Whatever You Have

But if you cannot afford a sheep, you shall bring to the Lord, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, two turtledoves or two pigeons…

Leviticus 5:7a (NRSVUE)

We worship a unique God.

He is unique in more ways than we can fathom, and His uniqueness is at the center of our faith. And, because of His uniqueness, God relates to and interacts with us in unique ways. Chapter 5 of Leviticus is an excellent example of God being the one and only creator of the universe who desires to dwell with us, humanity, His creation.

The early chapters of Leviticus outline the Israelites’ sacrificial system. If you read through these chapters, you’ll likely be thankful as I am for Jesus Christ and the fact we no longer have to go through this system! However, this often glossed over Old Testament system teaches us a unique truth about God—and about His love for us.

As Israel left Egypt and were wandering through the desert, God maintained His desire to dwell among them, just as He still desires to dwell among us today. For this indwelling to be possible, the Israelites had to be holy through the systems God put into place. And God didn’t want this system to just be for a select few people in Israel, He wanted it to be in place for all of Israel, and even the foreigners who desired to be among the Israelites.

Take a look at Leviticus 5:5-13. You’ll notice a recurrent phrase, “but if you can’t afford.” God knew that at that time His people had to participate in this sacrificial system to be holy. But God also knew that there was, even in the newly liberated Israelite people, social and economic disparity. But remember, our God is unique. Unlike the powers of the world, He didn’t want anyone to have an advantage because He loves us all equally. So, what did God do? He put provisions in place so that no matter what the person coming to Him had, whether it was a sheep (5:6), some birds (5:7), or just some flour (5:11), their sacrifice could be acceptable.

This unique sentiment was further cemented in Jesus’ ministry. As long as one had a contrite heart and faith their “sacrifice” was acceptable. It didn’t matter what else they had to bring, whether it was two pennies (Mark 12:41-44) or a measure of wealth and power (Matthew 8:5-13). And the same is true for us today. Jesus isn’t concerned with what you’re bringing. Jesus, and all heaven with Him, rejoices that you’ve come home.

Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His desire is the same as we see in Leviticus as it is now as you read this devotional. Bring whatever you have—gifts, money, time—faithfully. God is unique enough to love you the same no matter what.