An Offering of Thanksgiving
Take a few minutes and read Leviticus 7:11-21. As we find it in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the Mosaic Law appears to cover every possibility. There are moral laws, social laws, food laws, purity laws, laws covering the various feasts, and laws for all the sacrifices
and offerings. There are specific instructions for the priests and construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. God even includes instructions for the time when there would be a king in Israel. But what about when the worshiper wants to enter into God's gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise? With all this structure, regulation, legislation, and ritual, you would think there is no room for spontaneous praise and thanks to God. This would be a false assumption because God always delights in special offerings from those who serve Him (Think of God's delight in Abel and his offering [Gen 4:2-5] and all the altars built by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).
The offering of thanksgiving (or peace offering) shows us how God built an opportunity for spontaneous praise and thanks into the very fabric of Israelite society. This Thanksgiving season, let us renew our thanks and praise to the Lord!
The offering of thanksgiving was their thankful response. It was the prescribed method for forgiven sinners to offer thanks and praise for fellowship and peace with God. This is at the top of our list today! We want to give God thanks for so many things, but we especially want to thank Him for the peace and fellowship He gives us in and through Christ. We must not forget that our natural, sinful condition is the same as that of those who were in Israel. Because of sin, every person here is estranged from God and counted as enemies of God. Our relationship with Him is broken. Yet, ours is peace and fellowship with God in Christ!
This Thanksgiving season, as undeserving sinners, thank God for the peace and fellowship we now enjoy with Him. Like Israel's spontaneous expressions of gratitude, we can never forget or take lightly the peace we have with God. We should be moved to praise our God and
Father every time we think of peace, that is ours in Christ!
Israel was dealing with three circumstances under which the Thanksgiving offering was given. First, they needed to express thanks because of deliverance. It is a “thanksgiving offering” offered as an expression of thankfulness (Lev 7:12). We can also call it a "praise offering." It was given when someone needed deliverance. God hears our cries for help. He sees our predicament. He knows our situation. Think back on this past year. And, as you do, remember His presence and His love. Remember how He never left you nor forsook you. Then offer Him a
sacrifice of thanksgiving praise! Second, the offering was given as the result of a vow. The worshiper vowed to praise the Lord if the Lord answered the worshiper's prayer. So, the worshiper wants to celebrate answered prayer. Think back to all the prayers you have sent up to the throne of God: prayers for those with cancer, prayers for children and grandchildren, prayers for those in the hospital, prayers for rain, prayers for our small groups, prayers for our church staff and leadership, prayers for our missionaries, prayers for persecuted Christians, prayers for broken marriages, prayers of confession, prayers for forgiveness. Prayer after prayer after prayer. God has heard them all. So, we want to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice of praise. Third, the fellowship offering was given as a freewill offering. The worshiper simply wanted to thank and praise God for all His blessings and generosity. Remember, we deserve nothing. In God's eyes, we are but worms and not human (Psalm 22:6). Yet, God has lavished His generosity upon us. We can say this despite wildfires and drought. We can say this despite hurricanes and life-threatening floods. We can say this regardless of the political season or the current rate of inflation. We can say this amid the Ukrainian and Israeli wars. This season, we give God a thanksgiving sacrifice of praise!
An offering of thanksgiving is given by thankful people! It is given by those whose hearts overflow with love for God. It is given by those who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is given to those who are in an intimate covenant relationship with the Lord. This Thanksgiving Season, as you gather with friends and family, remind each other to give thanks to the Lord. Celebrate His goodness toward us in Christ. Praise the Lord Jesus that in Him we have peace with God!
James
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” – Titus 3:3-5
“You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”-Psalm 65:11
