Did you know that the first mention of a formal thanksgiving in the Bible is found in Leviticus 7? Most of us do not wake up in the morning excited to read through that book. Instead we probably try to avoid it, what with all the references to mildew, sin, skin diseases, bodily discharges, and such.
Yet right there, in Leviticus 7:11-15, a formal offering of thanksgiving is referenced. “Now this is the law of the fellowship sacrifice that someone may present to the Lord: If he presents it for thanksgiving, in addition to the thanksgiving sacrifice, he is to present unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. He is to present as his offering cakes of leavened bread with his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship.” [v11-13 HCSB]
It seems odd to put thanksgiving and sacrifice in the same sentence. We usually apply thanksgiving to all the great and wonderful blessings we experience. We offer thanks readily when things are going well in life. We have our health, or financial security, good jobs, family peace. Yes, we may become forgetful at times, but once reminded we go down our list of blessings and find much to praise God.
In those tough times, when health declines, financial security disappears, jobs are tenuous or family upheavals are the norm, thanksgiving truly becomes a sacrifice. Hebrews 13:15 is clear, however: “Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.” [HCSB]
There is no excuse for ingratitude when we remember all God has done for us in Christ’s sacrifice. All those things we found in Romans 5:1-2, in Psalm 100, are ours. They are eternal. They will never disappear or diminish or be overcome, not even by the trying circumstances of this life.
So yes, sometimes thanksgiving is a sacrifice because of what we have around us … but it must always be offered considering the eternal sacrifice of our Lord and Savior on that cross for us.
