Day 65
Numbers 6:1-7:89; Mark 12:38-13:13; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 10:27-28
About Offerings
As we read through chapter 7 in Numbers, it soon becomes obvious that each tribe presented the exact same lavish offering for the dedication of the altar after Moses had finished setting up and anointing the tabernacle. This was according to the command of the Lord in verse 11: “The Lord said to Moses: They shall present their offerings, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
Those offerings were important. The Levites who served at the tabernacle altar had no resources except the offerings of the people. The spread of Christ’s Kingdom on the earth today is dependent on the offerings of His followers as well. But, in His discourse with His disciples as He observes people putting coins into the temple treasury in Jerusalem (Mark 12:41-44), Jesus gives us a window into God’s way of measuring the true value of an offering.
As He extols the poor widow’s truly sacrificial gift, Jesus reminds us that we must, first and foremost, offer ourselves – all that we are and have – to God. The widow understood that God was the ultimate source of all that she needed to sustain her life. That same understanding will give us the power to bring our tithes and offerings joyfully with gratitude to God for His gifts of life and salvation, and His presence with us.
Janice Miller