LIFE WITH GOD
Leviticus 1-3, 7
“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.”
In this simple and direct manner, God sets out the rules and procedures that are necessary for a relationship with him. It tells us that he does wish to fellowship with us but at the same time, he emphasises that there is a gulf between us and him; we need to meet him where he is but he is willing to help ease the burden.
When we read all the rules and regulations laid out in Leviticus and the amount of blood and death that are involved, we must not sigh and wonder why God is so fussy. In truth, as Hebrews reminds us, the blood of bulls and goats cannot atone for our sin. All of these stipulations are predicated on the sacrifice of Christ that will ultimately be the truly worthy sacrifice for mankind.
At the same time we must not miss the foundational truth of all these procedures: we are to please God in the way he is to be pleased. We cannot go by good intentions, good deeds and what we deem sufficient. He alone sets the rules and the standards. We cannot be half-hearted about what we offer to him; certainly not spare change in our pockets.
Finally, we see that the relationship God envisages is one where we recognise his providential love and care for us. God encourages us to come to him, to be grateful and thankful to him for the blessings that we experience in life, and he seeks to be a part of our joy, our celebrations, our successes and our most important occasions and memories.
Many of these offerings are on a freewill basis and there is a presumption that we would want to draw near to God and draw him into our life. Leviticus warns us to be careful so that we do not accidentally trigger some bad reactions. The language is clunky and full of directives but we must not miss the desire of God to be with his people.
“It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.”