Week 2: Summing Up“By Faith We Give our Best!”

What can I give Him, poor as I am?If I were a shepherd I would bring Him a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part.Yet what can I give Him? Give Him my heart.

By Christina Rosetti

From the moment that God brought Adam to life with His very own breath, leaning over him face to face, He has been after one thing: our hearts. God made us for Himself, to pour His love into us so His love would pour out of us and infuse this world with His image. When Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices to the Lord, He saw their hearts. He was concerned with Cain’s anger, Cain’s lying, and Cain’s sullenness. “Each man’s gift showed what was in each man’s heart. Abel feared God first and loved God best, but Cain didn’t really care about God at all. He was not really worshipping God with his offering. It was just a perfunctory performance” (Nancy Ganz, Genesis Commentary for Children, p. 136). In bringing just “some” of his harvest, not the best, Cain revealed a heart that doubted God’s goodness and did not esteem God Himself. God was pleased with Abel’s offering of his finest lamb because he saw that Abel understood God’s own heart: Abel knew that God had covered his mom and dad’s sin with the blood of an animal and Abel knew that God would cover him. Abel gave out of a heart aware of God’s goodness, a heart that said, “This much, O God, I esteem You!”

When God set the sacrificial system in place, it was not about bulls and rams and lambs; it was about the hearts of His people. He wanted them to have a visual and tactical reminder of the cost of sin—death—and a way to draw near to Him that would prepare them for His own Son. The blood of innocent animals was intended to pierce hard hearts with conviction that would lead to repentance and gratitude. The constant scent of smoke was intended to remind them of His consuming presence, His holy right to burn away impurities. He made some wonderful promises to His people regarding the sacrificial system: He would appear to them and show His glory (Leviticus 9:4,6,23); He would atone for their sins (Leviticus 17:11); He would make His people holy (Leviticus 22:31-33).

In Isaiah 29:13, God is sorry that His people come to Him with empty words, giving Him mere lip-service. He is grieved that their hearts are far from Him, so much so that He takes the initiative and shocks His people with “astounding and amazing things!” In Hosea 6:6, God tells us He wants mercy and relationship more than burnt offerings. In 1 Samuel 15, at the removal of Saul from his throne, God tells him He wants obedience more than any sacrifice! In Psalm 116, when the Psalmist thinks on how he can repay God for His goodness, he decides he can call on God, keep his promises, thank and praise Him publicly and privately! God is after our hearts. He wants us. He wants us enough to stoop over and bring us to life with a kiss. He wants us enough to warn us when sin is about to master us. He wants us enough to provide a covering for our sin. He wants us enough to condescend to the size of an ovum, put skin on, enter our world bloody and screaming, leave our world bloody and broken, that we might know Him!

Week 2 Summary Continued…

How do we give God our best? Two ways:1. We Bring God our worst. By this I mean, we just come to Him as we are. He

wants us. He is honored by our tears, honored by our cries, honored by our raw honesty. We climb up on the altar as a living sacrifice, giving ourselves to Him piece by piece, receiving from Him His peace.

2. We give God Jesus. By this I mean we offer up to Him that part of our lives where Jesus has the freest reign, where Jesus is most visible in us, whether it be in our tendency to encourage, our passion to pray, our burning desire to rescue children, our joy in giving generously… Jesus is alive in each of us, and the degree to which we are surrendered to Him is the best we can offer our Heavenly Father, for He is crazy about His Son.

His call is for all, at our worst and at our best. By faith, let us give it to Him!

Hebrew and Greek Terms:

Cain, from qana, meaning “to procure by purchase, to own” or “gotten, acquired”; closely related to qayin, meaning “spear” or “lance” and qinah meaning “jealousy.”

Abel, from habal, meaning “vanity, emptiness, something transitory and unsatisfactory.”

Gen. 4:5 “Cain was very angry and his face fell”: charah: to burn, glow with anger, be incensed, grow indignant; naphal: to drop, sink, decay. Used most often in reference to a violent accident or circumstance.

Gen. 4:7 “If you do well, won’t you be accepted?” yatav: be good, be pleasant, be lovely, be glad, be cheerful.

Gen. 4:7 “And if you don’t do good, sin is crouching at the door…” chatta’th: an offense, habitual sinfulness; from chet: turning away from God; chata: to miss the way; to forfeit; off target; coming short of the goal; a serious breakdown in a personal relationship.

Gen. 4:9 “Am I my brother’s keeper?” shamar: to keep, guard; preserve and keep safe; watch over someone; tend to with care. Used in reference to the Garden in Genesis 2:15; also used of shepherds with their sheep and worshipers obeying God’s Word.

Two Greek words used most often in reference to sacrifice: thysia: to butcher, kill; prosphora: that which is brought forward.

Steps for offering a sacrifice as set out in Leviticus:1. Bring the offering near (to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting)2. Lay hands on the head to identify oneself with the offering (transfer sin)3. Worshiper kills the animal himself (slits the throat)4. Priest collects the blood and sprinkles it on the altar; remainder poured out5. Worship flays the animal and cuts it into pieces6. In every case the fat, liver, entrails and fat tail are presented to the Lord7. Priest burns the animal on the altar 8. Priest and worshiper and God fellowship over a meal!

My Prayer for You

 Father, I praise You for Your heart, for the way You have always loved us and wanted us for Your own.

I praise You for Your provision, for the ways You have covered our sin and reached for us across the ages.

I praise You for giving us Jesus, the lamb without defect, the sacrifice that took our sins away for good and restored us to fellowship with You!

I praise You for Your Word, which is alive and active and speaks to us in every circumstance.

Piece by piece I offer myself to You as a living sacrifice: take my heart and make it Your throne; take my mouth and let praise be ever on my lips; take my money and possessions to build Your Kingdom; take my time and let it be filled with prayer and worship, wisdom and service; take my hands and let them serve with compassion and joy; take my

feet and lead me to the last, the least, the lost; take my will and conform it to Yours!

 I give You my worst: my temper, my doubts, my fears, my

disobedience.I give You my best: Jesus at work in me, Jesus alive in me!

 With the Psalmist and with Jesus I say, “Here I am! I have come to do Your will, for it is my joy! Your Word has entered my life and become a part of my very being! I will preach You to the whole congregation and keep nothing back. I will not keep news of You a secret but will tell it all, how dependable You are, how thorough. I will not hide Your grace

and truth! Here I am, Lord! I am Yours and You are mine!” 

I love You, Lord, and pray that daily I would, by faith, give You my best! I will draw near to You and obey. I will call on Your Name! I will keep

my promises. I will give thanks for Your goodness! By faith!