01/15/2025 – God Demands the Best
Numbers 3: 11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 “Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, 13 because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the Lord.”
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Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple. As their firstborn in His human nature, He would be presented to God in acknowledgement of the Lord’s sovereignty over His life. Most people in the temple did not realize that God had entered the temple in human form for the first time in history. But two people received revelation from the Holy Spirit and they celebrated His arrival: Simeon and Anna. She is called a prophetess and became the first preacher of the gospel. She had given the best years of her life to God, serving in the temple day and night with prayers and fasting, and she was nor 84 years old.
The Lord’s presentation emphasized that every firstborn belongs to Him. God demands primacy. The Lord demanded that every first born would devote their life to serving Him. He would accept service from the Levites in representation of the firstborn on a one-for-one basis. All that exceeded the number of the Levites would have to pay a ransom. This was the end of the ritual and the fulfilment of God’s requirement. For the first time in history a life was truly presented to God and would accomplish the obedience and holiness God demands.
When you give something to God, make sure you give the best. Give Him the first minutes of each day. Give him the best years of your life, young or old, your service to God will glorify His name.