Our Offerings And Praise To God
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Leviticus 1-2 and Psalm 79 (NIV)
(Lim Swee Kim, DISCIPLE leader)
READ:
The following verses stood out for me:
Lev 1:3 – If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect.
Lev 2:1 – When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour.
Ps 79:9 – Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.
Ps 79:13 – Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.
OBSERVE:
Leviticus is the foundation of God’s early instructions to His people. Leviticus 1 and 2 provides instructions for a burnt offering to show devotion and commitment to God. In essence, God prescribed ways for redemption so that we can move towards holiness. With clear instructions, our journey to redemption, and holiness can be practised, and refined by all of us daily.
In Psalm 79, Asaph had prayed for rescue and protection, and ended with grateful praise and dependence on God. Asaph properly recognized God’s place as Shepherd over His people.
APPLY:
Achieving holiness is not a mission which we can attain overnight. We know that it will take us a lifetime and as such, the earlier we begin our journey, the more time we have to practise and inculcate holy habits into our lives.
As humans, we will surely make mistakes as we are not perfect. We need God’s redemption so that we can be forgiven and set out again – as many of us older folks have gratefully experienced.
Psalm 79 is a psalm of Asaph, descendant of Gershon the son of Levi. Asaph was commissioned by David as one of the musicians to make a joyful sound with lyres, harps and cymbals (1 Chronicles 15:16-24). After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD, and gave bread, dates and raisins to every man and woman (1 Chronicles 16:2-3).
We read in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” So we shall, and must, continue our journey towards holiness, overcoming setbacks along the way by forgiving others, and forgiving ourselves as God forgives.
DO:
I am to give my best to God. This ‘best’ is a sacrifice from me, just like the sacrifice of burnt offering and the grain offering. This ‘best’ is to serve God and seek His purpose for me. In my sanctification journey, I am reminded to be forgiving to others, and myself as God forgives.
I am also to give thanks for all that I have received. I will tell God that I love Him with all my heart and with all my soul and all my mind. And along my life journey, I will praise God for His wondrous love for me, granting me fruits of my labour to enjoy – especially fellowship and food!
PRAY:
Father Lord, we thank you for your rescue and protection of your people, and also for your forgiveness of our sins. We praise you for we may come to you with our cries and regrets, and have them all washed away so that we can continue our journey. Lift us up Lord, and help us desire to be holy for we love you and praise you with all our hearts, souls, and minds. Lead us to You always in all that we say and do. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
