Food for Friday

And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. Luke 2:24

Everywhere we look, we see differences between those who have plenty of money and those who don’t. Although the differences in affluent North America are not as stark as in third world countries where most people are poor and only a few have more than subsistence living, we still see major differences in income levels. While the rich drive expensive cars, the poor can’t afford vehicles. While the wealthy patronize specialty shops, the poor seek out bargains at Value Village. As the well-to-do dine at upscale restaurants, the poor appreciate the humble fare at the local soup kitchen. Although most of us lurk somewhere in the middle, we notice the great differences that economic status make. And we feel sorry for those who can’t afford what they would really like to have. So we would feel sorry for Mary and Joseph as they would arrive at the temple in Jerusalem with two turtledoves instead of a lamb.

In Leviticus 12, we find that when a child was born, his parents would be required to bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a turtledove, or young pigeon, for a sin offering. Only if the family was too poor could a turtledove be substituted for the lamb. Bringing the two birds to the temple was an admission of poverty. If the family truly could not afford the lamb, the law made it clear that the turtledove was just as acceptable to the Lord. So as the infant Jesus is brought into the temple, everybody who saw them knew that the family was poor. This provides a fresh reminder of the poverty into which the Lord Jesus was willing to come. Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9). His entire life was like that, as He moved in humility toward the hill outside Jerusalem where He would become destitute of all but a cross and a crown of thorns. And yet, despite His abject poverty, the Lord Jesus – and his earthly family – moved in accordance with the will and the Word of God. Should we do any less?

Our circumstances should have no bearing on whether we are obedient to the Word of God. Consider the case of Christians who decide that, because they are away from home on vacation, they can do some of the things that they would never consider doing when there are other Christians around to notice them. That is disobedience to what they have been taught, and what they believe. Or consider Christians who have a practice of giving a certain amount  of their income to the Lord as an offering, but encounter a sharp drop in their income, so they abandon their offering practice. In this case, they need to realize the Lord still desires the offering, but like with Mary and Joseph, He does not expect what they can’t afford.

God may not be keeping track of the amount of our giving to Himself, but He is keeping track of our willingness to be obedient in our giving. – Jim MacIntosh