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Q&A on trading
Posted by Jay at 4:46 pm
I recently had some prayers answered quite wonderfully. And when I had prayed, I had ended with something along the lines of “… and if you will do these things, then I will give you thanks and praise.” But when God actually did those things, it felt a little abstract, even gnostic, to simply say (in the quietness of my head), “Thanks.”
Leviticus 7:11-15 [+/-]Leviticus 7:11-15
[11]"And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace
offerings that one may offer to the LORD. [12]If he offers
it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the
thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil,
unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine
flour well mixed with oil. [13]With the sacrifice of his
peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his
offering with loaves of leavened bread. [14]And from it he
shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the
LORD. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of
the peace offerings. [15]And the flesh of the sacrifice of
his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the
day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the
morning. (ESV)
(also see Leviticus 3 [+/-]Leviticus 3
[3:1]"If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering,
if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he
shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. [2]And he
shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it
at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons
the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the
altar. [3]And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as
a food offering to the LORD, he shall offer the fat
covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the
entrails, [4]and the two kidneys with the fat that is on
them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he
shall remove with the kidneys. [5]Then Aaron's sons shall
burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is
on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a
pleasing aroma to the LORD.
[6]"If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to
the LORD is an animal from the flock, male or female, he
shall offer it without blemish. [7]If he offers a lamb for
his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD,
[8]lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in
front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw
its blood against the sides of the altar. [9]Then from the
sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food
offering to the LORD its fat; he shall remove the whole fat
tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that
covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails
[10]and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the
loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove
with the kidneys. [11]And the priest shall burn it on the
altar as a food offering to the LORD.
[12]"If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it
before the LORD [13]and lay his hand on its head and kill
it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron
shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.
[14]Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for a food
offering to the LORD, the fat covering the entrails and all
the fat that is on the entrails [15]and the two kidneys
with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe
of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. [16]And
the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering
with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the LORD's. [17]It shall
be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all
your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood."
(ESV)
)
And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord. If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. 4 And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.
The peace offering (used specifically for thanksgiving) did not establish peace, it celebrated it. The other sacrifices found in the early chapters of Leviticus were enjoyed by God and usually the priests, but the peace offering was shared with the worshiper as well.
Additionally, even our spoken thanks have a public context in the Bible. For instance, Psalm 107 [+/-]Psalm 107
[107:1]Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
[2]Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
[3]and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
[4]Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
[5]hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
[6]Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
[7]He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
[8]Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
[9]For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
[10]Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
[11]for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
[12]So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
[13]Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
[14]He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of
death,
and burst their bonds apart.
[15]Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
[16]For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
[17]Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
[18]they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
[19]Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
[20]He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
[21]Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
[22]And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
[23]Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
[24]they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
[25]For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
[26]They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the
depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
[27]they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
[28]Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
[29]He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
[30]Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
[31]Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
[32]Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
[33]He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
[34]a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
[35]He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
[36]And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
[37]they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
[38]By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
[39]When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
[40]he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
[41]but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
[42]The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
[43]Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
introduces four stories that result in thanksgiving and says:
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
…
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
In and among these (and many other) passages on thanksgiving, are the countless stories of feasts and parties in the Bible. As one example, the reason the older brother stands out so harshly in the story of the prodigal son is that if you’ve been reading your Bible carefully, once the father accepts the son back into the house, you pretty much knew there was going to be a party. The father was thankful, therefore a party. Par for the course in the Bible.
The aptly named American holiday Thanksgiving, then, seems exactly right, at least in its inception… but perhaps should be typical, not unique. It actually reminds me of the feast established in Esther (see Esther 9:22 [+/-]Esther 9:22
[22]as the days on which the Jews got relief from their
enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them
from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday;
that they should make them days of feasting and gladness,
days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to
the poor. (ESV)
). And that’s where my thinking finally landed on my own particular thanksgiving. As a rough sketch, it seems appropriate to:
1) Set aside some resources for an offering of thanks
2) give a larger portion as an alms to our church or some other meaningful offering
3) use the rest to have a celebration with others.
Here’s a couple follow up thoughts that have come up as Tricia and I have discussed all of this.
First, it may feel awkward, very nonspiritual, to use part of an offering to celebrate. However, this is exactly how God wanted it done in the past. The peace offering gives us an example of this, and so does the tithe.
Deuteronomy 14:22-27 [+/-]Deuteronomy 14:22-27
[22]"You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that
comes from the field year by year. [23]And before the LORD
your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his
name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of
your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd
and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God
always. [24]And if the way is too long for you, so that you
are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God
blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which
the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, [25]then
you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your
hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses
[26]and spend the money for whatever you desire--oxen or
sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite
craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God
and rejoice, you and your household. [27]And you shall not
neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no
portion or inheritance with you. (ESV)
You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.
No wonder Israelites didn’t struggle with gnosticism. God sanctioned them to use a portion of their tithe to party! He wanted them to enjoy themselves and rejoice in his presence.
Also, flaunting wealth is bad, yet the Bible emphasizes including the poor in your fellowship. Wealth is a relative thing, and I don’t believe our culture gives us much help at this point. It sure seems like if you use resources well beyond what you normally use to have a feast for thanksgiving to God (think of the scope of many of our Thanksgiving holiday celebrations), it could give the impression of a wealth that isn’t even necessarily there. Yet a party to rejoice in the Lord should be inclusive of those with less. Jesus doesn’t leave any wiggle room on this point (Luke 14:13 [+/-]Luke 14:13
[13]But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the blind, (ESV)
). So we in the church will just have to figure out how to do all this appropriately, whatever the resources with which we have been blessed.
Lastly, I think our thanksgiving is primarily about the past and should not be used to make a claim or boast about the future. Likewise, we should not withhold our thanks based on fears for the future. When the crops came in for the Pilgrims, they had a feast in celebration. I rather doubt any of them presumed there would be no future hardships. But we can’t be stingy with our thanks and praise for the Lord has already done just because his providence may take a different turn in the future. So our thanksgiving should be by faith, that is, without concern for the future, trusting that the Lord will provide. It should be an Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12 [+/-]1 Samuel 7:12
[12]Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between
Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said,
"Till now the LORD has helped us." (ESV)
), for the Lord has brought us this far.
October 2nd, 2007 at 7:10 am
I read that last sentence and thought “hey, we just had a sermon about that; how funny that Jay was thinking of it as well” before realizing that you might have heard the same sermon :)
October 2nd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
This ties in well and reinforces some other things I’ve recently read and heard (including the sermon Peter refers to) concerning how our joyfulness in general pleases God, but adds the dimension of thanksgiving in specific instances. Thanks, Jay.