A Means to an End

It’s early in the morning as I type this. I am trying to gather my thoughts before the two-year old and four-year old wake up. I have been reading through the Bible chronologically, and I have started to slow down as I read through Exodus. As the consecration of the priests was described, all I could think was, ‘What a waste!’

“This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight” (Exodus 29: 38-39).

As I read this, in my 21st century perspective, all I could think was, ‘Waste of resources!’ God required two lambs every day. I thought of sweet little lambs, bleating as they were killed… and I am not even a vegetarian. I also thought of depletion of resources. Those lambs could not be eaten by the people once they had been sacrificed – they were meant to be “a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord” (Exodus 29: 41).

And yet – this is what God required of the Israelites.
I must have been missing something on that first reading. His thoughts are above mine, and there must be a reason, a purpose, for this sacrifice.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

So why? Why would God require this sacrifice?

Then I kept reading. I was not even sure if I wanted to keep going in this book of Exodus when I first sat down. I almost switched to another plan, but I had asked the Holy Spirit to teach me, and this verse came to mind:

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:11

If I could just stick with it and plow through the Word slowly enough, focused enough to retain it, then I was sure God had something to show me.

What if God required these sacrifices as a way to draw His people nearer?
What if God required these sacrifices as a daily reminder of His worth and power?
What if God required these sacrifices as a means to an end?

The daily sacrifice of two lambs – the ‘waste’ that I originally saw – totally changed as I finished reading the chapter.

“For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory” (Exodus 29:42-43).

There is most definitely value in hearing the voice of God – it was a blessing for the Israelites then, and a treasured moment for people today too. Yet, if a people, or even an individual, does not sacrifice something, then will that group or person really be focused enough and anticipating the Word to speak in a way that is clear?

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah does not hear God in the great and powerful wind, nor the fire following an earthquake, but through a gentle whisper.
I can hear and understand the quiet voice of my toddler, even when his face is smooshed into his pillow. I can hear and understand it because my ears are so attuned to his little voice and the way that he forms his words. I am with him all day, every day, and so even a whisper from his perfect little lips is audible. Yet, how many of us can say the same for our relationship with God?

I am a good mother, but perhaps not a great mother. I love my boys, but I can erupt in anger after one of them splashes milk on the kitchen floor after a morning of similarly trivial incidences. God’s agape love is so much higher than my capacity for love and grace. In Acts 17 we can read about Paul’s explanation of God’s desire for us. He said, 

“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17: 27).

Can a person of the 21st century stay still long enough to hear a gentle whisper?
Can a person of the 21st century truly believe that an all-powerful God wants to be sought after?
I would say no… that is unless there is a very conscious effort to do so.

Christians today will not be sacrificing a yearling lamb in the morning and evening. Christ became, for us, the ultimate Lamb. So, what can we sacrifice? What can we give that will bring us to the end goal of an encounter with God the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost? This is something that I have been trying to discern for quite some time, but weeks can go by without a hint of His presence during my quiet time.

We recently had a guest speaker at our MOPS group speak about mental health, and within that the most precious commodity most of us hold now – our TIME. We must decide how to use time every day, and unfortunately there are a myriad of distractions from God’s presence. We are surrounded by work, children’s activities, and technology that – sadly – often feeds into our fear of missing out and even anxiety. I have been on a quest to find *balance* for a long time, and this idea came up again for me with this chapter in Exodus.

If time is such a precious commodity, then how beautiful the aroma must be for God when we give it to Him. The quiet, darkened morning hours might just be the perfect time to read His Word and hear a whisper. Or stolen moments on a train or bus commute ride could turn into a cocoon of solitude if spent in prayer and reflection. Even a walk outside can turn into a spot for meditation on blessings and closeness to God. While the Israelites used the sacrifice of an animal, today we can use time as our means to the end goal of a precious encounter with our Maker.

I would love to hear how time becomes your means to an end with a peace that can only come from Him.