The LORD God longs to gather His people close; “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”[1], so the LORD God longs to gather His people close.
This longing to gather His people close is on display in the final chapters of Exodus. There the LORD God instructed His people to build a sanctuary in which He would “dwell among them”[2]. You can tell the people were excited to have the LORD God dwell among them. Generous offerings of gold, silver, bronze, fine linens, and gemstones were given, gifted artisans, skilled craftsmen, and dedicated laborers were employed and everything from the embroidered curtain at the entrance to the golden lampstands that illuminated the interior was carefully crafted to the exact specifications the LORD God had given them. How excited the people of God must have been when in the closing verses of the book of Exodus we read, “34 the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”[3]
The LORD God came down from heaven and made His dwelling in the midst of His people. There was just one problem. The LORD God had drawn near to His people, but the people were unable to draw near to the LORD their God. Even Moses the great prophet who stood atop mount Sinai where no other man was permitted to go and to whom the LORD God spoke “as a man speaks with his friend”[4], even Moses could not enter the place where the LORD God dwelled[5]. For as the LORD God Himself once explained to Moses, “you cannot see My face, for no one may see me and live.”[6] The problem with the people to whom the LORD God wishes to draw near is sin. Sin is what caused Adam and Eve to hide in the Garden of Eden when the LORD God came looking for them. Sin caused Abraham to bury his face in the dirt in the presence of the LORD God. Sin prevented Moses from entering the sanctuary where the LORD God dwelled. Sin makes it impossible for people to draw near to the LORD their God.
The LORD God had come to dwell among His people, but the people were still unable to draw near to the LORD their God because of their sin. But the LORD God, who refused to abandon His people, had a solution for sin. He explained His solution in the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus describes various festivals and rituals the people were to observe, but the central feature of Leviticus is the sacrificial system. The LORD God instructed the people to bring animals to be sacrificed. The animals were to be without defect; they were to be symbols of innocence and perfection. These symbolically innocent symbolically perfect animals were brought to the sanctuary. There, hands were placed on the head of the animal marking it as a substitute who would carry the people’s wickedness, rebellion, and sin. The animal would then be slaughtered, and its blood would be sprinkled on the altar and the entrance to the place where the LORD God dwelled. Sacrifices such as these taught the people that the only way a sinner could draw near to the LORD God was by the shedding of innocent blood.
For over a thousand years bulls and goats and lambs were sacrificed. For over a thousand years the LORD God was teaching and reteaching His people that in order for sinful people to draw near to the Holy God innocent blood must be shed. Can you imagine the number of animals that were slaughtered to teach that lesson? The number is surely in the millions if not tens of millions. That is a lot of blood. But that blood is a testament to the LORD God’s desire to be with His people.
For over a thousand years the innocent blood of millions of animals was shed and yet people were still unable to draw near to the LORD their God. Until one day, along the banks of the Jordan River, a prophet by the name of John pointed to a descendant of David and shouted, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”[7] The descendant of David Whom John identified as the Lamb of God was Jesus. Like the innocent sacrifices that had preceded Him, the Lamb of God was without defect. Both the Prophets and Apostles proclaim the Lamb of God “committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”[8] Unlike the symbolically innocent and symbolically perfect sacrifices that had preceded Him the Lamb of God is actually innocent and is actually perfect. Yet the LORD God “made Him Who had no sin to be a sin offering for us.”[9] The LORD God Himself laid on His Lamb the wickedness rebellion and sin of us all.[10] Then the LORD God offered His Lamb up as the sacrifice for sin; the LORD God allowed His Lamb’s blood to be shed not upon an altar but upon a cross. The LORD God did this so that sinners like Moses and the Israelites, sinners like you and me would be able to do what the LORD God longs for His people to do. The blood of the Lamb of God was shed so that we might draw near to the LORD our God Who longs to draw near to us.
In view of this, Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Romans; “1 in view of God’s mercy”, I urge you brothers and sisters “to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Because of God’s mercy that offered the Lamb of God as the sinner’s sacrifice, we can, at long last, draw near to the LORD our God who longs to draw near to us.
