Moses interceded for his fellow Israelites.  Moses acknowledged the immensity of their sin but asked God to forgive them.  So God relented and did not destroy the people.
     We, too, have a Mediator who asks God to forgive our sins.  I John 1:1b says,  "We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."  My husband, John, was a lawyer, and this was  one of his favorite verses, because an advocate is someone who pleads our case.  John won some of his cases and lost some of them, but he was convinced that Jesus would never lose his case, nor ours.

Father, thank You that Your Son, our Savior, intercedes for us on the grounds that He has already paid the penalty for all our sins.  Thank You for forgiving us because of His sacrifice.  Amen.

The Golden Calf

God said,  "You shall have no other gods before me."  Exodus 20:3

The Israelites were at Mt. Sinai.  God had promised to speak to them there.  His presence was accompanied by a thick cloud which covered the mountain, thunder, lightning, fire, smoke, and a very loud trumpet blast.  The whole mountain trembled violently.  What an awesome sight that must have been.

Moses went up on the mountain.  God instructed him to return to the Israelites and say to them,  "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession."  Exodus 19:5a.  When Moses told the Israelites what God had said,  "The people all responded together,  'We will do everything the Lords has said.'"  Exodus 19:8.

God spoke the Ten Commandments from the mountain to the people.  The first commandment was "You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in the heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them."  Exodus 20:3-5a.  God reiterated that command in Exodus 20:23, saying,  "Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver of gods of gold."  When Moses told the people all of God's words and laws, they responded with one voice,  "Everything the Lord has said we will do.”  Exodus 24:7.  Apparently they felt certain they would obey God.

But even before Moses came down from the mountain the people went to Aaron and said,  "Come, make us gods who will go before us."  Aaron made an astounding reply.  He told the people to bring him all the gold earrings they had.  When they did, "He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool.  Then they said,  'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up.'"  Exodus 32:4  To add insult to injury, the next day the Israelites sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings to this golden calf.  They had been so sure they would obey God, but look at them now!

Rather than criticizing Israel for their disobedience, we need to remember all the times we thought we would be obedient and then we yielded to temptation.  The law was given to prove to all people that they were unable to keep it and needed a Savior.

Father, I know how sinful I am, how I have disobeyed You many times.  Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior so our sins could be forgiven.  Amen.

The Tabernacle Pointed to Jesus

"They [the earthly priests] serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.  This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'"  Hebrews 8:5

Just as the earthly tabernacle was a shadow of the heavenly one, there are many aspects of the tabernacle that foreshadowed Jesus' coming and His ministry on earth.  Let me suggest a few of these details that point us to Jesus.

There is only one door to the tabernacle, and it represents Jesus, who is "the Way" to God.  In John 10:19 we read Jesus' words,  "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved."

The acacia wood from which the panels and pieces of furniture were made was overlaid with gold.  There were two materials joined together in one board, just as humanity and deity were joined together in one Man, Jesus Christ.

The colors of the curtains pointed to Jesus.  The blue represented His heavenly origin, the red the blood He shed on the cross for us, and the purple His royalty as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was a symbol of Jesus' body, which was torn to give us free access into the presence of God.

On the table were twelve loaves of bread, reminding us of Jesus' words that He is the Bread of life, both our Provider and our Provision.

The only source of light in the tabernacle was the candlestick.  Jesus is the Light of the World. The oil in the lamp stand  represents the Holy Spirit.   As the candlestick received all its light from oil rather than from nature, the church is to shed forth the light of revelation from God's word, not from man's reason.

The tabernacle was built to be easily moved.  It was quite portable because the Israelites were wanderers in the wilderness.  They had not yet arrived at their homeland.  We also are wanderers in this world, because heaven is our permanent home.  Just as the Israelites  moved whenever and wherever God led them, we should also follow His leading wherever He would have us go.

   

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to earth to show us God in flesh and for dying for us so we can have a heavenly home with You and the Father and the Spirit forever.  Amen.

The Tabernacle

"So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed.  The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses."  Exodus 39:32

One reason God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai was to give him the Ten Commandments and other laws and instructions for the Israelites.  A second reason for this meeting was for God to give Moses the instructions for building a tabernacle where God would dwell with His people.  If Moses had come down with only the Ten Commandments and other laws, the situation for the human race would have been hopeless, because no one has ever been able to keep the Ten Commandments, much less all of God's laws.  But the tabernacle gave men a way to be forgiven for their sins and a way to be able to approach God.  God was very specific in all the details which stipulated how He was to be worshiped.  Not only was worshiping God important, but obedience to God's instructions was important as well.

The beginning phrase of building the tabernacle was to collect the materials for it.  In Exodus 25:1-2 we see this invitation,  "The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering.  You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.'"  Remember, God loves a cheerful giver.  The people responded by bringing all sorts of fine materials--gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, oil, spices, precious stones, and acacia wood.  The reason these former slaves had such wealth in the wilderness is because God caused the Egyptians to give His people the things that would be needed to build the tabernacle as they left Egypt.  God had prepared ahead for His earthly dwelling place.

The Israelites gave so willingly and lavishly that Moses had to tell them to stop, that they had all the material they needed.  If anyone had been slow to respond, he might well have missed his opportunity to contribute, to have the blessing of having his offering be part of the tabernacle.

Our giving reflects how we feel about God.  Our gifts should be given willingly, lavishly, in a timely manner, with love and gratitude, from the very best we have to offer.

Father, may we give to You generously, gratefully, joyfully. Amen.