Deuteronomy 16:9-17
Tuesday, 16 February 2021
“… and they shall not appear before the LORD empty handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.” -Deut.16:16-17
God’s instruction to His people in the manner in which they should conduct their lives is seen here. God Himself was involved in their deliverance from the place of their slavery. He struck the rule of wickedness and released His people to freedom. But God did not stop there – He continued to guide them through their journey. His guidance was on a daily basis and in all circumstances – the detailed account of this journey can be seen in the book of Numbers. The people of Israel who had been in slavery for 430 years had lost their identity! God is now trying to establish an identity for them – an identity which is centered on God!
God’s constant guidance in their life was seen by the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire that guided them throughout their wilderness journey. God’s providence was seen in the way He took care of their needs and more so their daily needs of food by way of manna. God was so closely knit in their everyday lives in ways visible to them. Now when they settled in the Promised Land, they were to remember His goodness in their lives and they were asked to observe these different Feasts so they would remember His constant goodness and guidance.
The crux of the matter is God wants His children to be GOD-CENTRIC- to be centred on Him! This is why we see Him giving them detailed instructions in every detail of their lives.
When they came before Him, they were instructed not to come empty-handed—each had to bring according to the blessing the Lord had given them. Now in giving something to the Lord is not just the gift involved, but your very life! The work that you do- the work of your hands, the produce of your land is the sum substance of your toil, your sweat- hence when you offer to the Lord it is offering your very self! The attitude when we offer should be that it is God who has given us jobs, property, wealth, and it is with His blessing that we can bring an offering to Him. See David’s words in 1 Chron.29:14: “For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.”
When we give ourselves to the Lord first, then our offering becomes meaningful- the Lord is interested in those who offer their lives to Him to be used for His plan and purposes. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Friend, if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, I urge you to first do that – accept the finished work of Christ on the cross for your acceptance before God- accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour- “…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation”(Rom.10:9-10). And then may your life become an offering to the LORD!
To Act on: “Offer the proper sacrifices and trust the LORD.”
(Psalm 4:5 CEV)
Listen: ‘Two hands, One heart’
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