What does "700 oxen and 7,000 sheep" reveal about Israel's devotion to God? Setting the Scene • After a miraculous victory over the vast Cushite army (2 Chronicles 14:9–15), King Asa gathers all Judah, Benjamin, and those defecting from the Northern tribes to Jerusalem. • God sends the prophet Azariah to urge wholehearted commitment: “The LORD is with you when you are with Him” (15:2). • The people respond decisively: “At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the plunder they had brought.” (2 Chronicles 15:11) The Significance of the Numbers • 700 oxen – Oxen were premium animals—expensive, strong, essential for farming (Deuteronomy 25:4). – Offering such a large herd shows willingness to lay costly, productive resources on the altar. • 7,000 sheep – Sheep provided meat, milk, wool, and ongoing income. – Seven (the covenant number) multiplied by a thousand underscores completeness and abundance. • Together they communicate, “Nothing is too valuable for the LORD who just delivered us.” Sacrifice as a Measure of Devotion • Old-covenant worship demanded genuine loss; the animal died in the worshiper’s place (Leviticus 17:11). • Asa’s generation doesn’t bring leftovers. They offer what would have secured their economic future. • Their actions echo David’s heart: “I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). Overflowing Gratitude for Victory • The animals come “from the plunder they had brought” (15:11), acknowledging God as the true source of their spoil. • Sacrifice turns material gain into spiritual thanksgiving: Psalm 50:14—“Sacrifice a thank offering to God.” Covenant Renewal and National Unity • The lavish offering accompanies an oath “to seek the LORD…the God of their fathers with all their heart and soul” (15:12). • Every tribe present—Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon—joins the feast, mending fractures left since the kingdom split (15:9). • By giving together, they bind themselves together. Shared sacrifice forges shared allegiance. Lessons for Today • Authentic devotion shows up in costly obedience (1 Samuel 15:22; Romans 12:1). • Gratitude gives back to God first when He grants victory—whether financial gain, answered prayer, or spiritual triumph. • Corporate generosity knits believers into deeper unity; sacrificial giving still revives a congregation (Acts 4:32–37). • The pattern invites us to inventory our own “plunder” and ask, “Have I laid the best of it on the altar?” |
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