Holy Is The Lord

There are 2 stories in Scripture that capture the nature of offering and the way we are supposed to offer freely and completely to God.  They are seemingly harsh stories, because the main characters in both stories are in deep personal strife as God comes to them.  The stories are both misused and misunderstood.

As I remember these 2 stories and the related Scriptures, I find myself thinking about how I offer to God.  The words partial, guarded, selfish, incomplete, insufficient and comfortable come to mind.  I wonder if giving the leftovers to God are the things that block God's desire to give us the blessings and abundance He offers freely?  And I wonder if what we venture/invest has a direct relationship to what we receive?  These are deep questions that make me squirm in the presence of God.  Here are a couple of stories of 2 people who have a very different attitude than me!

In 2 Samuel 24, David is under punishment by God for disobedience.  David is instructed by Gad (the prophet) to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  David speaks to Araunah and tells him he will buy the threshing floor.  Aranuah tells David to take it, at no cost.  But David insists on paying for the floor, saying, "I will not offer to God what costs me nothing!"  David understood, there is a reason the offering is called a sacrifice.

And now for that strange and misunderstood story about Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is living life with the improbable birth of Isaac, the long awaited son (Abraham was 100 years old).  In Genesis 22, Abraham is commanded to sacrifice the treasured son as a burnt offering on the mountain God leads him to.  The story says Abraham loaded up firewood and went "early the next morning."   As Abraham places the boy on the altar, God says, "do not lay a hand on the boy."  I expect in great relief, Abraham sees a ram caught in a thicket, and he sacrifices the ram as an act of devotion, thanksgiving and atonement.  He calls the place, "The Lord will provide."  God then speaks a blessing on Abraham and Isaac.

I will leave each of you to consider the words you will place on these stories.  The first reminds me of devotion to a Holy God that deserves my offering that is costly.  Not the last fruits, but the first fruits.  The second makes me ask, "do I trust God so much I would offer Him anything?"  Ponder these thoughts and see what God reveals to you as you allow God's word and Spirit to alter the way you serve, worship and love.  AMEN