Numbers
chapter 7 begins, “When
Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle, he anointed it and
consecrated it, and all its furnishings… then all the leaders of
Israel… made offerings“.
First there is a gift of six carts and twelve oxen, “An
ox from each leader and a cart from every two“.
These are given to the Levites for transporting the Tabernacle and
its furnishings, with one notable exception: “Do
not give any to the Kohathites, because they are to carry on their
shoulders the holy things which they are responsible for“.
Remember some of the most holy items were carried on poles and never
were to be touched or transported on a cart. Interesting that we
sometimes categorize things as “Important to God” and “Not
important to God”. Often we even have areas of our lives that
we try to keep completely separate from God. Nothing is hidden from
God and nothing is unimportant to God. The longer we walk with God,
the more we realize that everything in our lives needs to be
dedicated to God. Spiritual maturity begins when we realize the more
we dedicate to God, the more He blesses. It is also an important
reminder that God is completely holy and righteous; we must never
lose that reverence for God.
The
rest of the chapter lists the offerings each tribe brings to the
Tabernacle. All of them bring the same exact offering, and each
offering is detailed exactly the same way, “Silver
plate… silver sprinkling bowl… fine flour mixed with oil… gold
dish… incense… young bull, one ram, one male lamb… one male
goat… two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs“.
I believe God lists each tribe’s offering individually to remind us
that everything we give to Him is important. Remember, God does not
look at the amount we give; He looks at our attitude while giving.
The offerings are monetarily costly and ultimately bloody. These
were vivid and somber reminders to the Israelites of the cost of
their sin and the death and destruction it caused. In the end, all
of this is to honor God. The chapter ends, “Moses
entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord… and He spoke
with him“.
In
our times of wandering in the wilderness of our lives, there are
times when we need to rededicate ourselves to God. We can sometimes
just go through the motions of worship without truly honoring God.
We can sometimes get complacent, or worse begin to trust our own
righteousness. We sometimes get things backwards; it is not we that
have given so much to God, but God who gave Jesus Christ for us.
Jesus died not for the sin of “mankind”, but for my
individual sins and yours. By His bloody and brutal sacrifice, we
were given access to salvation. We are dedicated to God the moment
we accept Christ as our Savior. From that moment on, we are to
present our bodies as a “living
and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship”
(Romans 12:1). And just like Moses, because of that sacrifice, we
can speak to God, and He can speak to us.