Feeling Thankful

Here’s what I love: feeling thankful.

Our sweet friends volunteered to keep the girls for us when we went to Miami last weekend. The girls were well-cared for and had a blast. Bill and I were given peace of mind so that we could enjoy a weekend away together. This was a huge blessing…and a rather big sacrifice on their part. Even though my girls are old enough to dress themselves, feed themselves, and are incredibly cute, they do have one or two faults…A major one being that they get up early. Generally, “early” means 6 or 6:30AM. However, while they were in the care of our friends, they got up at 4:30 or 5AM. Our friend’s own children sleep ‘til 7:30AM!!! So, that was a definite problem. Also, my girls can be rather “energetic” which is a nice way of saying WILD! I can only imagine how wiggly and crazy they were being in someone else’s home.

Not only did our friends take excellent care of our children, they washed their clothes for us! We returned to clean, happy kids, AND clean clothes. They went above and beyond!

I wrote in a thank you note to them that I didn’t know if we’d ever be able to thank them enough. Certainly, this was a huge undertaking and they did an amazing job. I feel genuinely grateful because I know all the trouble they went through caring for our energetic early risers.

But, then I started reading Leviticus. Hmm, are you wondering how this relates? Wait for it…

So, Leviticus is viewed as a really boring book in the Old Testament. But, I’ve always loved Leviticus. The main idea in Leviticus is holiness. It’s a book of instructions written to help the Isrealites worship and live as God’s Holy people. Blah, blah, blah, you're thinking.

Anyway, you don’t have to read very far in Leviticus to feel a little overwhelmed by the detailed descriptions of each and every sacrifice or offering. There’s a Burnt Offering, a Grain Offering, a Peace Offering, a Sin Offering, and a Guilt Offering. There are specifications for what animal can be used and what is to be done with the fat and the blood and the entrails. Fat and blood and entrails, oh my!

If you can get over feeling bored with Leviticus, you might then feel more than a little grossed out!

I mean, the priests weren’t just tidy, listen-to-confession-hand-out-sacraments type priests. They had to be butchers! And offerings had to be made daily, probably all day long since they were offered for so many different reasons…My study bible has a good summation: “First, sin had to be dealt with (sin offering or guilt offering). Second, the worshiper committed himself completely to God (burnt offering and grain offering). Third, fellowship or communion between the Lord, the priest and the worshiper (peace offering) was established.” (Classic Reference Bible NASB—Updated Edition pg 97).

The bottom line is that when the people messed up, i.e. broke any of the Ten Commandments or did “any of the things which the Lord had commanded not to be done” (Lev. 5:17), then, they had to bring a sacrifice.

Leviticus 4:33 is interesting because it talks about the worshiper putting his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaying it. You had to put your hand on the animal to identify with it and acknowledge it’s substitution for your life.

Our culture tends to shy away from talk of “sin.” We tend to think we do no wrong—especially if we compare ourselves to other “really bad” people. But the thing about Leviticus is that everyone messed up. They even offered sacrifices for sins that people didn’t know they committed—just in case!

The bottom line of all these butchered animals is that sin equals death. Life blood is precious, so, offering up something precious was the only way to restore right-standing (temporarily) with God.

This is where I started feeling thankful.

Can you imagine if we had to take the life of a perfect animal every time we missed the mark of God’s holiness? In just the first few chapters of Leviticus, you get the impression that blood is running all over the ground all the time.

But,

Jesus is the lamb.

Hebrews 10:14 says

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

One sacrifice.

ONE.

Making me perfect forever.

Now, the phrase I wrote in the thank you note to our friends who kept the girls for us echoes in my mind:

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.”