This week, Leviticus 2 covers God’s instructions for the grain offerings. A few weeks ago, when we were discussing this passage and deciding on who would write what, the point was made that the grain mixture had to be baked like a cake, before it was burnt on the altar. Why go through the hassle of baking the whole thing only to incinerate some of it?
In many ways, the sacrifice includes the time and effort it takes to bake the bread. We can see that God wants our material goods, our “grain“ as well as our work and our time. Put simply, he wants our attention not just our stuff.
Coincidentally, in years past when I felt completely overwhelmed by life, I would sit down and type a big letter to God. I put my confusion and my frustration in black and white and somehow, it flowed into worship and became this sweet joyful prayer. When I finished, I realized that I had something valuable, something private between God and me. So I’d delete the entire thing, knowing that I had communed with God in a special way. It’s now secured in time past, safe from me or anyone else ruining it.
Only now looking back on that, do I realize the significance of what the Lord led me to do. I’m also faced with the chilling thought, how many things did I make “for God” in full view of everyone and just sorta hope God could glean honor from them. What if we did things or made things secretly that only God could enjoy? What if we could engage in artful expression or creative writing, or otherwise do something to bring delight only to our King? What if we carefully and lovingly baked our offerings?
Jonathan Duncan