1 February | EVERYONE
«Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.’» Leviticus 1: 1,2
The fields and the weather were stripped of the morning mist as the Israelite made his way to the sanctuary carrying in his hands an offering of love. In Israel there was no worship without offering. They gave an offering to God for everything. There were offerings of gratitude, of worship and praise, of restitution, of joy and gladness, and many others. The people offered clean animals, such as a lamb, a calf, a pigeon, or doves. On other occasions, people brought fruits from the land. All these offerings were intended to lead people back to God.
Despite similarities, the concept of offerings in Israel was not the pagan concept of offerings given to appease angry gods. The purpose of offerings was to bring God’s children closer to Him. Its underlying use was, ultimately, to express the creature’s bond with their Creator. A bond of growing love. Any human being, regardless of their situation or status, would give offerings. Their sin and rebellion separated them from God, taking over what belonged to the Creator; then, perceiving their misbehavior, they would come back feeling remorseful, bringing an offering as an expression of recognition of their dependence on the Almighty.
The priest, the congregation, the head of the family, or any sinner... Everyone who sinned fell short of the glory of God (i.e., showed that their character was far from the divine character) and needed to turn to Him by bringing an offering. This offering should be spotless and blameless, for it represented the perfect Lord Jesus Christ. We, too, were ransomed one day, not with corruptible things like gold and silver but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without corruption. The offering that God expects today is our whole being, given on the altar of His service.
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Filled with joy because God has saved you, you will want to share Him as an offering of gratitude. Encourage those who need it today, share a word of hope with them, draw a smile on the face of a suffering soul.