(Leviticus 19:5-37) ‘Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and the next day; but what remains until the third day shall be burned with fire. 7 So if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an offense; it will not be accepted. 8 Everyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned the holy thing of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people.
9 ‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
We see spiritual, emotional and physical health all working together in these verses. Back then, eating the food after offering it to the Lord would be akin to us saying grace before each meal. And without refrigeration, to eat any leftovers more than a day-old would have led to food poisoning. Even today, we have to practice safety in the kitchen! Obviously, we should not try to waste and squander resources, but to be so frugal that you risk your own health is also very unwise. This comes down to a condition of either carelessness and/or greed.
Now, at the same time we are to help those in need. I can see how some people might try to comply and "be nice" and give old leftovers to someone who was hungry, but this would have been very detrimental to that person. Therefore God laid out a way for those in need. Although sometimes necessary, notice that it isn't just an outright handout. The people in need had to gather their own ingredients, but then they'd be able to prepare and cook from fresh.
Emotionally and physically it is good to work. It is very easy to slip into a depression if there is 'no purpose" in life. One of the best things to do is keep moving, and keep doing things. And after working hard, we will appreciate what we have that much more. Years ago, people in Eastern Europe had been asked if they were "happy" in life. The people responded with, "Happy? There isn't time to think about anything like that. We work hard to survive."
Do some of us have too much time on our hands to then contemplate how bored or miserable we might be? Do we look around and see what others have and are doing and then feel jealous and unfulfilled? What is enough? Even if we had everything in the world, it would never be enough.
Only the Lord fulfills and completes us! And when we faithfully give our tithes and offerings, He is faithful to see to our needs! In Him, we can be content and thankful for whatever He has given to us. By saying grace before each meal helps remind us that God is our provider, and our good and loving heavenly Father!
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