(Friday)
In our reading today, we see a great amount of gift giving. Each tribe has responded by bringing their offerings to God. They have witnessed the way God has cared for them and protected them and so as they are getting ready to depart from Mt Sinai, they show their love by giving back to God.
Gift giving is like that, we often feel an urge to give a gift to someone when they have done something for us, or given us something. Have you ever had someone give you a Christmas gift and you didn’t get them anything? Or they spent a lot and your gift is well… lacking in finesse. Now you have like this awkward moment; on the one hand, you are pleased that they remembered you; but on the other side you wished you had something to give back to them. Even though they didn’t give to get. Anyway I think you know what I mean. There is power in giving.
God has given us so much. And we see that in the way God has gifted the Israelites with His continuous saving power. We see that in the way God has given to us. How we have been so blessed by Him. Paul understood the power of giving. The death of Christ is God’s gift to us. In return we give our lives back to God. In the process new life is created. (Gal 2:19- 20)
For the Israelites, the gift of the promised land would become a reality… eventually, but in the meantime God would gift them over and over again, with protection, with food and water, and so much more.
Our giving should be an act of worship, we give because we love.
Blessings
Pastor Kathy