Reflection: Recipes for acceptable offering

One of our kids found it a little too easy to say Sorry.

Another found it very hard to accept the ‘easy-Sorry’.

Another found it very hard to admit guilt.

And another was crushed if discipline meant sitting on the stairs.

All that to say how differently we each deal with guilt and sin. God’s people have just been sorely confronted en mass with the deadly sin of disbelief. And they’ll go on to sin individually (no surprise there). For that there are some more finicky rules. Lots of rules. Rules that help individuals to take sin and sorry and restitution seriously.

The surprising thing about these rules here in this part of the narrative is that they’re for the people who enter the promised land…which these people/this generation will not! But…and here’s the intention, when the new, faithful generation enters the land, they’ll be victorious and richly blessed by God. And he’ll be every bit deserving of their sacrifices and worship. This chapter glimmers with expectant hope.

Prayer:

You plant longing and hope in our hearts, Lord. I long for you to rule in my heart and for your kingdom to come here as it is in heaven. Grow my faith in the seedbed of hope. Keep each generation of your people longing and hoping.