“Try it on! Try it on!” That has become something we say when we give gifts in my wife’s family. As soon as a person opens the gift – a sweater, a t-shirt, a pair of pants – we all say, “try it on.” It’s a joke, but it started as an encouragement to enjoy the gift right away. It was a way to share the gift, letting everyone see it being used and worn.
It is the same when a child gets a toy. One of the first impulses is to play with it. Sometimes that is part of the present – being part of the enjoyment of it.
In this passage from Leviticus we have some instructions on the Fellowship Offering. What is one reason for the Fellowship Offering? In verse 14, what instruction is given? What must be done according to verse 15?
While this may be a rather long and detailed reading, the key elements are at the beginning and the end. The Fellowship Offering is more than simply a gift to God. It is a sharing of fellowship – of being together – as an expression of gratitude and thanks to God.
A unique feature of the Fellowship Offering is that what is presented to God in sacrifice is shared by all. God is honored, the priests are sustained, and the faithful believer is invited in to take part in the abundance. After the offering is made the person presenting it must eat all of what was given – presumably, along with his family and with the priest.
It was a time of thanking God for His goodness and abundance. But it also involved sharing that goodness. And it involved getting something back from your expression of gratitude.
When we honor God with our gifts, when we present to God the offerings of our tithes and financial support, then we are blessed. We get back from God. Usually it is a deep sense of community with God and a feeling of elation at having helped God’s kingdom. When we give to God we sit down with the Lord and share in the blessings of His love.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Is there a way to share your thankfulness? Who needs to join you in your celebration of God’s goodness?
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