We must remember that none of us are self-made. For us as humans, there is no absolute ownership. This is the truth that has always stood from the beginning and we should learn that from our birth to our death. We all are just stewards of all the good and accomplishments that God has brought our way. I realize there are many who beat their chests thinking they have done it all by their own efforts! But there is coming a day when all will stand before the Lord and then all will truly see the whole parameters of life including the offering of Jesus on our behalf.
Knowing all this, we read God speak to Israel: "You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me." (Ex. 22:29-30) "You shall bring the choice first fruits of you soil into the house of the Lord your God." (Ex. 23:19) Why does God ask His people for such? If God is the owner of everything and we are not self-made, our offerings to God (and Israel's) is a confession that everything belongs to God. God alone is the Creator and Giver of all. Even Eve, when she gave birth to Cain said: "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord." (Gen. 4:1) When one offers their best, their first fruits to the Lord, that offering was a token of gratitude for what the Lord had done. It was a heart confessing and expressing thankfulness for the Lord's blessings and it was to be done with joy. God is rightfully the owner of all things created and offerings given to God by man is man confessing God's ownership.
God is able to bless or curse ones work and life. God can bless or curse the sea, the air, the land, the crops, the water, the weather and anything else. He alone is Lord of all and that includes us. The Lord can make life difficult. The Lord can allow things to come to us and people think they struggled and did it on their own but in one single moment it can all be lost! When God asks us to bring our offering, He asks us to bring it with a heart of gratitude and cheer because everything living thing depends on Him. What is your offering like?
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