Numbers 15:17-21
‘Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land where I bring you, then it shall be, that when you eat of the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the LORD. ‘Of the first of your dough you shall lift up a cake as an offering; as the offering of the threshing floor, so you shall lift it up. ‘From the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD an offering throughout your generations.'”‘
God does so much for us. This offering is institutionalizing a system of showing appreciation. I’ll catalog some things that God does for us. He is the creator and sustainer of life. Colossians 1:17 says, He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Our next breath, heart beat and brain wave are sustained by Him. Our impulse, footstep and next word are allowed by Him. Our next joy, relief, and view are because He is managing it. We have predictable people, routines and things we depend on. All of creation, it’s deep and refreshing greens, the birds who transmit energy and joy just upon viewing them as well as the companionship of dogs are His ideas and reality. The whole other world of the seas and it’s creatures. Most of which are never seen by human eyes. This shows the depth of His care of creation. It’s for us, but there is much more than we would ever appreciate.
Ephesians 3 says, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” The dimensions of His love are so great that our small brains can’t fathom them. The complexity of managing us and creation is too much. People of our day speak of chaos theory. This is explaining the impossibility of managing complex things. This is directily proportional. As the complexity of something increases, so are the chances of it’s failure. God is the exception. He can do it.
I have been detailing the Lord’s great abilities. What’s also awesome is His love and goodness. These are equally without measure. The Ephesian passage is actually talking about God’s love. We would hope for this. Our yearning is so great that it almost seems fictional. How could anyone meet all of our longings for attachment and love. He can. All of the broken hearts and dreams could have been filled by Him. He is constantly reaching out. There is a gravitational pull towards Him. We actually have to resist Him. Our rejections are very slight. They were once more overt, but a lifetime of choices almost makes them unconscious. In spite of that, the gravitational pull of His love remains.
What’s our response to be? Gratitude. It should flow from us. The more we are aware of His actions, the more thankfulness wells up. Today’s passage is God showing the people to be grateful. It was intented to start a habit that would flow to one’s heart. Instead of a “have to” ritual, they would see the spirit of the rule. Let thankfulness flood out of us.
Lord, help us to be grateful people. Help us to see all You’ve done and are doing for us. Help us not to be bitter and wanting.