Like Moses and the Israelites, we draw near to the LORD our God through our offerings. There are obviously some notable differences. For one we draw near to the LORD our God not by offering bulls and goats and lambs. Rather, we draw near to the LORD our God by offering “our bodies”. When Moses and the Israelites drew near to the LORD their God, there were a variety of animals (from birds to bulls) that they could offer. Likewise, as we draw near to the LORD our God there is a variety of offerings we bring. In verses 6-8 Paul offers a list of the variety of gifts (from preaching to praying) that the people of God offer to the LORD their God. Every single one of these gifts exist in this congregation and I have seen them offered to the LORD God. But even if you don’t see your gift listed there don’t worry. This is not an exhaustive list, it’s just long enough to demonstrate the variety of gifts the people of God have to offer. Each one of us has a different set of gifts that we can us in service to each other and for the glory of our God. And when we offer the gifts, we have been given in this way, we are bringing a thank offering to the LORD our God.
As we draw near to the LORD our God, another notable difference between us and Moses and the Israelites is the offerings we bring to the LORD our God are not slaughtered. Which is something for which I am sure you are grateful seeing how you are offering that is being brought to the LORD. Unlike the animal sacrifices Moses and the Israelites brought, the sacrifice of self is a “living sacrifice”. Which means the sacrifice of self is not a one and done. Ours is an ongoing and never-ending sacrifice. Our sacrifice of self is not only a thing we do once a week when we gather in the place where the LORD our God dwells. Our sacrifice of self is something we keep doing when we walk out those doors get in our cars and drive to our homes where we offer our families our time and attention. Our sacrifice of self is something we keep on doing when we show up to work or school and offer our work with honesty and integrity. Our sacrifice of self is something we keep on doing after we have left the classroom or office, and we offer our friends and neighbors kindness and compassion. As living sacrifices, there is no time in which we are not offering ourselves to the LORD our God. Ours is not a one and done sacrifice, it is a day in day out 24/7 365 till the day we die kind of sacrifice.
Because of the Lamb of God who has taken away your sin you are now able to draw near to the LORD your God. As we draw near to the LORD our God, we offer to Him all of our talents and all of our time! We are never self-serving or stingy with our talents and time. In all ways and at all times we offer our bodies as living sacrifices which are both “holy and pleasing to God”. Right? …right? I know you want that to be true. I know you are grateful for the Lamb of God Who has taken away your sin. I know you want to offer your body as a living sacrifice which are both “holy and pleasing to God”. But as Jesus once observed of His disciples so He often observes of me and you. Our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak. Paul earlier in this letter to the Romans articulates our struggle well when he writes, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do.”[11] I know from my own personal experience how hard it is to offer your bodies as living sacrifices to the LORD our God. Which is why before we started talking about offering our bodies as living sacrifices, we spent so much time viewing God’s mercy. You see, God’s mercy is not only what motivates you to offer your bodies as living sacrifice, God’s mercy is what empowers you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices.
The animals Moses and the Israelites brought to the place where the LORD God dwells were carefully selected. So are you. You have been carefully selected. Not because you were without defect, but because God’s mercy. Because of His mercy the LORD God Himself choose you to be His own. Because of His mercy the LORD God redeemed you with the blood of His Son. Because of His mercy the LORD God claimed you in the waters of Baptism. Because of His mercy the LORD God assures and reassures you through the preaching of His Word that you are His chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people belonging to God.[12] Because of His mercy your offerings are holy to the LORD your God.
When Moses and the Israelites gave their offerings, the smoke that rose from the altar was a pleasing aroma to the LORD their God. So are you. You are a pleasing aroma to the LORD your God. Not because you are so sweet, but because of God’s mercy. Because of His mercy we are told in Ephesians 5:2 that “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Because of His mercy we are told in 2 Corinthians 2:15 that “we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved.” Because of His mercy we are told in Philippians 4:18 that our offerings “are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” Because of His mercy your offerings are pleasing to the LORD your God.
Even though we struggle; even though we fail to give our all to the LORD our God, because of God’s mercy, when we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, we are a holy and pleasing offering before God.
The LORD God longs to gather His people close; “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”[13], so the LORD God longs to gather you close to Him. Which is why the LORD God taught and retaught His people about the sacrificial system. Which is why the LORD God offered the Lamb of God to take away your sin. Which is why the LORD God through the pen of Paul urges “you, brothers (and sisters), in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Amen
[1] Luke 13:34
[2] Exodus 25:8
[3] Exodus 40:34
[4] Exodus 33:11
[5] Exodus 40:35
[6] Exodus 20:30
[7] John 1:29
[8] Isaiah 53:9 & 1 Peter 2:22
[9] 2 Corinthians 5:21
[10] Isaiah 53:6
[11] Romans 7:18-19
[12] 1 Peter 2:9
[13] Luke 13:34