Numbers 7: Following God

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;  one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;  one male goat for a sin offering;  and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering.

This exact phrase is repeated twelve times in the seventh chapter of Numbers.  Since there are no accidents in God's kingdom, why was it so important that the identical offerings from each tribe in Israel be documented?  Is it perhaps to illustrate how precise God's requirements are, how they must be carried out exactly as prescribed, how there can be no deviation from the requirements.  For those of us on this side of the cross, is it to illustrate just how powerful Christ's sacrifice was, what it spared us from?  Not just hell fire and eternal damnation, but the monotonous repetition of trying to live up to God's standards.

 I'm afraid that if I were born an Israelite during the time of the Exodus, I might have ended up like Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu.  I'm a rebel at heart.  The last thing I want to do is conform to any set standard, to be just like everyone else, yet that is what God calls us to do.  Whether we admit it or not, we are all conformed to something, even if it is our own individuality.  In doing so, we miss everything that God has for us.  Christ's death provided access to eternal life, but it did not take away our human desire to carve out our own life. Conforming to a lot of laws and regulations does not make us holy, following God does.  Allowing our mind to let go of all pre-conceived notions of who or what we are to be frees us to be all God intended us to be.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2 KJV)