Isn't that too much?

Numbers 29:12-40 - Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days. You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the LORD: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without defect; and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering. Then on the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings. Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering. Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering. Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering. Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offerings. Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering. On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. But you shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering. You shall present these to the LORD at your appointed times, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings. Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

According to my math, that's 71 bulls, 15 rams, 105 one year old male lambs, and a lot of grain, drink, and burnt offering. That's a lot that they offered in about a week!

So much to give... but that's the point. When we think about how much we ought to give back to the Lord, it can seem like too much. Too often, we struggle to give even the very least portion of our wealth to the church, to those in need, for the work of missions, that the Lord's will be done around the world and in our lives. We're called to give ourselves as sacrifices that are set apart from sin and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). That means, everything that we have we give to the Lord. However, the very fact that we are called to give so much back to the Lord... points to the reality that we have been given so much more. Israel was blessed. God provided for their every need and they were never in lack. We are blessed too. Let's not lose sight of this truth.

All We Have is Manna Again...

Numbers 11:4-6 - The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat? "We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna."

That's you and me right there! Just like the people of Israel who were grumbling, we too are ungrateful people who daily focus on our own needs and forget to trust in God's provision. And God is not pleased with our selfish hearts. We are to "in everything give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18) because God is always faithful to provide in His time. Sadly, we too often look at what we don't have and forget what we have already been given.

"There is nothing at all to look at except this manna." Without that manna, you'd perish! I don't like my boss and am bored at work... without that job, you'd have no money! I wish I could eat nicer food... some people haven't eaten in weeks! And ungratefulness always reveals itself in our thoughts, speech, and actions. We fail to trust in God, instead take matters into our own hands, and begin to do things out of selfish motives. We cease to be vehicles of encouragement and service to others when we are ungrateful. If that becomes a common occurrence in our lives, that means we're deceived, blind, and have much to learn about the goodness of our faithful, providing God.

Jesus was tempted by Satan in a similar way (Matthew 4). Jesus had fasted for 40 days and nights, and then Satan told Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus must have been hungry and Jesus definitely had the power to make Himself food. However He didn't. Why? Jesus knew that God had brought Him to that place without food, and He knows that God does not make mistakes. There was no need for Him to try to fight God's will, just opportunity to trust.

Who's your priority? Is it God? Or is it yourself? How thankful you are is a measure of how much you prioritize God's will. If your focus is on God's will, you will be thankful for where you're at today because you know you're far better off than you deserve. We deserve eternal condemnation and separation, but instead we inherit every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3) as adopted children. What more could we ever want or need? If your focus is on yourself instead, you will grumble. Put God first, your needs second, and rejoice always in any circumstance!

Our Faithful Guide

Numbers 9:15-23 - Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning. So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. At the command of the LORD the sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep the LORD's charge and not set out. If sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, according to the command of the LORD they remained camped. Then according to the command of the LORD they set out. If sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out.Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out. At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they kept the LORD's charge, according to the command of the LORD through Moses.

We can learn a lot about God by observing His faithfulness throughout history. The cloud and fire of God's presence led Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 12:21-22) and whenever or wherever the cloud lifted, the people would set out by God's command. Just like the star which led the magi to Christ, the pillar of fire which led God's people to the promised land, did not only shine, but also went before them. God doesn't just simply reveal Himself to us, He also leads us daily as we walk in newness of life. He isn't a distant observer who watches from a distance as we struggle to crawl closer to Him, He's an intimately involved Father who lovingly disciplines, directs, comforts, and carries us as we falter and halt. It truly is a privilege to follow God because He shows us the way through His Word and enables us to obey through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts!

A Look that Kills

Numbers 4:15 - When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Numbers 4:19-20 - But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die."

God's holiness is such that if someone even looks at God, he will die (Ex. 33:20). We see here that God's holiness is such that the Kohathite priests of the Levite tribe had to wrap these sacred pieces (the ark of the testimony, table of the bread of the Presence, the lampstand, the golden altar) in cloth and goatskin because if they so much as touched (v15) or saw (v20) these objects that shared part of God's glory, they would die. This isn't even seeing God directly, simply looking at objects that reflect His holiness is enough to kill. Clearly, God cannot be approached casually. Let's check ourselves next time before we draw near to God in prayer that we would revere and approach cautiously lest we be struck dead where we stand.

The Need for a Sacrifice

Leviticus 9:3-6 - Then to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, "Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, for a burnt offering, and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you." So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the LORD. Moses said, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you."

It's exciting to see the necessity of the sacrificial system back then and how it speaks to our need today. The nation of Israel was required to offer a sin sacrifice so that the glory of God would appear to them. It took a perfect, unblemished sacrifice and without it, Israel would not be in the presence of God. We also need a sin sacrifice. Without Jesus Christ's perfect sacrifice for us, we could not be with God. What a price, what a cost, only through the Lamb of God can we approach the Father's throne.