God wants the best

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A golden thread runs through the Bible—a truth that constantly recurs in the fabric of Scripture. This truth is this: God wants what is first and best. He wants to have first place in our lives, and he wants the best we can bring him.

Flawless

When the Lord instituted the Passover, he commanded the Jews to bring a lamb without blemish (see Exodus 12:5). They were never permitted to sacrifice an animal that was lame, blind, or had any other defect (see Deuteronomy 15:21; 17:1). That would have been an abomination to the Lord.

It should be clear to us that God does not need animals as sacrifices. Every animal in the forest belongs to him, just as does the cattle on a thousand mountains (cf. Psalm 50:10). Why, then, did he command that only blemish-free animals should be sacrificed to him?

He did it for our sake, not for his own. He did it to impart a lesson and to teach the members of his people at least one fundamental truth: they can only find joy, contentment, and fulfillment if they give him his proper place in their lives.

The firstborn

In Exodus 13:2, God commanded his people to consecrate all firstborn sons and firstborn animals to him: “ Consecrate to me every firstborn child, every firstborn that breaks through the womb among the children of Israel, whether human or animal; it is mine. ”

The firstborn represents the very best and most cherished. Thus Jacob spoke of Reuben, his firstborn: “ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, the firstfruits of my might!” (Genesis 49:3). The Lord Jesus is called “ the firstborn of all creation ” (Colossians 1:15), in the sense that He is the most excellent and that He holds the place of highest honor over all creation.
When God commanded his people to keep their firstborn sons holy to him, he touched a very sensitive nerve, because in a patriarchal culture the eldest son held a special place of affection in his parents' hearts. Indeed, the whole thing was meant to teach them the following:

Lord, even the highest thing I know,
what adorns me most beautifully,
Help me to tear it from its throne,
which belongs to you alone.

(Unknown poet)

First fruits

Next, God commanded the farmers: “ The firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God ” (Exodus 23:19). When the grain began to ripen, the farmer had to go out into the field, harvest a handful of the first ripe grain, and offer it to the Lord as a gift. This offering of the firstfruits confirmed God as the giver of the harvest and was a sign that he would receive what was due to him.

Once again it is evident that God did not need the grain, but rather that people needed a constant reminder that the Lord was worthy of the first and the best.

When sacrificial animals were slaughtered, the priests were sometimes allowed to take certain parts for themselves, while other parts could be eaten by those offering the sacrifice, but the fat was always offered to the Lord (see Leviticus 3:16). The fat was considered the richest and best part of the animal, and therefore it belonged to Him. Only the best was good enough for Him.

Some of God's benevolent commandments were intended to ensure the health of his people. For example, the prohibition against consuming fat may have protected people from arteriosclerosis, which is generally believed to be caused by high cholesterol. But the primary purpose of this law was to teach people to give their best to God.

The first dough

The obligation to put God first extended to every aspect of life, not just the place of worship, but also the kitchen. God's people were to offer a cake made from the first batch of dough as a heave offering: “ From the firstfruits of your coarse flour you shall offer to the Lord a heave offering throughout your generations ” (Numbers 15:21). Kneading dough might seem like a worldly task, not a particularly spiritual one. But by offering the first cake of dough to the Lord, a God-fearing Jew demonstrated that God had to take first place in all things. This also showed that there was no distinction between the worldly and the sacred. While it was obvious that God had no need of the cake, the Lord, as the giver of daily bread, still had to be honored.

We recognize this principle in an instruction given to the Levites: “ From all that has been given to you, you shall take every offering of the Lord; from all the best of it, the holy portion ” (Numbers 18:29). Since our being is always shaped by whom or what we worship, it is extremely important to give God proper appreciation. Whoever thinks little of God will destroy themselves. Only when we, as creatures, give our Creator the place He deserves will we rise above our flesh and blood and attain the dignity for which we are destined.

If we follow this golden thread in the Old Testament, we see that this lesson was applied when Elijah met the impoverished widow in Zarephath (cf. 1 Kings 17:7-24). He asked the woman for a little water and a morsel of bread. She apologized, explaining that she only had a handful of flour in the jar and a little oil in the jug—just enough to prepare a last meal for her son and herself before they starved to death.

“ Do not be afraid! ” said the Prophet. “ Go in, do as you say; but first prepare a small cake from it for me and bring it out to me; and then prepare one for yourself and your son. ”

Well, that looks like a shocking, selfish request, doesn't it? It seems the Prophet had bad manners. Anyone who says, "Serve me first," is insensitive and violates courtesy.

