On 12-13-15, Leviticus 22:17-25, 31-33 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Acceptable Offerings

Acceptable Offerings

Leviticus 22:17-25, 31-33

December 13, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

Examples are invaluable to us as human beings.

It is through example that a child learns everything that they become.  They see and hear their family as they walk and talk and they want to emulate these things.  They see good behavior and this example helps bring that out in them.  Likewise when a child hears or sees nothing but bad things in their environs you know what happens.  This is how we raise children, by example.

God was raising up a children in the Israelites wasn’t he?  He showed them by example that He was holy and how they could be holy in turn.  When God gave to the children of Israel He did not give to them the worst but the best.

Being holy seems to go against our nature even though God kindly shows us what being holy is all about.  We are often stingy with what we give back despite the fact that all we have came from Him.  Do we want to give to Him the blemished when He has given us the perfect?  He doesn’t mind when we give more than the perfect but rather when we only give of the least of the best.  Surely this is not how we want to be treated.

God knows what He has given and He just wants us to love Him as He loves us.  This goes back to the idea of examples.  As we read in Leviticus we saw even foreigners were to respect this model of giving and the Israelites were to acknowledge God’s holiness in how they gave.  It is that example idea.

Likewise for us when we acknowledge God is holy through our example we show non-Christians something that might cause them to want to emulate us and in turn treat God as holy.

What do people see in you as an example?

For Discussion:

1. Those who give generously to God know that He rewards them for this even though they are only doing what they should.  Discuss this.
2. Discuss from a mortal standpoint the receiving or giving of flawed things if that is all that is being given.
3. Discuss the way we are examples.
4. Discuss how being bad examples is negative in it’s results.
5. Discuss how we come to God relates to this aside from in how we give.
6. Discuss Christ as sacrifice.

Upcoming Lessons

12-20-15     Dedications of Firstborn     Exodus 13:13-15; Luke 2:22-32

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved