How can Deuteronomy 15:20 guide our understanding of sacrificial living today? The verse at a glance “Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.” (Deuteronomy 15:20) What was happening in Deuteronomy 15:20? • Firstborn male livestock were set apart as holy (vv. 19–23). • They were not to be worked or shorn; their entire value belonged to the LORD. • Families brought the animal to the sanctuary, offered it, and then shared in a covenant meal “before the LORD.” • The act was repeated “each year,” carving sacrificial worship into the rhythm of life. Key truths we can carry forward • God still deserves first place, not leftovers (cf. Proverbs 3:9). • Sacrifice is joyful fellowship, not grim duty—families ate together “before the LORD.” • Worship is meant to be regular and relational, marked by tangible giving. • The place God chooses matters; obedience involves going where He says. Sacrificial living today: translating the principle 1. Offer your first and best – Time: begin your week and day with Him. – Finances: set aside giving before spending (2 Corinthians 9:7). – Talents: dedicate skills to kingdom purposes. 2. Keep sacrifice relational – Share worship and generosity with your household. – Celebrate the Lord’s Table as a memorial of the perfect Firstborn sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). 3. Make it rhythmic – Weekly gathering (Hebrews 10:24–25). – Daily surrender (Luke 9:23). – Ongoing gratitude (Hebrews 13:15–16). New-covenant perspective • Christ as ultimate Firstborn: “He is the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). • Our response: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). • Priestly identity: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Practical markers of sacrificial living • Quick obedience when God redirects resources. • Regular, cheerful generosity that stretches comfort zones. • Hosting meals that honor Christ and bless others, mirroring the Deuteronomy feast. • Serving where the Lord chooses, even when it means inconvenience. A closing encouragement Just as Israel tasted fellowship by bringing the firstborn to the sanctuary, we taste fuller life when we consistently give God our first and best. Sacrificial living is not loss; it is shared joy “before the LORD.” |
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