But we must understand that Elijah was God's representative in this instance. He stood there in God's place. He was not guilty of being selfish or rude. What he meant was this: "Look, I am a prophet of God. If you serve me first, you are truly giving God first place, and as long as you do that, you will never lack the necessities of life. Your flour in the jar will never run out, nor will the oil in the jug diminish." And that is exactly how it was.

Solomon reinforced God's earlier claim on our lives with the well-known words: “ Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce ” (Proverbs 3:9). This means that every time we receive a raise, we should make sure that the Lord receives his share.

First, the Kingdom of God

Turning to the New Testament, we hear the Lord Jesus insisting that God should take first place: “ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well ” (Matthew 6:33). It is the same truth that Elijah shared with the widow: Whoever gives the Lord the highest place in their life will never have to worry about the basic necessities of life.

Perhaps we know the Lord's Prayer (cf. Mt 6:9-13) so well that we don't notice the significance of its order. It teaches us to put God first (" Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name ") and to prioritize his interests (" Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven "). Only then (and not before) are we called upon to make our personal requests (" Give us this day our daily bread, " etc.).

Just as God the Father must have the highest place, so too does the Lord Jesus deserve this position, for he is God. Thus we read: “… so that in everything he might have the supremacy ” (Colossians 1:18).

The Savior made it unequivocally clear that people's love for Him must be so great that all other love relationships seem like hatred in comparison. “ If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple ” (Luke 14:26). Jesus must be first in our love.

Faulty victims

Unfortunately, the Lord doesn't always receive the best from His people. In Malachi's day, when it was time to offer sacrifices to the Lord, a farmer kept back the best animals for breeding or for sale, while giving the Lord the defective ones. He said that the bad animals would suffice for the Lord. Profit was his primary concern. Therefore, we hear Malachi's words, which strike at the very core: “ And if you offer the blind as an offering, it is not wrong; and if you offer the lame and the sick, it is not wrong. Offer it to your governor, and he will accept you favorably or show you consideration. ” (Malachi 1:8)

Make sure that your children, too, will one day bear witness to the light.
Stop in earnest supplication, stop, do not grow weary.
Feel free to use your wealth for this cause.
The Lord will reward you when you enter heaven.
(Mary A. Thomson)

A mother, a Christian, was working feverishly in the kitchen while a preacher talked with her son in the living room. The preacher was outlining the wonderful opportunities in working for the Lord that suited the young man's gifts. Then a shrill voice came from the kitchen: "Don't talk to my son like that. That's not what I have planned for him." One evening, a Christian businessman was explaining to his son the goals he envisioned for him: one of the best universities, a successful business career, and a comfortable retirement. The son wasn't interested. He wanted to spend his life serving the Lord. They talked late into the night without reaching a conclusion. Finally, the son said, "So, Dad, do you want me to continue living with the Lord or not?" The father later said to me, "That was the end of the whole argument."

Spurgeon gave his son better advice: “My son, if God calls you to the mission field, I would be very disappointed if you deigned to become just a king instead.”

What about us?

What about today? How can we give the Lord our very best? How can we put this principle into practice in our lives?

We can do this in our workplace by obeying our superiors and performing our work wholeheartedly, as if it were for the Lord and not for people. We can do it by recognizing that in doing so we are serving the Lord Christ (see Colossians 3:22, 24). When the demands of work take priority over the Lord's needs, we must actually be ready to say, " Thus far you shall come, and no farther; here is the limit to the defiance of your waves " (Job 38:11). We should be willing to do more for the Redeemer than we ever would for a company.

The blood of your body and your hands
You gave it, Lord, as a sacrifice for me.
Your suffering demands endless
My life as a sacrifice for you.
(J. Sidlow Baxter)

We can do it as a family by holding a family devotional where we read the Bible and pray together. Yes – we can do it by raising our children for the Lord and not for the world, for heaven and not for hell.

We can do it in our local congregation by faithfully attending meetings and participating zealously. George Mallone tells of an elder who declined an invitation to a presidential dinner at the White House because his duties as an elder wouldn't allow him to take the evening off. After Michael Faraday gave a brilliant talk on the workings and properties of the magnet, the audience, after much applause, suggested an official tribute. But Faraday was no longer there to receive it. He had slipped away to attend a prayer meeting at his congregation—a congregation that never had more than 20 members.

We can put God first in the management of our possessions. We do this when we adopt a simple lifestyle so that the surplus can go to the Lord's work. We do this when we care for those in spiritual and physical need. In short, we do it when we invest for God and for eternity. But the greatest way to put God first is to dedicate our lives to Him, surrendering ourselves not only for salvation but also for service. Nothing less will do when we consider all that He has done for us.

William MacDonald (1917 - 2017)

From Take My Life, CLV